Are you already starting to feel the cold this winter? Now that we’ve finally said goodbye to summer heat where I live, I’ve been craving all my favorite winter soups and stews and other slow-cooker hearty winter meals.
With all the hype over instant pots lately, I’ve been debating whether I should put one on my holiday gift list. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my three Cock Pots (yes, we have three different sizes, and they all see regular use!). But I’ve heard so many good things about these new “multi-cookers,” the modern electric pressure cookers that can cook food either in minutes OR over hours, like a standard slow-cooker. I’m seriously tempted.
So I’ve been poking around for new recipe ideas, and am back to experimenting with recipes in my existing slow cookers. There’s nothing like coming home from a day of work or errands, to have some warm comfort food already cooked and waiting for you to eat.
Looking to warm up with some good old-fashioned comfort food this winter? Remember that just because it’s “comfort food” doesn’t mean that your hearty winter meals have to be unhealthy!
Usually I test recipes out thoroughly BEFORE I post them here. But I couldn’t wait to share these two inspirations with you. You can cook these in a standard slow-cooker if you don’t have an instant-pot yet. But if you DO have one of the newer multi-cookers, here’s a chance to test out its slow-cooker functions.
Let me know what you think if you try them, and if they warm up your family this winter as much as I hope they’ll warm us up!
This is a collaboration post. However, please know I stand behind everything written here, and only include links to products/services/resources I’m willing to recommend personally.
Hearty Winter Meals For Your Multi-Cooker
NOTE: If you don’t yet have an instant pot, you CAN make these in your Crock Pot (as I will if I don’t get one for Christmas). But since you can use these recipes for either an instant pot OR a slow cooker, I’ll just use the catchall term “multi-cooker” in these recipes, to cover all the bases!
Chicken Casserole
Active prep time approx 20 min / Total time 4.5-8 hours / Approx 4 main-course servings
I can see why everyone’s so excited about the new multi-cookers: Multi-cookers bring you nutritious meals, and are ever so easy to do. Like a standard slow cooker, you just need to pop all the ingredients in and turn the cooker on, and you’ll end up with a delicious meal that’s healthy and homemade.
But unlike standard slow cookers, multi-cookers can cook food either all day (like a slow-cooker) OR super-fast (like a traditional pressure cooker.) And I admit, I’ve got Crock-Pot soups and stews down pat, but I rarely think to try casserole-type dishes in them.
This chicken casserole is a good example of a recipe that you can make either in a traditional slow cooker, or in one of the newer instant-pot cookers. Can’t wait to try it soon!
What you need:
- Olive oil
- One large onion, diced
- 2 T all-purpose flour
- 1.5 lbs boneless chicken thighs
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 crushed garlic cloves
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 lb baby potatoes
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 8 oz chopped mushrooms
- 16 fl oz chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
The basic idea:
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-low heat, Cook onion until it softens (about ten minutes).
- Toss the chicken thighs in the flour, then season well with salt and pepper. Fry the chicken alongside the onion, adding in the crushed garlic too.
- Put the contents of the frying pan into the multi-cooker. Then add the celery, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Pour in the chicken stock, add the bay leaves and Dijon mustard, and stir everything together.
- Cook on LOW for seven hours, or HIGH for four hours (depending on how quickly you want it to cook). Remove bay leaves before serving.
Serve with your favorite salad, some roasted vegetables (check out Angie’s roasted sweet-potato fries over at The Peachee Pear!), or my fast & easy Winter Squash recipe.
Quick And Easy Veggie Curry
Active prep time approx 20-30 min total/ Total time 16 hours (including marinating overnight) / Approx 4 servings
I admit, I’m in a bit of a slow-cooker rut. I’ve got those American-style pot roasts down cold, but neither I nor my cookbooks think to branch out beyond Euro-American cuisine much.
So I was really excited to realize that you can also slow-cook some of your favorite flavors from other global cuisines, too! You can make more than great stews and casseroles in multi-cookers.
For example, my family and I LOVE Indian and Thai curries. But we don’t make them nearly often enough because of the time involved. Well, guess what I’ve just learned? You can also use a multi-cooker to cook some really tasty curries as well!
Here’s a great vegetarian one to try:
What you need:
- 1 can (15 oz) coconut milk
- 3 T curry paste
- 1 red chili pepper, diced
- 2 T vegetable bouillon powder
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 7 oz peeled/cubed butternut squash
- 1 knob fresh ginger root (1-2 in long), peeled and finely diced
- 1 red pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 medium eggplant, sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
- 5 oz frozen peas
- Cooked basmati rice, or naan/other flatbread, for serving
- (Optional) Plain unflavored yogurt (we like Greek yogurt for the extra protein!), or sour cream, for serving
NOTE: Unlike many things that I’d throw into my slow cooker in the morning, this recipe gets prepped the night before! It marinates overnight on the countertop. So plan accordingly if you’re going to try it!
