Transform your dinner routine with easy, cheap crockpot meals that promise big flavor without breaking the bank! If you’re searching for delicious and inexpensive meal solutions for your family, look no further. We’re excited to share our favorite slow cooker recipes featuring versatile ingredients like chicken, beef, pork, and even frozen roast cooked to perfection in your slow cooker.
We are thrilled to bring you a fantastic collection of easy and affordable crockpot meals your entire family will adore! The slow cooker has been a kitchen staple in my home since I first started living on my own. Over the years, I’ve continuously developed simple yet satisfying crockpot recipes designed to make life easier and more delicious for everyone.
Effortless & Affordable Slow Cooker Meals for the Week
Kickstart your week with a crowd-pleasing dish like our crockpot crack chicken. This incredibly flavorful recipe is perfect for feeding a large family, especially when served on buns as sandwiches or sliders. It’s a comforting, feel-good meal we often prepare, particularly on cooler days when we crave something warm and satisfying.
The notion that “cheap” and “delicious” don’t go hand-in-hand is a myth easily dispelled with the right slow cooker recipes. Rest assured, every recipe we share has received enthusiastic approval from my husband, kids, and myself. Simplicity is key, and often, all you need is a generous cut of beef paired with a flavorful sauce to create masterpieces like Beef Manhattan. Even a simple jar of BBQ sauce can transform humble ingredients into a family favorite!
Maximizing Your Slow Cooker for Meals Under $20
It’s amazing what you can create for under $20 using your slow cooker! From vibrant veggie side dishes such as Crockpot carrots and Crockpot brussels sprouts, to substantial main courses, our extensive collection offers a wealth of choices. We provide numerous suggestions, all of which can be easily adapted with ingredients you already have on hand, minimizing food waste and maximizing savings.
Explore everything from hearty side dishes like slow cooker cabbage to incredibly inexpensive and filling main courses like slow cooker chicken and potatoes. We encourage you to try them all!
Let’s be real: we’re all busy parents who depend on simple, reliable crockpot recipes to navigate our hectic days. There’s nothing more disheartening than returning home utterly exhausted, only to find a hungry family and an empty kitchen with no dinner prepped. That’s where the slow cooker becomes your culinary superhero, handling the cooking while you handle life.
While I also have a vast array of Instant Pot recipes, some days, nothing beats the convenience and gentle cooking of my beloved slow cooker.
- Our crockpot pizza recipe is a huge hit! Kids particularly love helping to assemble it, making mealtime a fun family activity.
- Discover our easy crockpot lasagna recipe, which is deconstructed for ultimate simplicity – no need to pre-boil noodles!
- For a truly cheap crockpot meal, our slow cooker cheesy potatoes can be enhanced with leftover ham, creating a satisfying and thrifty dish.
The cheesy potatoes pictured above are fantastic for holiday brunches or gatherings like baby showers and Mother’s Day events. Potatoes are incredibly versatile, serving as a main meal, a breakfast component, or a festive side.
Moving on to other cheesy and creamy dinner favorites, remember that a delicious soup served with a side of easy rolls makes for a complete and comforting meal, perfect any time of year.
Hearty & Family-Friendly Slow Cooker Creations
- Enjoy our rich creamy tomato soup recipe, best served with classic grilled cheese sandwiches.
- A festive Crockpot ham recipe that’s perfect for holidays or any special occasion.
- These slow cooker scalloped potatoes are an excellent accompaniment.
- Try our healthy butter chicken recipe, a fresh and delicious twist you might not have encountered yet.
- A simple and warming Crockpot chicken noodle soup, ideal for chilly evenings.
- Our crockpot lasagna recipe and crockpot lasagna casserole are incredibly popular, especially with the kids!
Pasta dishes are consistently inexpensive meals and a fantastic base for budget-friendly meals. You can often find a variety of pasta at discount stores, along with jars of spaghetti sauce and even cheese if they have a fresh food section. These ingredients form the foundation for many satisfying crockpot meals.
