Crockpot Recipes for Two
I have started reworking some of our favorite recipes into crockpot recipes for two people instead of five because my husband and I are finding ourselves without our kids at meal times more and more. This used to be such a rare occurrence that we went out to dinner when they were not with us. But now it is happening once or week or more. I cannot remember what we ate for dinner before we had children, but it probably was not anything I wish to duplicate now!
For more recipes: 20 Recipes for Two
You will also love: Tips and Tricks to Make Cooking for Two Easy
Crockpot Recipes for Two
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The convenience and ease of a slow cooker is not something I want to give up even if I am not cooking for a crowd. Below you will find my adapted recipes for Beef Stroganoff, Chicken Tacos, and Chili.
I am currently cooking my way through: “The Complete Cooking for Two Cookbook: 650 Recipes for Everything You’ll Ever Want to Make.” This cookbook contains 20 Slow Cooker Favorites adapated for 2 people.
I have a 6 quart All-Clad Slow Cooker. It handles smaller recipes great!
Beef Stroganoff for Two
Ingredients
- 1 lb cubed beef stew meat
- 1 10.75 oz can condensed Golden Mushroom soup
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- wide egg noodles
- 2 oz cream cheese
Instructions
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Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except noodles and cream cheese. (If you desire, you can brown the meat first, but it is not necessary.) Salt and Pepper the meat.
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Cook on low for 8 hours. (Or on high for 4 hours).
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Cook about 1/2 the noodles according to the package directions. Save the remaining noodles to cook and eat with the leftover meat.
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Stir the cream cheese into the meat sauce just before serving.
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Serve the meat and sauce on top of the noodles.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from All Recipes
Chicken Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 4 oz Zesty Italian Dressing
- 3/4 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 packet Ranch Dressing mix
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- Taco shells
- Taco toppings
Instructions
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Place everything but the shells and toppings in the slow cooker. Stir the ingredients a little to combine.
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Set the slow cooker to the low setting and cook for about 5 hours.
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Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Shred the chicken.
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Cook the taco shells according to the package directions.
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Put the meat and toppings into the taco shells.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from Chef In Training
Chili for Two
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 can Beans (optional)
Instructions
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Brown meat and onion with the salt and pepper. Transfer to a slow cooker.
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Add tomato sauce, beans, and spices. Add broth from cooking meat to thin to desired consistency.
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Cook on low 6-8 hours.
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Serve with toppings of your choice. (Ideas: Fritos, crackers, shredded cheese, purple onion)
These Crockpot Recipes for Two are great, not only for empty nesters, but also make great college student recipes. I modified the chicken tacos and beef stroganoff instructions for those with very little cooking experience for my son when he moved into his first apartment. Those recipes can be found in my First Apartment Care Package post.
Saving these in hopes that hubs (the family cook) will finally decide to use his slow cooker on weekdays.
I hope he does break out the slow cooker. Great way to cook!
These recipes look ideal for me as I am on my own& this way I won’t have masses of leftovers…. But just a quick question.. I bought a 1.8litre mini Crockpot, which has been great, instead of using my standard sized one for when I’ve had to scale down recipes.. So, would this smaller one be ok for your recipes for two? Thanks so much..
I don’t know exactly. 1.8 quarts is almost 64 ounces and all of the recipes have a lot less liquid than that. I do not know how much the meat and other ingredients offset the liquid, especially with the chili and the beef stroganoff. I would love to know how they fit if you try them. When you put something in a slow cooker, you need to leave a few inches at the top for best results. You can also make both recipes on the stove if they do not fit, allowing them to simmer until your meat is tender.
Usually recipes for crockpot meals make HUGE amounts. Great suggestions for cooking just for 2!
Thank you so very much for posting these recipes for two! They sound delish and I am looking forward to trying them!
Louise
I am excited for you to try them. Let me know how they turn out!
Laura
Great idea to cut it down to something more useable so you don’t have a ton of leftovers. I would have to double it but I will pass this on to my mom as well since this is perfect for her.
Laura, great post! When you have been cooking for a house full for years it’s so hard to scale everything down to meet the needs of just 2 people. Now I use a smaller crockpot (3 qt) and my electric pressure cooker especially in the winter … I make enough that I can freeze the leftovers for another meal. Mainly, chicken, pork roasts and beef. I’m still working on scaling recipes down but I’m slowly getting there lol xo
These sound yummy! Pinned.
I’ve never made chili in the crock pot. I’ll have to give that a try! Thanks for the recipe!
I am making meals for a young mother of one who’s husband just passed away so she can focus on working to provide for her daughter. I would like to have recipes that are freezable and crock pot friendly.
I understand. When my kids were young I would prep meals by putting all of the ingredients in a freezer bag, then freezing. When it was time to cook, I just placed the contents of the bag in the crockpot and it was good to go. Some things can’t go in – like the cream cheese in the beef stroganoff. But everything else can be placed in the bag and taken to your friend.
What size slow cooker are you using for these?
I use my 6 quart slow cooker. A big slow cooker works just fine with the smaller recipes.
I’m trying to make smaller meals and have fewer leftovers too. This recipe hit both of those marks. The meat was very tender and this tasted really good. I made it as given. Next time I’m going to add mushrooms, maybe more cream cheese and try beef broth instead of the water. Husband loved it and says he can’t wait to eat it tomorrow for lunch. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for your feedback. I play with my beef stroganoff recipe as well. I like the idea of adding mushrooms. I will try that next time.
Tried the beef stroganoff for two and man! It was good! Definitely a keeper for me and my husband.
Yay! So glad you liked it. Cream cheese makes everything better 😉
hello!
What size crockpot do you use
I use my big crockpot. I think it is 6 quarts. Works fine even for smaller recipes.
Hello! I am a new crockpot user, and I have purchased the 2.4 litre size, which is nearly 3 quarts U.S. size) I am wondering, as you are using a 6 quart size pot, will these recipes fit my much smaller pot? Thank you! Regards from Europe).
A 3 quart crockpot will be plenty big for these recipes. Happy cooking! Laura