Slow Cooker Taco Pasta

Slow Cooker Taco Pasta

The Lazy Slow Cooker, Susan, United States.
This recipe comes from a social media friend and it is delicious! The pasta is cooked and added at the end so there is no chance it can get soggy.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker (4+ quart)

Ingredients
  

  • 750-1000 grams ground beef, or pork, (1½-2 lb)
  • 1 can corn, drained, (15 oz / 425 g, or 2 cups frozen)
  • 1 can diced tomatoes, (20 oz / 565 g)
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 can diced green chilies, (7 oz / 198 g)
  • cup taco seasoning, (1 packet), Shortcut
  • 3 cups sour cream, Shortcut
  • 340 grams dry rotini pasta, (12 oz)
  • 2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions
 

  • In a non stick pan, cook the beef until no more pink remains. Drain.
  • Butter, or use non stick spray of your choice, the inside of the slow cooker. Add the browned beef, corn, tomatoes, onion, green chilies, and taco seasoning.
  • Mix together, cover, and set to Low setting for 4-6 hours.
  • About 30 minutes before serving, cook the pasta in a pot of salted water until just tender, drain.
  • To the slow cooker, add the sour cream and drained pasta, mix everything together.
  • Sprinkle the Cheddar cheese over the top.
  • Cover and let cheese melt.
  • When the cheese has melted, serve and enjoy.

Notes

Fair cost per serving if using beef.
Shortcuts: Taco Seasoning, Sour Cream.
Updated on 1 September 2022.
Slow Cooker Tuna Mornay

Slow Cooker Tuna Mornay

Adapted from an internet recipe.
What is a mornay you ask? It is a casserole, a mornay seems to be a cream sauce with cheese, possibly an Australian thing. First clue was Tasty Cheese (Cheddar cheese, Mainland Brand) and second clue was liquid measurements in metric. Either way, this not only sounds good, it is good! Link to the Shortcut is listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, Shortcut
  • cups whipping cream, or evaporated milk
  • 3 cans tuna in brine, about 165 g / 5 oz each, do not drain
  • 2 cups dry Penne pasta
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 cup frozen corn, or canned
  • 3 shallots, diced
  • cup water
  • 1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
  • salt and pepper, as desired

Instructions
 

  • I used 3 cans, 185 grams each, of tuna chunks in brine.
  • Open each can and dump brine and all into the slow cooker pot.
  • Break up the tuna with a fork.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients except the cheese, season with a pinch of black pepper as desired. I used frozen mixed veggies in place of the corn and peas. And I took the photo before I added the evaporated milk (I actually forgot to add it at this point).
  • Give everything a good stir. Cover and cook on Low setting for 4 to 5 hours. Stir the pot (literally, not figuratively) once an hour. Check if the pasta is tender at the 4 hour mark, if tender, stir in the cheese. If not tender, check again at 4½ hours.
  • Cook for another 15-30 minutes on Low setting, stir again, taste, season with salt and pepper as desired.
  • Spoon into bowls, serve.

Notes

Three cans of tuna is on average 43 Baht per can, 3 cans would be 129 Baht, 1 cup of of shredded cheese from a block would be on average 90 Baht. For 4 servings, this is about $1.77 per serving.
Shortcut: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Variants: 1. Use 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables in place of the corn and peas.
American Goulash II

American Goulash II

Stephen Connell, United States.
This is another variant to American Goulash, there is hundreds of ways to make goulash, and many countries have their own variants, all are good and ingredients are based on locality. You will need to use your stove top and a slow cooker for this. On my to cook list.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • ¾ cup onion, diced
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped. plus juice
  • 3 cups tomato soup, Shortcut
  • 4 cups dry macaroni, or spirals or corkscrew pasta
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
  • cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
  • ¾ cup Cheddar cheese, shredded, or your favorite cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a non stick pan, add the ground beef, onion, red pepper flakes, paprika, and salt and pepper as desired, brown the beef until just no longer pink, no need to over do this, just lightly brown the beef.
  • Add the beef to your slow cooker, then pour in the soup and tomatoes, stir. Cook on Low setting for 2 hours.
  • Add the dry pasta, stir into the mixture, top with the cheese and cook for another 1-2 hours.
  • Serve.