Delightful Slow Cooker Casseroles and More
If you’re looking for flavorful pork dinner options, we have some fantastic ideas to explore. Ground beef is another incredibly versatile and cheap protein source for easy crockpot meals. Use it to create our comforting crockpot beef barley soup or incorporate it into countless other dishes. It’s perfect for various slow cooker casserole recipes, or simply for making tacos. Our selection below offers plenty to choose from, sure to please both kids and adults alike, including our popular crockpot hamburger recipes.
- Our loaded baked potato soup is packed with deliciousness, featuring bacon and a dollop of sour cream.
- Hearty Crockpot pork chops with apples make for a wonderful dinner option, combining sweet and savory flavors.
- If you enjoy slow cooker pulled pork, our version with barbecue sauce is simply irresistible.
- You’ll love our easy Crockpot chili mac, a satisfying one-pot meal.
- Crockpot spaghetti and meatballs often features on our weekly menu because it requires absolutely NO boiling of noodles!
Alternatively, you can cook noodles separately and prepare frozen meatballs in your Crockpot. They emerge incredibly tender and bursting with flavor, ready to be added to your favorite pasta or served as a standalone dish.
Cheap Crockpot Meal
Equipment
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1 slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef, or diced beef or venison pieces
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 cans beans, kidney, black, or both
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp basil
- 28 oz beef broth
Instructions
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If using meat, brown it in a skillet with a touch of olive oil until the outsides are no longer pink. Pour into your slow cooker (you can drain the fat or leave it for extra flavor).
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Add all other ingredients to the slow cooker and stir everything together. Place the lid on and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours, or until the beans and meat reach your desired tenderness.
Nutrition
Calories: 191kcal,
Carbohydrates: 9g,
Protein: 13g,
Fat: 12g,
Saturated Fat: 5g,
Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g,
Monounsaturated Fat: 5g,
Trans Fat: 1g,
Cholesterol: 40mg,
Sodium: 846mg,
Potassium: 539mg,
Fiber: 3g,
Sugar: 5g,
Vitamin A: 512IU,
Vitamin C: 10mg,
Calcium: 57mg,
Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Additional Info
This recipe exemplifies the convenience and flavor potential of slow cooking. I will say that for quick weeknight meals, I often make our spaghetti recipe on the stovetop due to its speed. However, when I need to prepare a larger batch or want that deeply developed flavor, the slow cooker is always my preferred method.
If you’re new to cooking with dry beans, don’t be intimidated! Your slow cooker makes it incredibly simple. Start with our hearty split pea soup recipe below and build your confidence from there. Enjoying homemade meals has never been easier or more accessible.
- Our healthy slow cooker split pea soup is perfect for making in large batches using economical dry peas.
- For a flavorful main, try Crockpot chicken cacciatore, which utilizes fresh chicken breasts.
- And our crockpot cheesy chicken and rice has become a resounding family favorite!
Savory Meals Utilizing Leftovers & Pantry Staples
Looking for creative ways to use up leftover ham or dry beans lurking in your pantry? Our Crockpot black eyed peas recipe is a fantastic solution. This dish is literally what to cook for under $10 and can easily feed six people, especially if you already have the meat on hand and need to use it up. It’s a prime example of turning simple ingredients into a delicious, satisfying meal.
Simple Slow Cooker Weeknight Wonders
For those busy weeknights or casual gatherings, the slow cooker shines. We often prepare a large batch of Crockpot baked beans, particularly during the summer BBQ season. They make a perfect, cheap side dish for a crowd or party. Beyond sides, there’s a whole world of easy weeknight mains.
- Whip up slow cooker pulled pork for sandwiches or delightful sliders, paired with Crockpot little smokies as a yummy appetizer or a light meal. These often provide enough for two meals!
- Our Crockpot chicken casserole is a comforting classic that will transport you back to childhood.
- Effortless slow cooker cube steak is fantastic served alongside creamy mashed potatoes.
- For a lighter, yet incredibly flavorful option, try this crockpot lemon pepper chicken, a healthy winner with a burst of citrusy goodness.
Serve this zesty lemon pepper chicken with a side of mashed potatoes prepared right in your slow cooker for a complete and utterly delicious meal. Even my youngest child raves about this one, so if I remember to grab a few lemons at the store, it’s always my go-to choice because it’s a guaranteed hit with everyone.
