Known for being energy efficient, easy to use and making mealtimes fuss-free, the best slow cooker is a worthy investment for your kitchen, particularly if you often find yourself juggling tasks in the evening. They do the hard work for you during the day, cooking your food over a low heat for long periods, resulting in flavourful sauces and tender meat and veg. Here are recipes with hardly any prep, fewer ingredients and clever time-saving tips, making it a must-have for any busy home-cook. Every recipe is 500 calories or under, providing a hassle-free way to enjoy lighter versions of your family favourites. Save yourself time when making pasta and noodle dishes by adding uncooked pasta or noodles to the slow cooker. They will then cook using the sauce already in the slow cooker (add some extra liquid as well if needed), saving you the time and energy of boiling the kettle and turning on your hob. Long gone are the days of bland, watery stodge; slow cookers have now evolved and can dish up a variety of mouthwatering dishes the whole family will enjoy. There’s much to choose from, weekday lunches and dinners, light meals, family, favourites, comfort food, feeding a crowd, and even a chapter on fakeaways….

To be ultra-energy efficient and save even more money, turn the slow cooker off for the last 20 minutes of the cooking time. The pot will retain enough heat to continue cooking for anywhere up to 45 minutes after it has been switched off, so for example if a recipe says to cook a dish for 4 hours, turn it off after 3 hours and 40 minutes. As a lower-energy alternative to a conventional oven, slow cookers are a cost-efficient way to save on your household bill. And with a focus on everyday, easy-to-find ingredients, this is food you can cook without breaking the bank. Every recipe is under 500 calories too, and with as little as five minutes of hands-on prep time, fewer ingredients and clever time-saving tips, this book will soon have you sharing Nathan’s passion for healthy, home-cooked meals made with the humble the slow cooker.Calorie-counted and perfect for anyone enjoying a slimming lifestyle or following a diet programme, satisfying, flavourful food has never been so easy and affordable. What’s it about?: Making meals in a slow cooker will not only save you plenty of hassle in the kitchen, it’ll save you money too. This nifty piece of kitchen kit uses far less energy than an oven or hob, making it the appliance of choice for budget-conscious cooks. Nathan has become a go-to source of inspiration for what to make in a slow cooker and his debut cookbook is a treasure trove of ideas for every day of the week. The 80 calorie-counted recipes include pasta, risotto, curries and healthy versions of your favourite takeaways, all of which leave the hard work to the slow cooker while you get on with your day. With simple methods and easy-to-find ingredients, this is a perfect accompaniment for the chef looking to expand their repertoire of slow cooker recipes. It’s also worth noting that slow cookers use significantly less electricity than regular ovens and hobs, a not insignificant fact, in the midst of this cost of living crisis. However, if you don’t have a slow cooker, all of the recipes can of course be cooked in a regular saucepan on the stove and many are one pot dishes. Place all the ingredients in the slow cooker, stir and season to taste. Cook on low for five to six hours, then stir and garnish with fresh coriander and chopped spring onions.

From Nathan Anthony, the home cook with over 3 million followers, comes another book of recipes to transform your weeknight cooking. Filled with all your favourite fakeaways, pastas, pies, soups and curries, as well as a whole chapter on meal prep recipes, you will be amazed what you can make in a slow cooker. I absolutely love dhal and this is one of my go-to dishes when I am having a vegetarian day. It’s sure to become one of your family favourites. The addition of coconut milk makes it deliciously creamy, but you could replace this with a tin of chopped tomatoes for a lower-calorie version, if you prefer." Ingredients When your meal is finished cooking, remove the dish from the slow cooker and portion it onto your plates or into lunchboxes as soon as you can. Slow cookers continue to retain heat even after they have been turned off, so your sauce might dry out if it’s left in the pot too long. More and more of us are looking for ways to cook delicious, healthy, hassle-free versions of our favourite meals – while still keeping an eye on our household budgets. Slow cookers are a cost-effective way to cook, using a fraction of the energy of a conventional oven, but Nathan takes this budget-friendly approach further by focusing on everyday, easy-to-source ingredients that won’t break the bank.Nathan Anthony, the home cook with over 3 million followers, shares delicious and easy home-style recipes that can all be made in your slow cooker while you get on with your day. The book is flying off the shelves and bringing joy and fun to the many who feel they are just too busy to cook.… Bravo, Nathan. He makes brilliant use of his slow cooker. Most of the recipes are cost-effective and perfect for those who want to prepare meals for themselves and for the family for the week ahead. Most recipes are made with ingredients that you are likely to have in your pantry or are easy to source so you won’t have to go hunting in a deli or specialist shop. It’s a brilliant story, Nathan who comes from Portadown, started his blog in 2020 during the pandemic. He wanted to share the meals he was cooking in his own kitchen ‘to help people to cook healthier, more interesting meals at home’.

My most popular recipe ever, this has been viewed over 20 million times and gone viral every time I have shared it. I hope you love it as much as I do. It is higher in calories than most of my recipes but the taste is worth it. However, you could reduce the calories by using soft cream cheese instead of cream." Ingredients Slow cookers are perfect for making curries and stews – the long cooking time allows the flavours to deepen and develop. My top tip for these dishes is to leave out any vegetables until the last 30-45 minutes of the cooking time. Adding vegetables from the start can lead to them being mushy or too soft, so leaving them out until later helps retain a slight crunch and adds a gorgeous texture to the dish. The only exception to this rule is harder vegetables like carrots, onions and potatoes, which can be added from the start.All new ' e ven easier' slow cooker recipes to enjoy delicious, healthy and budget -friendly food every day.