Cooking everyday home-cooked meals for the whole family can take a toll, but food doesn’t have to be expensive to be delicious, especially if you know how to manage your money. If you’re on a tight budget but still want to enjoy homemade dishes with your family, here are 3 slow cooker meal ideas that everyone will love—and your wallet too!
Try these slow cooker meal ideas today:
Coconut Sweet Potato Curry
What do you need:
- 1 kg sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 onions, cut in half and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 red chilies, seeded and sliced
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
- 1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 2 1/4 cups passata
- 2 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1 3/4 cups coconut milk
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne
A small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped (to serve)
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and cook onion until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger then season with paprika and cayenne. Pour the mixture into a crock pot. Reheat skillet, then cook chilies, red peppers, and cabbage in 1 tablespoon oil for 5 to 10 minutes before transferring mixture to slow cooker. Heat the remaining oil and cook the sweet potatoes for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes to the crock pot. For passata and coconut milk on top. Stir, cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low heat. When ready, add the peanut butter and top with cilantro.
Potato wedges with mixed herbs
What do you need:
- 2 large potatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 2 teaspoons of oil
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, mixture, and cayenne pepper. Add the potatoes and oil. Season with salt and pepper, then stir to mix the ingredients and coat the potatoes. Transfer to a crockpot and cook for 1 to 2 hours on low heat or until potatoes are cooked through.
Spicy Garlic Tomato Mushroom Pasta Sauce
What do you need:
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped
- 1/2 red chili, seeded and finely chopped
- Small bunch parsley (leaves only)
- 2 1/2 cups of chopped tomato
- 2 cups spaghetti pasta, cooked
- 1 2/3 cups sliced brown mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch of salt
In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, then cook the mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic then cook for 1 more minute. Transfer the mixture to a bowl with parsley. Set aside. Return skillet to heat, add remaining oil, onion, celery, tomatoes, chili, and salt and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a crock pot and cook for 15 minutes on low heat. Toss spaghetti with tomato sauce and top with garlic mushrooms.
A delicious meal doesn’t have to be expensive – try these inexpensive slow cooker meal ideas!