Delicious Meals Under $10 That Everyone Will Love
If true comfort food is what you’re craving, you absolutely must try a few of our recommended Crockpot casserole recipes below! What I love most about them is the incredible convenience of cooking everything—including rice and/or noodles—all in one pot. Of course, I always load mine up with extra cheese, but that delicious customization is entirely up to you!
Our hearty crockpot hamburger casserole features tender noodles in a creamy sauce, a delightful contrast to our healthier Crockpot vegetable beef soup, an easy meal that simmers to perfection all day long. The salsa chicken crockpot recipe is fantastic and can even utilize pre-cooked chicken if you’re in a hurry. For a kid-approved favorite, don’t miss our slow cooker pizza casserole!
For those mindful of carbs, our Crockpot buffalo chicken sliders are excellent served as lettuce wraps. And our Crockpot ribs are so tender they literally fall off the bone, easily making them one of our all-time favorite slow cooker recipes.
If you’re seeking a low-carb or keto-friendly Crockpot recipe, simply adjust the sauce you use. For instance, you can swap out sugary juices for lemon-lime soda when cooking ribs. Once you try this method, you’ll discover a new level of tenderness and flavor, and you might never go back to any other way of cooking them.
Beyond Mains: Budget-Friendly Crockpot Sides and Desserts
Now, let’s explore some amazing crockpot side dishes that will perfectly complement your main meals. From simple Crockpot green beans to cooking dry legumes from scratch, the possibilities are endless. Crockpot baked potatoes, in particular, are incredibly versatile. While they make an easy and cheap side dish, they can also be transformed into a filling main meal when stuffed with various toppings. Consider:
Our 5-ingredient Crockpot chili is fantastic piled inside baked potatoes with cheese and diced onions. Making slow cooker black beans has never been easier; they develop tons of flavor and can be enjoyed as a side or added to burritos. And if you’ve never cooked Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash, you’ll be surprised at how much simpler it is than you think, offering a healthy, low-carb alternative to pasta.
Speaking of budget-friendly, I highly recommend our 5-ingredient chili recipe. With just a can of diced tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, ground beef, and a packet of fajita seasoning or chili mix, you can create this delicious meal for well under ten dollars. It’s truly a testament to how satisfying and affordable slow cooking can be.
Have you ever experimented with “baking” in your slow cooker? While the results won’t be identical to oven baking, as items don’t typically rise as much, certain desserts turn out exceptionally well. Dump cakes, for instance, are perfect for the slow cooker, as their nature doesn’t rely on significant rising.
Sweet Endings: Irresistible Slow Cooker Desserts
Beyond savory dishes, your slow cooker can create delightful desserts! You can even bake individual Crockpot cakes in ramekins, which are both fun to make and elegant to serve to guests. Kids especially enjoy helping with these miniature treats. For an intensely rich chocolate cherry experience, try our recipe for Crockpot lava cake. Remember to generously spray your slow cooker pot before cooking, as this ooey-gooey dessert can be quite sticky once done. And of course, don’t forget classic slow cooker desserts like our beloved Crockpot apple dump cake.
What’s your go-to slow cooker dinner? Is there another budget-friendly favorite we should add to our growing list of cheap crockpot meals? Share your ideas in the comments below!
Frequently Asked Questions About Cheap Crockpot Meals
I highly recommend a combination of slow cooker baked potatoes served alongside a large pot of our 5-ingredient chili. Offer toppings like chopped onions (very cheap) and cheese (which can be bought in bulk) on the side to allow everyone to customize their meal. It’s incredibly filling and cost-effective.
Many options exist! A large pot of white rice paired with well-seasoned ground beef is a fantastic base. People can then add their desired toppings or sides. Ground beef and rice is always a favorite in our home, as is red beans and rice. These are simple, satisfying, and very budget-friendly.
We’ve compiled a comprehensive list right here! From comforting stuffed potatoes and hearty casseroles to a variety of delicious pasta dishes, you’re sure to discover several new favorites. All our suggestions are designed to feed at least six people for under $20, offering exceptional value and flavor for your family meals.