The basic idea:
- Place the diced chili, garlic cloves, butternut squash, ginger, red pepper, and eggplant into the multi-cooker.
- Pour over the coconut milk; mix in the curry paste and vegetable bouillon powder. Stir everything together well, and leave to marinate overnight.
- In the morning, turn the multi-cooker on LOW and cook for six hours, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Stir in the chopped cilantro and frozen peas, and allow to heat through.
- Serve the curry with a squeeze of lime. Enjoy it alongside some basmati rice and flatbreads.
If you find the curry a little too spicy for your taste buds (or your kids’), add a dollop or two of plain yogurt or sour cream to cut the heat. (My girls and I LOVE doing this, since Daddy’s tastes are for more heat in food than we can handle sometimes!)
These are just two fantastic hearty winter meals that you can enjoy over the coming months, without a whole lot of prep time. We can’t wait to try them in our family, and I’m sure they’ll warm you you and yours up, too!
Don’t these hearty winter meals look yummy (and easy!)? Why not share with others by pinning this image?
NOTE: This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission from any purchases made through affiliate links, at no additional cost to you. For more information, please read the full disclosure/privacy policy.
I am definitely interested in this as I’m always looking for winter yumminess!
These are great, hearty meals! I love lots of flavors and these are perfect for the cold months. Thanks for sharing!
You’re so welcome!
Wow, these recipes just might make it easy enough for me to brave the kitchen! I’m not much of a cook so I’ve never invested in a slow-cooker but it seems like I should change that! Definitely want to try out that curry recipe!
Slow-cookers are pretty inexpensive now compared to the newer instant-pots, so it could be a low-risk investment 🙂 – they make eating healthily SO quick and easy, especially when you come home after a long day of work to a fresh homemade meal!
Oh, yum! I love hearty meals that would warm me up even if it is warm in Florida! I have a crockpot and have been wanting an instant pot.
Well, then for now we can both use our crock-pots to make these 🙂
I haven’t gotten an instant pot yet. I’ve been on the fence about it for months. I love these hearty dishes, so maybe I can benefit from another kitchen appliance.
LOL know just what you mean! Besides the upfront expense, my stumbling block is: WHERE WILL WE STORE IT??? But I’m still considering! 🙂
I love eating soups in the winter and make a variety of them. This looks delicious.
Hope you enjoy, then! 🙂
I have a thing for veggie curry and I can never have enough especially during the winter months! It’s like comfort in a bowl 🙂 I will definitely try this recipe!
Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
These meals look delicious. I’m always up for a good veggie curry, think that will be tonights dinner!
I’m still waiting to try it, once I kick this current bug that’s been dulling my appetite…hope it’s as good as it looks!
Veggie curry sounds delicious! I like how the spiciness also heats you up during the winter season. Especially after a couple hours shoveling snow!
Ooh, good point! 🙂
This is nice, it is cold here and maybe we need more winter recipes. Thank you for sharing this!
You’re so welcome! 🙂
I LOVE winter food!!! it is my ultimate comfort food!
I totally agree!
That chicken casserole sounds bomb!!!!! I love chicken and i love casseroles! I literally make a couple casseroles every month!
As soon as I’m fully over this bug that’s been dragging me down, I can’t wait to try it!
I am suddenly so hungry. LOL. These are all great recipes that I could see myself making for my family.
I know the feeling – that’s how I felt in my poking-around online! 🙂
These sound delicious! We love to make chili, stew and soups during the colder months!
Aren’t they the best on cold days?
These both sound perfect. The snow has finally come to stay and I am craving those hearty meals!
I know just what you mean! 🙂
All of these sound delicious! Our weather has been back and forth. I had shorts on Saturday and now it’s only in the 50s today. I’ve been debating on an instant pot too but haven’t taken the plunge yet.
Glad to know I’m in good company, then! One of my rules for something like this is: where will we STORE it? Have to know this before we take the plunge…no clue at this point LOL!
These sound like delicious meals! I love a casserole in winter… and I enjoy a veggie curry at any time of year!
Don’t they? I’ve been sick since this came out, but can’t wait to get my appetite back so I can try/enjoy them!
Casseroles of any kind tend to make the cut for me in the winter. Plus if I can make chicken ahead of time and put it into other things it really helps.
I really should consciously do this more! Usually I’m just trying to invent recipes to use up the leftovers from the nights my hubby cooks LOL!
Just reading this is making me hungry!!! I’m going to have to try these!!
Me too! I’ve been sick :/ so that has messed with my appetite, but am almost back to 100% so can’t wait to try/enjoy them!