I’ve made no secret of my love for my CrockPot, and today I wanted to share some summer slow cooker recipes with you. This is an appliance that some people don’t use much in summer, and that’s a shame because it works surprisingly well for hot weather meals while also keeping you from needing to turn on the oven. That’s a huge plus in my book.

Here are three summer slow cooker recipes that you can try this week. Easy to follow, delicious and featuring ordinary ingredients that you won’t have to go to three shops to track down, all of these family-friendly dishes are great on even the hottest of days.

1. Beef barbacoa tacos

What is it about beef barbacoa that transforms tacos from ordinary to spectacular? One delicious summer meal you can whip up in your slow cooker is beef barbacoa that you can top with avocado, sliced radishes and sour cream for tacos your whole family will gobble up.

Beef barbacoa is traditionally cooked over an open fire, but if you don’t have a pit in your yard, fear not. Your slow cooker can do all of the work and give you a shredded beef barbacoa that falls apart and melts in your mouth. If you have the saute option on your slow cooker, you can sear it in a little bit of oil before you start the slow cooking process for crispier edges, but it’s just as good without it.

Gimme Some Oven has a great recipe for CrockPot beef barbacoa. The combination of beef chuck roast, chipotles, onion, lime juice, bay leaves and spices is perfect for Taco Tuesdays.

2. White chicken chili with a green salad

I admit it – I make chili a lot in my slow cooker. Easy, healthy and quick, I have the ingredients memorised and can throw it together in no time, and my family loves it. But summer calls for lighter fare, and white chicken chili hits a lot of the same notes as traditional chili but with a fresh, summery twist. Make a simple green salad with it, and dinner’s done.

This recipe for CrockPot White Chicken Chili from Well Plated by Erin is a dump-and-go recipe – my favourite kind. Featuring white beans, chicken breast, cumin and green chilies, it has a great flavour that is rounded out by fresh cilantro added at the end. You can serve it loaded up with diced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, and my kids’ favourite, crushed tortilla chips. Best of all, this dish is freezer-friendly, which makes it perfect for batch cooking.

3. Ribs with mango salsa or coleslaw

I’ve always found ribs to be tricky to cook in the oven, but they are a quintessential summer food in my book, particularly because they pair so well with so many types of cold salads. That’s why I’m so glad I’ve discovered how easy it is to cook ribs in the CrockPot. They are basically foolproof. You can throw them together in the morning and forget about it, and they turn out incredibly tender.

This recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch is destined to become one of your go-to summer slow cooker recipes. It has a perfect balance of flavours and lots of great advice on technique so your first attempt has a good chance of turning out awesome. With barbecue sauce, garlic powder, onion powder and just a touch of brown sugar, this is an amazing meal that you can pair with coleslaw, potato salad or a good mango salsa.

Try these summer slow cooker recipes this week, and you may just find a new family favourite!

Happy summer Crock-Potting! 😁

Love,

Nakita xxx

PS: Have you heard about my online mini-course, ‘Slow cooking, fast batching?’
Learn ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about slow cooking in 45 minutes!
That includes BATCH COOKING, QUICK TIPS & HACKS, CONVERTING STOVETOP/OVEN RECIPES TO SLOW COOKER ONES, & more!
At € 25.00, it’s a steal!
Go here to get your hands on it!