- 8 minutes ago
Make Thanksgiving a breeze this year with five easy slow cooker side dishes that free up your oven and simplify your holiday cooking. In this video, Nicole shares comforting Thanksgiving favorites you can make in a Crock-Pot — so you can spend less time juggling dishes and more time with family. From savory dressing to creamy mashed potatoes, these recipes make it easy to bring the classics to your holiday table.
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00:00There's only so much room in the oven on Thanksgiving
00:02and the turkey isn't getting any smaller.
00:04Good thing the sides are headed for the slow cooker.
00:06Here are five recipes that basically cook themselves
00:09so the turkey can have a little breathing room in the oven.
00:11I'm starting with the most popular accompaniment
00:14to the turkey, the dressing.
00:16This recipe includes all the usual suspects
00:18as far as ingredients go,
00:19but it comes together in a way I've never done it before.
00:22So instead of having to saute your veggies first
00:25in the butter, we're just dumping everything together
00:27in the crock pot.
00:28As you know, I'm from the South
00:29and we do dressing instead of stuffing,
00:32or at least that's what we call it.
00:33The base is almost always cornbread.
00:35So I'm taking the easy way today,
00:37but this is also the way my mom does it
00:39is she does her cornbread jiffy.
00:41Okay, I know it's a little sweeter.
00:43Some people don't like sweet cornbread to each their own,
00:45but I kind of like a little sweet and salty.
00:47In addition to cornbread for a little more texture,
00:50I've also got some sourdough bread,
00:52just regular day old sliced sourdough.
00:56And I like to break it up into really small pieces.
00:59Then in with our celery and onion.
01:03Probably should have chosen a bigger bowl, Nicole.
01:05All right, then we're gonna season it up.
01:06I'm going in with some sage,
01:08which is the main ingredient in poultry seasoning,
01:10but I like a little extra sage,
01:12and then also poultry seasoning.
01:14Salt and pepper.
01:15Now I'm just gonna kind of create a well
01:17to add in our wet ingredients.
01:20Two cans of cream of chicken,
01:22a few eggs to hold it all together.
01:24Truthfully, you can just mix all this straight in the crock pot.
01:26I just wanted to keep it a little clean.
01:28And then some chicken broth.
01:29Normally, you know, like I said,
01:31you saute your veggies in butter.
01:33We are just gonna place the butter on top
01:35and let it kind of drip down into the dressing
01:38as it slow cooks.
01:39Once everything is good and moistened,
01:42it goes into the slow cooker.
01:43You wanna spray your slow cooker with some cooking spray
01:45so that it doesn't stick on the sides.
01:47And because we didn't saute the veggies,
01:48they're gonna release some moisture as it cooks also.
01:51I think when my mom makes it, it's super moist
01:53before it bakes because it's going to absorb more,
01:55but this is actually gonna do the opposite.
01:57I mean, it's going to absorb,
01:58but it's also gonna release some moisture.
01:59I know it's not the prettiest thing,
02:01but it's turkey's best friend.
02:03I'm going in with a whole stick.
02:05And just like kind of how we do our dump cakes,
02:07I'm just gonna slice it all over the top.
02:10That's it.
02:11You don't even have to do this one the night before.
02:13Dressing is what takes the longest in the oven
02:15other than the turkey,
02:16so doing it in the slow cooker just makes sense.
02:18This is going to cook on high for a couple hours
02:20or on low for about four hours.
02:23Smelling like Thanksgiving.
02:25That looks delicious and not dried out.
02:28I think the thing with stuffing and dressing sometimes
02:30is it's too dry.
02:31That's a lot of moisture in there.
02:32I love the way it got browned and crusty
02:35around the edges too.
02:36It's still pretty enough to just present it from here.
02:39You don't have to transfer it to a serving bowl.
02:40You can serve straight from the slow cooker
02:41and just turn your setting to warm.
02:44And I mean, we didn't buck sweat at all.
02:46Look at that.
02:47It smells like my mom's.
02:50It is moist.
02:51It is tender.
02:52It is flavorful.
02:53I can already tell.
02:54Of course, this would all look more beautiful
02:56on the plate with the turkey,
02:57but we're just all about the sides today.
02:59This is as good as I want it to be.
03:00I don't know if I'll ever make it in the oven again.
03:07And it is, you taste every single thing we put in.
03:10You taste a little bit of that celery.
03:12Because we started with it raw, the celery and onion,
03:14it just kind of cooked and the flavors were dispersed
03:17throughout the dressing.
03:18It's savory, yet a hint of sweetness also.
03:21We may have taken a couple little shortcuts
03:23adding that cream of chicken in there,
03:25but I'm not mad at it at all.
03:27This is a solid 10 out of 10 Thanksgiving dressing.
03:31What goes right next to my dressing on my plate
03:33is green bean casserole.
03:35And that's what we're doing now.
03:36The ultimate dump and go side.
03:38We are keeping it easy.
