Fall Crock Pot Recipes We Absolutely Love
Fall is a time for cooking and feasting, and what better way do both that than by using a crockpot. Just like how your mom or grandmother would let a meal stew for hours in the crockpot, creating an appetizing aroma that wafted through the whole house, you’ll be able to recreate that ambiance. These fall crock pot recipes will have you feeling cozy and at home as the weather turns colder!
1. Roast Beef Stew
When we think of fall crock pot recipes, what immediately comes to mind are stews. Potatoes, carrots, and beef slow cooking in a crockpot for several hours practically melt in your mouth and you will have leftovers for days!
To make this hearty stew, start with your roast beef and cut it into 11-inch bite-sized chunks. Place chunks in a resealable freezer bag, add 1/4 cup flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Shake the bag until meat is evenly coated.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and brown meat on all sides. While meat is cooking, cut potatoes (2 pounds, halved or quartered) and 1 pound carrots, then place them at the bottom of the crockpot. Once the meat has browned, place the meat pieces on top of the potatoes and carrots in the crockpot, be sure to leave remaining juice behind in skillet, at this time.
- Also consider adding other veggies like celery, peas or green beans for extra flavor.
To make the gravy, return skillet to stovetop at high-medium heat, and add two tablespoons of butter. Melt the butter then sauté one diced yellow onion and three cloves of garlic, minced. Stir in three cans (40 ounces) of beef broth, one small can tomato paste, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and one tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. In a measuring cup, mix two tablespoons corn starch and two tablespoons cold water, then add this mixture to the skillet, to thicken the gravy. Pour skillet contents over the meat and veggies in the crock pot.
To the crock pot add one tablespoon dried thyme, one tablespoon dried parsley flakes, and two bay leaves. Proceed to cook the contents of the crockpot on low for 7-8 hours if you want a slow-cooked stew, or on high for 4 hours if you’re in a hurry. 30 minutes prior to serving, taste test and add salt, pepper or seasoning as needed. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and garnish with extra parsley. Enjoy!
2. Homemade Applesauce
Apples are a fall favorite, as they are versatile in recipes, and when they’re cooked they bring about an intoxicating aroma that makes you feel right at home. Try a delicious homemade crock pot applesauce as a side to roast beef stew or to dollop on your potato pancakes.
Start with four pounds (about 12 medium-sized) tart apples that have been cored and sliced, and peeled if that’s your preference. Mix sliced apples with 1/2 cup white or brown sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (I personally like to double the sugar and cinnamon). Put these into the crockpot.
Pour 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in the crock pot, then allow everything to cook on low for six hours or on high for three hours. The applesauce should be thick and creamy.
3. Crock Pot Roasted Chicken
A plenty hearty and flavorful meal to try in the crockpot this fall is a roasted chicken. It goes beautifully alongside roasted vegetables, or of course eaten as leftovers in salads and sandwiches. When slow-cooked in the crockpot this whole, rotisserie chicken comes out super tender and juicy.
Start with a whole chicken, either fresh from the store or defrosted the day before (it takes a long time to defrost the entire thing so be prepared). The second step is to remove the insides of the chicken, all the giblets you aren’t going to want to eat, like the heart, liver and such. Rinse chicken under the faucet, inside and out. Pat dry and set aside.
For the seasoning, mix together in a small dish, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon fresh or dried thyme, one clove of minced garlic (honestly who only uses 1 clove though?), one teaspoon onion powder, two teaspoons paprika and two teaspoons Kosher salt.
Back to the chicken, gently lift the skin with your fingers, by sliding the skin up toward the neck. With the meat exposed, rub seasoning all over the meat, especially the breast and over the skin. Now cook the whole chicken by placing in a crockpot, breast side up, set it for low and cook for eight hours. There should be enough liquid that falls away from the chicken during cooking to make a gravy in the end if desired.
To make the gravy, pour liquid in a pot and mix with a little cornstarch and water, boil all the contents, whisking vigorously and season as needed. Serve your chicken with veggies and gravy and enjoy!
4. Baked Crock Pot Apples
These aren’t applesauce, these are apples (cored and sometimes whole, but sometimes sliced) that have been slow-cooked to be tender and rich where they go perfectly with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream after your delicious dinner of roasted chicken. Hungry yet?
Take 6 large apples (while this recipe calls for tart use what you like best, but if you choose sweeter apples, be mindful of how much sweetener you add). Core and slice them. You can peel them if you wish, depending on your preference.
Put apple slices in the crock pot. Add one cup of golden raisins, one cup or less of granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of the apples, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, one tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Stir this mixture, within the crockpot well, until apples are evenly coated. Top with four tablespoons sliced butter.
Cook on high for 1 1/2-2 hours or cook on low for 3 1/2-4 hours, stirring once halfway through. Serve hot and enjoy! Much like the other recipes on this list, while the cooking time is slow the prep time is super simple and easy, making the beauty of the crockpot that much more favorable.
5. Fall Lentil Stew
If you’re not overly enthusiastic about roast beef, but you still want to enjoy a hearty crockpot stew this fall, try this lentil stew. It has plenty of flavors and is filling enough to leave you satisfied and feeling warm inside. The versatility of the vegetables and the easy prep gives you the freedom to make your new favorite fall crockpot recipe.
Start with two cups of dried lentils, rinse them well. To the crockpot add lentils, seven cups of vegetable or chicken broth, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. For the seasoning add 1-1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and 1 cinnamon stick. Add 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder, and 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 bay leaf and 1 teaspoon of salt and lastly three cloves of minced garlic.
For the veggies, it is recommended to use one large carrot, peeled and chopped, two cups Yukon gold potatoes chopped to 1/2″ inch cubes, however, don’t make them so small they get soggy, and whatever other veggies you want like celery.
Once all ingredients are in the crockpot, stir and cook on low for six hours. If after six hours lentils are still undercooked, increase heat to high and cook until liquid is thick. Remove 1/2 or 1/4 of the lentils from the crockpot and blend until smooth (leaving the potatoes in the pot to be unblended). Put blended lentils back into the crock pot with everything else, stir and serve with plain yogurt, raisins, and cilantro.
This stew is packed with a lot of flavors for a meat-free meal that is perfect for the fall.
