Crystal Valley Blog

Crock-Pot® Potluck Ideas

POSTED November 6, 2018

It’s a superstar showdown with Oprah and Martha Stewart squaring off…over slow cooker recipes for a crowd! We’ve pulled together the best slow cooker recipes from your favorite TV personalities and also found contenders for slow-cooker stardom from The Kitchn, Forkly, and Taste of Home. So, let’s see who wins your vote for a Crock-Pot® full of deliciousness to share with family and friends! 

Check out these mouth-watering, money-saving and even a few healthy slow cooker potluck (take-with-you or stay-in) recipes.

Martha Makes Magic

We scrolled through Martha Stewart’s gallery of recipes and stopped on this Slow Cooker Cajun Stew, a bowl of down-by-the-Bajou bliss. It’s filled with shrimp, andouille sausage, and okra and only takes 15 minutes to prepare. And what fall weather fan can pass up Pot Roast with carrots and onions? Or Slow-Cooker Sausage Lasagna? We see a red meat theme developing, here, and we’re okay with that!

Oprah’s Opt-Ins

Oprah expanded her Food Empire this year by buying into the True Food chain of healthy restaurants with 23 locations in 10 states. But these slow cooker recipes from her website showcase the Stock in the Crock cookbook stars like Honey Baked Chicken with honey, curry and mustard and Cheesy Mushroom Risotto, with plenty of garlic and button mushrooms. 

Fancy Football-Watching Eats

Here’s a dip you don’t have to warm up in the oven, and no it’s not a queso recipe – you can find that anywhere. This is the first slow cooker Barbecue Bacon Chicken Dip we’ve come across and it sounds scrummy.

The Kitchn says pulled pork sandwiches have to be the easiest meal for guests who drop in to watch the game this weekend. Have everyone else bring the buns, salads and a few other sides, and with a few icy adult beverages and dessert you’ll have a fine football-munching-on-paper-plates meal. And if you you’re the guest, slow-cook a cobbler, blueberry, peach, raspberry – you name the fruit — and help your host(ess) dip up bowls of yum drizzled with melting vanilla ice cream!

Want it quick? These Cranberry Sauerkraut Meatballs make our mouths water just saying the name. Super-easy to make in your slow cooker and perfect for a Sunday afternoon watching gridiron gladiators, the combination of cranberry sauce, chili sauce and sauerkraut is an unexpected savory fusion from Taste of Home.

Chinese Meatballs sound exotic and hard to make but that’s only because the prep time is longer than five minutes! You’ll need two pounds of lean ground pork, pineapple juice, fresh ginger and soy sauce for this recipe, but we bet your Crock-Pot® is emptied by half-time!  

Healthy Slow-Cooked Recipes

One great thing about slow cookers is that you can make appetizers, snacks, desserts and main meals without a lot of effort. And the great thing about Self’s collection of recipes is that they’re as healthy as they are tasty. Stupid Easy Paleo’s Beanless Chili combines sweet potato and butternut squash for a timeless vegan treat. Fitchn’s Crock-Pot® Thai Chicken adds lemongrass and green curry paste to chicken you can shred for tacos, lettuce wraps or in a bowl over rice. 

More great recipes for a Crock-Pot® potluck can be found at Midwest Living, Bustle and Forkly including Garlic Parmesan Pull-Apart Rolls, Sloppy Joe Cheeseburgers and Butter Chicken. 

And if you’re an expert slow-cooking chef, share what you know on the Castle Crock Facebook group where Castle Rock cooks post recipes and photos of their latest Crock-Pot® creations, especially now as the temps keep dropping!

The Best of Crystal Valley 

Neighbors in Crystal Valley have a well-developed sense of community and enjoy one another’s company during leisure activities. The master-planned community is near so many great shops, amenities and recreational options near Castle Rock, if you don’t live here yet, stop in and tour the nine models from D.R. Horton,  Kauffman Homes and Richmond American Homes. The community is among the top five fastest-growing in the state with new homes priced from the $300s, available in ranch and two-story models.

accent

Keep Me Informed about Crystal Valley

Our community enjoys a year-round schedule of events and activities. Register to receive the latest progress and news of upcoming events at Crystal Valley.

Download Brochure

Want to learn more? Simply fill out the fields below and we’ll send you a community brochure all about the Nature of Happiness here in Crystal Valley.

Keep Me Informed about Crystal Valley

Our community enjoys a year-round schedule of events and activities. Register to receive the latest progress and news of upcoming events at Crystal Valley.

Relocating to Colorado?


Schedule A Private Tour