03:39We are keeping it traditional.
03:41This is a no fuss Thanksgiving, okay?
03:44And it uses frozen green beans.
03:45I'm going in with two pounds.
03:46Recipe calls for two cans of cream of chicken.
03:49I feel like I want to do one cream of chicken,
03:50one cream of mushroom for my childhood.
03:53Just feels right.
03:55Little milk, little salt, little pepper,
03:58and a little Parmesan cheese.
04:00Kind of zhuzhing up the classic.
04:02And then you got to have the little fried onions.
04:04Some go in and the rest go on top,
04:06but you don't put the ones on top until the very end
04:08because in the moist environment in a slow cooker,
04:11they would just get soggy.
04:12This is a recipe you can really truly just set it
04:14and forget it.
04:15It'll be ready whenever you're ready
04:16because everything in here is cooked.
04:18You're not worried about any raw ingredients.
04:20You just want it to all be hot, hot and bubbly.
04:24Make sure everything is well blended.
04:25I'm also going to kind of clean up the sides
04:27because I kind of made a mess.
04:29And this can go on high or low,
04:30depending on how much time you have.
04:34I'm going to go high because we've got a lot to make.
04:36Green bean casserole is complete.
04:39It looks like what I remember, almost.
04:41We got to top it with more of the onions.
04:45I did toast them a little bit in a skillet.
04:48Since they're not baking in the oven,
04:50I wanted them to get a little browned and extra crunchy.
04:53Listen, not one person would be mad
04:55at this side dish right here.
04:56This is one of my daughter's favorites.
04:59I love serving straight from the slow cooker
05:00because your food is going to be hot.
05:02You can just keep it on warm,
05:04but if you really want to be a little fancier
05:07and put this in serving dishes,
05:08scoop it all out of your slow cooker into your dish
05:11and then top it with the onions.
05:13Let's see how we did.
05:15Hot, steamy, crunchy, creamy.
05:20Mmm.
05:21The green beans still have a little bite to them.
05:23Obviously, the longer you cook it, the softer they'll get,
05:26so it's really a matter of preference,
05:27but this is one of those that you really can't mess up.
05:31Just let it go until you're ready.
05:33I love the combo of the cream of mushroom
05:35and cream of chicken.
05:36We are two for two.
05:37I'm loving it so far because truthfully,
05:39when it comes to Thanksgiving, sides are my favorite part.
05:42Next up, something else to soak up that gravy
05:45from your turkey, mashed potatoes.
05:47Now, there's been a lot of slow cooker
05:48mashed potato recipes,
05:49but they always kind of have you go ahead
05:52and mash the potatoes
05:53and then put them in your slow cooker,
05:55almost like to like second cook.
05:57We're doing the whole thing in the slow cooker.
06:00Potatoes take a good bit of time in the slow cooker,
06:03so this is probably the one you wanna get going first.
06:06For this, you're just gonna use one whole bag
06:08of russet potatoes.
06:09Just peel them and cut them.
06:11I like russets for mashed potatoes
06:13because they break up easiest
06:15and they mash the fluffiest.
06:17I feel like sometimes there are all these horror stories
06:20like people's ovens go out on Thanksgiving.
06:23Now you know, even if it does, you're not out of luck.
06:27And I also have turkey recipes in this little cooker.
06:30Maybe not a big turkey, but you could make it work.
06:34In we go.
06:35I love this idea also because when I host
06:37either Christmas or Thanksgiving,
06:39this is a great idea because everybody hangs out in the kitchen.
06:41When I've got my ovens on, it gets hot in there.
06:45This will keep it cool.
06:46I think you're gonna add just enough water to cover.
06:50And it depends on the size of your crock pot.
06:51For extra flavor, because these are gonna be some good mashed potatoes,
06:55putting in a chicken bouillon cube and some salt.
06:58Because that's a lot of potatoes.
06:59Cover and cook it on high until they are tender.
07:04These are gonna take a while, so you could do this one still in your pajamas.
07:07On high, it's been just about four hours or maybe even a little bit more.
07:11So I think you could go four to five hours for your first step.
07:14Let's make sure they're tender.
07:16I like for my russet potatoes to be like almost mushy because it makes it easier to mash.
07:24Yes, see how they're breaking up so easy?
07:26That's what you want.
07:28Now, we do have to drain this, just like when you're making mashed potatoes.
07:32Drain off the liquid and back into the silicone.
07:34And now, time for the butter.
07:37Mine's slightly softened.
07:38It's just gonna incorporate a little easier.
07:41Remember, it was a whole five-pound bag.
07:42Don't be scared of the butter.
07:44And then you just mash right in here.
07:46See, it's good that we're not even having to dirty a bowl.
07:49I sort of just want to taste a potato.
07:53Oh, yeah.
07:55That little bouillon cube is the secret.
07:59I like to get them mostly mashed up before I add my milk.
