Rainy Days and Mondays: Crockpot Recipes for the Fall

The weather in Kathey Jo’s Kitchen neck of the woods is cool, breezy, and insists upon warm clothing from head to toe. I decided to dust off the old crockpot, and make soup that could cook while I was at the office. If you don’t already have a crockpot, I recommend you get one. There’s crockpots of all shapes and sizes. There are some small enough for individual meals, or you could invest in a sizable one, so you have leftovers that you can freeze to enjoy later. Do you have a favorite recipe? I encourage you to share it with the Kathey Jo’s Kitchen audience. You’ll find a couple of my go-to recipes below.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ pounds boneless chicken breast
• 3 medium peeled and diced carrots
• 3 stalks diced celery
• 1 medium diced onion
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, or more to taste
• 2 cups cheese tortellini
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Add everything on your ingredient list to your crockpot, except for the tortellini.
2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
3. Remove the fully cooked chicken. Shred as you’d like; place back in crockpot.
4. Add in the tortellini. Cook for about 15 minutes, or until they’re cooked all the way through.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Discard bay leaves and serve with chopped parsley, if desired.

Slow Cooked Chili

INGREDIENTS

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium diced yellow onions
• 1 medium diced red bell pepper
• 6 medium finely chopped garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
• 1 14-ounce can of tomato sauce
• 2 15-ounce cans of drained and rinsed kidney beans
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped and drained pickled jalapeños or green chiles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onions and bell pepper. Season with salt, cooking until softened, stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes.
2. Add garlic, chili powder, and cumin, stirring to coat the vegetables, and cook for about 1 minute.
3. Add measured salt and ground beef – breaking into small pieces with a wooden spoon to ensure it’s no longer pink. Cook for about 7 minutes.
4. Transfer everything to the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes and their juices, tomato sauce, and beans to the crockpot. Stir until combined. Cover, and cook for about 8 hours on low, or 6 hours on high.
5. Stir in the jalapeños or green chiles. Taste and season with salt as needed, and serve warm with your favorite toppings.