Slow cooker recipes are perfect for busy families. Use this one-week slow cooker meal plan to save time and money with family-friendly crock pot recipes featuring chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian options.
Do you ever have one of those weeks where you have something on your schedule every single night?
I have, and the worst part isn’t that we’re busy with things to do… it’s that there’s no time to cook dinner!
Those are the busy weeknights I reach for my slow cooker recipes.
REASONS TO MAKE SLOW COOKER RECIPES
Making recipes in a crock pot isn’t a new idea, since one search on the internet will show you TONS of them. And I bet you have a few cookbooks or recipe cards with your favorite slow cooker recipes, too.
I like cooking meals in the slow cooker so much, and here is why 80+ years later, people still use it so often:
- It’s a time saver – You can cook dinner while you’re away.
- It saves money – You can buy the cheapest and toughest cuts of meat, and they become tender and juicy.
- You have flexibility for meal prep. Maybe you don’t have time to get dinner ready at dinner time, but you can do it in the morning. Slow cooker to the rescue!
Who doesn’t love saving time or money? That’s why you and I both need this one-week slow cooker meal plan!
ONE WEEK SLOW COOKER MEAL PLAN: CROCK POT RECIPES
What’s Included:
Here’s what you can expect to find in this FREE meal plan with crock pot recipes for a week:
- 100% real food recipes. They’re simple, straightforward, and family-friendly. Our favorite recipes made with easy to find ingredients and full of flavor!
- Seven dinners. I created the slow cooker meal plan to feed the average family of four with a cost of around $50 to $75.
- Hearty meals. There’s a good chance you’ll have leftovers for lunches, too. (If you have hearty eaters or teenagers, you might also find this two-week lunch menu handy.) We’re making more than soup here!
- Simple side dishes. You can make each side dish in a slow cooker or Instant Pot, and some don’t require any cooking at all!
- FREE printable shopping list. I’ve done the hard part for you! Just print the list and head to the store.
What’s Not Included:
- Breakfast, lunch, or dessert. At least, not officially. But since slow cookers aren’t just for dinner, and your people need to eat, I included ideas for breakfast and dessert below, too. They’re not included in the FREE printable shopping list, but you can easily add them to your crock pot meal planning.
- Precautions for food allergies. We have been blessed not to have severe food allergies in our family, and as a result, I don’t plan for them in my meal plans.
If you need to account for food allergies, ALDI has a fantastic line of gluten-free foods, and if you’re dairy-free, you’re probably used to subbing anyway. With a few tweaks, I think this ALDI meal plan would work in most food allergy families, too.
By the way, you can find all of our FREE meal plans on this page!
WHAT YOU NEED FOR RECIPES IN A CROCK POT
You’ll certainly need a slow cooker because this is a SLOW COOKER meal plan. I have and LOVE this 6-quart slow cooker, so I would recommend it in a heartbeat.
If you prefer to cook using an Instant Pot, here’s how to make slow cooker recipes in an Instant Pot. However, since this is a SLOW COOKER meal plan, not all recipes will necessarily fit in the Instant Pot as written.
HEALTHY SLOW COOKER CROCK POT RECIPES
These crock pot dishes are numbered 1-7, so you can always use them in order of the days of the week or mix them up. It’s up to you!
- Beef Ragu + Mashed Potatoes
- Thai Pineapple Curry + Rice
- Salsa Chicken + Cornbread
- Meatless Lasagna + Easy Spinach Salad
- Carnitas + Lime Crema
- Classic Pot Roast
- White Chicken Chili
BONUS CROCKPOT SLOW COOKER RECIPES FOR BREAKFAST
Breakfast in the crockpot makes for a convenient and nourishing meal for busy mornings when there’s no time to “cook breakfast.”
Or check out this freezer meal plan featuring SIX breakfast recipes in one hour!
BONUS RECIPES FOR A SLOW COOKER DESSERT
Did you know that you can make dessert in the crock pot? Yes, yes you can! Try these dessert slow cooker crock pot recipes on your next weekly meal plan!
CROCK POT MEAL PLAN FAQS
What is the difference between a slow cooker and a crockpot?
A slow cooker is a type of appliance that sits on the countertop and cooks food in a ceramic crock. Crockpot is one brand of that type of appliance. However, both terms have become interchangeable for the same process of slowly cooking food.
What is the best meat for crockpot slow cooker recipes?
Any meat can work, but you have to know how long and at what temperature to cook it to avoid it drying out or turning out tough. This crock pot meal plan includes a few different cuts of meat, so you can enjoy variety throughout the week.
MORE EASY CROCK POT IDEAS
Here are a few more of our favorite slow cooker recipes. These are NOT included in the crock pot recipes for a week meal plan. However, they’re tried-and-true recipes you might like!
- Tender Slow Cooker Ribs
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
- Slow Cooker Mexican Corn and Potato Chowder
- Quinoa Chicken Cacciatore
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Thank you for sharing with us the one-week food plan as in this hectic life it is difficult to prepare food every day so why not prepare the food all at once and then just cook it again and have this will save time and gas as well, great content thank you for sharing such great tips with us.