Slow Cooker Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

Crisp-tender potatoes loaded with garlicky parmesan goodness – and it’s the easiest side dish you will ever make right in the crockpot!

Christmas is in T-minus 24 hours. The tree is up. The presents are wrapped. And the menu is set. No, wait. I actually don’t have any of that ready yet. I should really finish my Christmas shopping at some point.

But first, these garlic parmesan potatoes – a super simple side dish that anyone can make.

All you need is a handful of baby Dutch potatoes tossed in the slow cooker with a little bit of olive oil, butter, garlic and fresh herbs (or dry herbs, whichever you have on hand). You’ll top it off with a lid and let it cook nice and slow until you get that crisp-tender goodness.

When ready to serve, go ahead and sprinkle on that freshly grated Parmesan. You can even add a little extra – after all, it’s Christmas time, and I’m sure Santa will forgive you for doubling up that Parmesan!

SLOW COOKER GARLIC PARMESAN POTATOES

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time4 hours

Total Time4 hours, 10 minutes

Yield6 servings

Crisp-tender potatoes loaded with garlicky parmesan goodness - and it's the easiest side dish you will ever make right in the crockpot!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds baby Dutch yellow potatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Lightly coat the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place potatoes, olive oil, butter, garlic, oregano, basil and dill into the slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 4-5 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours, or until tender.*
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with Parmesan and garnished with parsley, if desired.

NOTES

*Cooking time may need to be adjusted depending on the size of the potatoes.

Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

The easiest mashed potatoes you will ever make. Just throw it all in the crockpot and you’re set. Easy peasy!

Mashed potatoes. A Thanksgiving essential.

And here’s Butters. Just waiting for a bite with his big puppy eyes. How can anyone resist his face?

No, but really, it’s not Thanksgiving without the mashed potatoes.

So creamy. So chunky. So garlicky. So full of carbs and comfort.

And it’s just so easy to make right in the crockpot.

I mean with all that you have to do on Thanksgiving Day, these mashed potatoes are one less thing to worry about on the big day.

Simply throw everything into the slow cooker and when you’re ready, go ahead and blend it with a hand blender. Done and done.

Now how easy is that?

SLOW COOKER GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time4 hours

Total Time4 hours, 15 minutes

Yield8 servings

The easiest mashed potatoes you will ever make. Just throw it all in the crockpot and you're set. Easy peasy!

INGREDIENTS

• 3 pounds red potatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons milk, or more, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Make a Cheesy Hash Brown Casserole

INSTRUCTIONS

• Lightly coat the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place potatoes, butter, garlic and 1/4 cup water into the slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours, or until tender.
• Add sour cream, Parmesan, milk, thyme, oregano, basil and nutmeg. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, blend potatoes until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. If the mixture is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with chives, if desired.

Why It’s A Smart Choice

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size

Servings Per Container 8

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Amount Per Serving

Calories 219.9Calories from Fat 83.7

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 9.3g14%

Saturated Fat 5.7g29%

Trans Fat 0.3g

Cholesterol 23.6mg8%

Sodium 97.4mg4%

Total Carbohydrate 28.9g10%

Dietary Fiber 2.9g12%

Sugars 2.0g

Protein 6.2g12%

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*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Did you know that mashed potatoes are one of the most filling foods you can eat? Typically more carb-oriented foods are less filling than those that contain more fat or protein. But boiled potatoes are unique. It is believed that both the fiber (found mainly in the skin!) and the large size of its starch granule are responsible.

Nutritional information provided by Jessica Penner, RD at Smart Nutrition.

Slow Cooker Enchilada Orzo

The easiest, creamiest enchilada pasta ever. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the crockpot!

Now that we are finally in December and gearing up for the rest of the holidays, I figured we all needed a break from that Turkey Day comfort food and go a completely different direction to of course, Mexican food.

Well, I guess it’s more Mexican-Italian with the pasta and all but still – there’s no stuffing, no cranberry sauce and absolutely no turkey here. Just good old Mexican comfort food in pasta form.

Best of all, it all comes together conveniently in a slow cooker. There’s no sauteeing, no prepping, no nothing. Just throw it all in the crockpot and you’re set. Done and done.

And when you get home from work, you’ll have that creamy, cheesy enchilada goodness just waiting to be gobbled up. Just be sure to save a serving for later because the leftovers taste even better!

SLOW COOKER ENCHILADA ORZO

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time8 hours, 15 minutes

Total Time8 hours, 25 minutes

Yield6 servings

The easiest, creamiest enchilada pasta ever. Even the pasta gets cooked right in the crockpot!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 (10-ounce) can Old El Paso™ mild enchilada sauce
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles, drained
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth, or more, as needed
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
• 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place diced tomatoes, enchilada sauce, green chiles, vegetable broth, corn and black beans into a slow cooker; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir until well combined. Top with cream cheese.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
• Uncover and stir until cream cheese is well combined. Stir in orzo. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 15-30 minutes. Add more vegetable broth as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

NOTES

Adapted from Crockpot Gourmet

Slow Cooker Enchilada Stack

The easiest enchiladas you will ever make. Simply turn on your crockpot and forget all about it until you have the cheesiest, creamiest enchiladas ever!

My slow cooker and I have become very good friends this fall season. I’m not sure how it came to be but just last year, I think I made about 3 recipes in the Crock-Pot and called it a year.

But now, I’ve made 10 slow cooker recipes in the last month, and I have many, many, many more to come.

 I may just be making up for lost time since I only started to use my slow cooker about 2 years ago.

Although I can’t help but think where the art of slow cooking has been my entire life as you can pretty much make anything and everything in a Crock-Pot.

Like these epic enchiladas. Yes, believe it or not, you can make enchiladas effortlessly in a Crock-Pot. It’s so easy, it’s practically fool-proof.

All you have to do is ground up some beef and stir in your veggies. That’s it! There’s absolutely no rolling or stuffing here.

What’s left from there is turning on your Crock-Pot. It doesn’t get easier than that!

SLOW COOKER ENCHILADA STACK

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time4 hours, 5 minutes

Total Time4 hours, 20 minutes

Yield6 servings

The easiest enchiladas you will ever make. Simply turn on your crockpot and forget all about it until you have the cheesiest, creamiest enchiladas ever!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn kernels, frozen, canned or roasted
• 1 cup salsa, homemade or store-bought
• 1 (4.5-ounce) can Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles, drained
• 2 teaspoons Old El Paso™ taco seasoning mix
• 1 (10-ounce) can Old El Paso™ mild enchilada sauce, divided
• 4 9-inch flour tortillas
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
• 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled and diced, for serving
• 1 Roma tomato, diced, for serving
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Make Slow-Cooker Beef & Potato Stew

 

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook until browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; drain excess fat and remove from heat.
• Stir in black beans, corn, salsa, green chiles, taco seasoning and enchilada sauce, reserving 1/2 cup.
• Lightly coat the inside of a slow cooker with nonstick spray. Place 1 tortilla on the bottom of the slow cooker. Spread 1/3 ground beef mixture evenly over the top; sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat with 2 more layers; top with remaining tortilla, enchilada sauce, and cheese.
• Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high heat for 2-3 hours.
• Serve immediately, garnished with avocado, tomato and cilantro, if desired.