cinderellasapron 
The holidays are all about making memories, not constantly stirring pots and checking the oven. If you’re tired of missing out on the fun, this video is for you. Today, we’re taking the stress out of hosting with three incredible, hands-off slow cooker recipes: a tender, festive Cranberry Pot Roast, a sweet and savory Brown Sugar Ham, and a dreamy, crowd-pleasing Lasagna.
Forget juggling oven temperatures and constantly stirring pots. We’re maximizing flavor and minimizing effort with these easy, hands-off recipes perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any big family gathering. The slow cooker is the ultimate holiday hack!
Slow Cooker Cranberry Pot Roast
Ingredients
- 3 pound beef chuck roast
- salt and pepper
- 14 ounce can cranberry sauce
- 1 envelope dry onion soup mix
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 4 TBSP butter
Instructions
- Optional: Heat some oil in the bottom of a large pot over medium high heat. Season the beef all over with salt and pepper. Sear on all sides for a few minutes, or until golden brown.
- Place the roast in the crock pot.
- In a bowl, combine the cranberry sauce and dry onion soup mix. Pour all over the beef.
- Place the cubed butter on top. Sprinkle the cranberries all around the beef.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours (recommended), or on high for 4 hours.
- Shred, and serve with the some of the sauce on top.
Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham
Ingredients
- 6 pound bone in spiral sliced ham
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Place the ham in the slow cooker. Pour the orange juice all around.
- In a bowl, combine the honey and melted butter. Pour all over the top of the ham.
- Cover, and cook on low for 3-4 hours, basting every 45 minutes -1 hour to prevent it from drying out.
- In the last 30 minutes, make the glaze: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine 1/2 cup of the slow cooker juices with brown sugar, garlic, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Remove the ham from the slow cooker, and place on a baking sheet. Brush half of the glaze all over the ham. Place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, or until browned and caramelized on top.
- Place the ham back into the slow cooker, and pour the remaining glaze on top. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Slow Cooker Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 3/4 pound sliced mozzarella cheese
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp dried basil
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 12 no boil lasagna noodles
- fresh basil, for garnish
Instructions
- Spray the slow cooker with oil.
- In a skillet over medium heat, cook the beef and onions for about 5 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink. Drain, if needed.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir in the marinara sauce and add 1/2 cup water to the jar. Shake around and pour into skillet. Simmer for 5-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, basil, and some salt and pepper.
- Evenly spread 1 cup of the marinara into the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with a layer of noodles, breaking them up as needed to fit. Gently spread 1/4-1/3 of the ricotta mixture on top. Add a layer of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat the layers two or three more times, depending on the size of your crockpot (I had 4 layers total). End with the mozzarella cheese layer. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese.
- Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours, or until noodles are tender.
- Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting. top with fresh basil if desired.
Notes
This recipe can absolutely be made vegetarian. Just use your favorite marinara sauce in place of the meat sauce!
