Here’s my idea of the perfect family reunion menu, with these four must-have crockpot recipes for family reunions.
Life is very busy with hectic schedules. In this scenario it gets very difficult to plan or host dinners for guests especially you are a working mom or dad. People tend to search for recipes which are less time consuming and easy to cook. Crockpot is kind of a life saver for situations where you have to do multitasking because while making dinner using a Crockpot saves you extra effort and concentration.
I am a big fan of Crockpot cooking and search on the net and experiment with different recipes while cooking for my family and friends. I have made a dinner menu based on Crockpot recipes to get maximum taste with minimum effort. I thought I would share it with you so you could also benefit from it.
I like these crockpot recipes because they are super easy to cook and so delicious! As the cooking videos from Delish show, they can be done even by a kitchen novice.
These recipes are the perfect \”set it and forget it\” recipes and they are great for busy fall weeknights. Whether you cook for your family or for a larger number of guests, use these slow cooker recipes to impress all of them.
4 Delicious Crockpot Recipes For Family Reunions
Starters: Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Ingredients To Gather:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 3 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
- 2 tsp. cumin
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For Serving; Tortillas, Guacamole, salsa, sour cream, shredded cheddar
Directions To Follow:
Place chicken in the pot and add bell peppers and onions on it. After that, place tomatoes on top of them. For seasoning sprinkle cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Place the lid and cook for six hours on a low or until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. After cooking, slice the chicken into strips and serve them in tortillas with desired toppings.
Source: Delish
Soup: Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup
Ingredients To Gather:
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into large cubes (about 8 cups)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig sage
- 3 c. low-sodium chicken (or vegetable) broth
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Pinch of cayenne
- Heavy cream, for serving
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish
Directions To Follow:
- Put butternut squash, onion, carrot, garlic, thyme and sage. After that, add the broth and sprinkle salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne for seasoning.
- Place the lid and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours until the squash gets very tender. Remove the herb sprigs and blend the soup for a smooth texture.
- In the end pour cream while stirring and garnish with parsley.
Source: Delish
Main Course: Garlic Parmesan Chicken
Ingredients To Gather:
- 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb. baby red potatoes, quartered
- 2 tbsp. butter, softened
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme
- Freshly chopped parsley
- 2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Directions To Follow:
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and add chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper for seasoning and sear until it turns golden, that will take approximately 3 minutes per side.
- On the other hand pour the remaining oil into Crockpot and add potatoes, butter, parsley, thyme and parmesan into it. For seasoning, use salt and pepper. After that add chicken and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until potatoes are tender and chicken is fully cooked. In the end, garnish with parmesan.
Source: Delish
Dessert: Crockpot S’more Cake
Ingredients To Gather:
- 1 box Devil\'s Food Cake mix
- 1 (4-oz.) package instant chocolate pudding
- 1 c. whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 c. (1 stick) butter, melted
- 1/4 c. sour cream
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 (2-oz.) Hershey bars, broken into smaller pieces
- 4 graham crackers, crushed
- Cooking spray
- Cooking spray, for crock-pot
- 3 c. mini marshmallows
- 1/4 c. melted chocolate, for garnish
Directions To Follow:
- Whisk cake and pudding mix in a bowl. Then add eggs, melted butter, vanilla, sour cream, milk and salt and mix them until they are smooth. Fold in graham crackers and chocolate.
- Grease Crockpot bowl using cooking spray. Then add batter and smooth the top with a spatula. Cooking will take 2 to 2 and ½ hour on high. Make sure o check if edges are not burning after two hours.
- Heat the boiler on high. Then top cake with marshmallows. Now remove pot from the cooker base and place it in the oven. Broil the cake until marshmallows turn golden that will take 1 to 2 minutes. Serve it immediately after drizzling melted chocolate.
Source: Delish
Final Word
I hope you will like my idea of a family reunion Crockpot dinner menu and you will serve them to your friends and family. You can follow the whole menu or take any one of the recipe idea that you like.
Enjoy!