Notes

Low cost per serving.
Shortcut: Tomato Soup.
Variants: 1. Add some mixed vegetables. 2. Add some sliced or minced mushrooms.
Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta

Slow Cooker Angel Chicken & Pasta

Provided by Slow Cooker Kitchen and the link to this recipe is here, United States.
I was hooked on just the mention of chicken and pasta. Now this is a slow cooker recipe which means it is pretty much hands off for the most part. Several shortcuts are listed for savings as well. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 6 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 250 grams Cream cheese, one standard block, (8 oz)
  • 2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup, (10½ oz / 298 g each), Shortcut
  • 2 packets Italian dressing mix, Shortcut
  • ½ cup chicken broth, fresh or from powder
  • 1 kilo chicken, boneless, skinless, any type, cubed, (2 lb)
  • 500 grams dry Fettuccine pasta, (1 lb)
  • spring onions, or parsley, chopped, optional
  • Parmesan cheese, grated, optional

Instructions
 

  • Lightly butter your slow cooker insert, then add the soup, cream cheese, broth and dressing mix to the slow cooker and mix, see you did not even need to dirty a bowl for this.
  • Stir in the chicken. Cover and cook on Low setting for 4-6 hours.
  • Now right after you turned on the slow cooker, heat a pot of salted water to boiling. When boiling, add the fettuccine and cook until just before before done. Drain and rinse, cover and place in the fridge.
  • About 45 minutes to an hour before serving, add the pasta from the fridge, and sprinkle in some spring onion or parsley, reserve a bit of spring onion or parsley for garnish, stir well and cover and cook for just long enough to heat the pasta through, 45 minutes to an hour.
  • Serve with spring onion or parsley sprinkled on top, and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese to taste.

Notes

Figure about 75 Baht/kilo for the chicken. The Cream cheese is about 120 Baht, go with Caroline brand, that saves you 30 Baht right there. For 6 servings, this is about 95 cents per serving.
Shortcuts: Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup, Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup, Italian Dressing Mix.
Variant: 1. Use Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup in place of the mushroom soup.
Crock Pot Lasagna

Crock Pot Lasagna

Stephen Connell, United States.
Sounds good, on my to cook list. Several shortcuts listed for cost savings as well. Links to the Shortcuts are listed in the Recipe Notes section.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 15 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • 500 grams ground beef, (1 lb)
  • lasagna noodles, as needed
  • 3 cups pasta sauce, Shortcut
  • cups Cottage cheese, Shortcut
  • cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef in a skillet, drain, and set aside.
  • Pour 1 cup of sauce in the slow cooker and spread around to coat the bottom. Mix remaining sauce with the ground beef.
  • Place 2 uncooked lasagna noodles on sauce in slow cooker. Spread ⅓ of the meat mixture on top of the noodles. Spread ¾ cup of cottage cheese over the meat. Sprinkle ½ cup Mozzarella over the cottage cheese.
  • Add another layer of uncooked noodles, ⅓ meat mixture, the remaining cottage cheese and ½ cup mozzarella cheese.
  • Place another layer of uncooked noodles, remaining meat mixture, then remaining Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over top. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve.

Notes

Figure about 100 Baht for the ground beef, and 140 Baht for the Mozzarella cheese. For 4 servings this is about $1.76. Not a bad price for lasagna.
Shortcuts: Pasta Sauce, Cottage Cheese.
Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

Holly - Spend with Pennies.
This is a recipe that screams for the use of a slow cooker. As the author of this recipe stated, slow cookers can maintain a very low temp, much lower than a hob can maintain, so this will simmer for 6 hours and the flavors will blend perfectly and the beef will be tender. For this recipe, it involves some work on the hob first, then the slow cooker takes over. This feeds a crowd, perfect for visiting friends or family. On my to cook list.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 20 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Equipment

  • Slow Cooker

Ingredients
  

  • olive oil, as needed
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 kilo ground beef, for this recipe, I do not recommend pork, (2 lb)
  • ½ cup beef broth, fresh or from powder
  • 2 cans whole peeled tomatoes, chopped, juice reserved, (565 g / 20 oz each)
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 tablespoons beef stock powder
  • 2 tablespoons Worcherstershire sauce
  • 3 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 500 grams spaghetti, (1 lb)

Instructions
 

  • In a large non-stick pan, heat a splash of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft. Place this in your slow cooker. Add another slash of olive oil in the same pan. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, add the ground beef to the slow cooker.
  • Add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT THE SPAGHETTI, to the slow cooker and give that a mix. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours.
  • For the spaghetti, you can do this two different ways.
  • 1st Way. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender. Reserve about 2 cups of water from the pasta pot and set aside, drain the rest and return the pasta to the pot and add sauce, about 4-6 cups and 1 cup of the reserved pasta water, gently mix over medium heat for a few minutes and the sauce will thicken and coats the pasta, serve.
  • 2nd Way. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water until just tender. Drain and plate a serving of pasta and top with sauce, serve.

Notes

The ground beef, or beef in general is costly. Depending on your location, you may be able to get ground beef and will pay top dollar for it. Getting large cuts of beef and grinding (or chopping) yourself is preferred and most cost effective. For ground beef, I will go with about 200 Baht/kilo. For 8 servings, this is about 75 cents per serving.