08:02This is just a fun thing to do, maybe set up a mashed potato bar at home for entertaining,
08:07just to have your little mashed potatoes done like this.
08:11It's pretty smart.
08:12It's almost like a hack.
08:13I always like a little sour cream in my mashed potatoes.
08:16I like to add the milk gradually.
08:18You don't want them to get too soupy, but you can always add more.
08:24I mean...
08:27That looks perfect.
08:29Now I'm gonna check for seasoning, because once you add all that milk, it might dilute
08:33some of that salty flavor.
08:37Mmm.
08:40Doesn't need much.
08:41I'll go in with just another little pinch and a little pepper.
08:44These are some good mashed potatoes.
08:46Once mashed potatoes are done, you can just keep your slow cooker on warm, keep them covered
08:52until it's time to serve.
08:53Again, you can serve straight from the slow cooker or we can transport it to a serving
08:58dish where no one had to know you took any kind of shortcut and let the potatoes cook
09:02themselves.
09:03No one has to know.
09:04One final taste test.
09:06Also because I just love mashed potatoes.
09:11It's just a perfect potato.
09:13While it might have taken a long time, it was less work because you're still only dirtying
09:17one dish while you make this.
09:19You can boil them, mash them, and serve them straight from your slow cooker.
09:23I love the way that the heat from the slow cooker helps all that extra moisture evaporate
09:28out so that they can get nice and fluffy.
09:29This right here, mashed potatoes in the slow cooker, that was a genius move for Thanksgiving,
09:34Christmas, or any time of year.
09:36This side, while it is popular during the holidays, it's also popular year-round.
09:40The creamiest crock-pot mac and cheese.
09:42First thing you're going to want to do is rinse off some of the starch in your macaroni.
09:46I've made this mistake multiple times, but the thing about slow cooking uncooked pasta
09:51is that it releases a lot of its starches, and it could get too sticky if you skip this
09:55step.
09:55Pound of elbows, and I'm just going to take some water.
09:58Just try to rinse off some of that starch.
10:00As you kind of zhuzh it around, you'll see the water get a little cloudy.
10:04That's what you want.
10:06Kind of like when you wash rice.
10:08And then just drain the ice.
10:10It's going to really help this process.
10:11Now everything just gets thrown right into your slow cooker.
10:14I'm going to start by adding in a can of evaporated milk and a can of chicken broth.
10:19Evaporated milk is perfect here.
10:20It's extra rich and creamy, but also it can really withstand cooking so it won't curdle,
10:26like regular milk can.
10:27And I'm also adding in some half and half for extra richness.
10:30We're going to add in some of the usual suspects to a creamy mac and cheese sauce,
10:34some dried mustard, and a little cayenne.
10:37Salt.
10:38Just give that a whisk.
10:39And in goes our rinsed macaroni.
10:42And for cheeses I'm using a sharp cheddar.
10:45Of course you have to grate your own for this recipe.
10:48Stir that in.
10:49And also some American cheese.
10:52You can get this from your deli.
10:55Just have them cut you like a couple thick slices and then you're just going to break this in.
11:00This is going to give you little pockets of creamy gooeyness in your mac and cheese.
11:05And you're just going to kind of press that in.
11:07You can see that you really can't see the noodles.
11:09That's what you want.
11:10They're going to absorb a ton of this liquid, but they need to be submerged to do that.
11:14Let it go.
11:15Let it go.
11:16Let it go.
11:17After one hour, you give the mac and cheese a quick stir.
11:21That's it.
11:21Put it back on and go high for another hour, which is where we're at now.
11:26It's getting bubbly around the edges.
11:28I want a little more of that to happen.
11:30And I'm just going to top it with a little more cheese to give it that casserole effect.
11:35Every crock pot is different.
11:36This one's actually a little on the slower side.
11:38So yours might be done in more like an hour and a half to an hour and 45 minutes.
11:42Time has come for comfort food at its finest.
11:46Mac and cheese.
11:46My kids, this is going to be their fave.
11:49That is some creamy mac.
11:51The way it's set up, you would think there's eggs in here.
11:53No eggs in this mac and cheese.
11:55I know sometimes that could be a point of contention.
12:01The flavor is perfect.
12:03It's that sharp, cheesy, perfectly salty, and uber creamy.
12:08Thanks to the American cheese.
12:10You can see the two different cheeses, even on my fork.
12:12One has that sharp flavor and one's got that extra creaminess.
12:15And it's the ultimate one pot mac and cheese.
12:18We didn't even have to boil and drain our pasta.
12:20That's a win.
12:21Last but not least, I did not forget about sweet potato casserole.
12:25And as promised, I'm keeping everything really easy and 100% in the slow cooker.
12:30So we're using canned sweet potatoes.
12:33Listen, and I'm okay with that.
12:35I'm okay with that.
12:36I've actually never done this before.
12:37And if you don't want to do it, you could just microwave some sweet potatoes or bake them and then
12:42proceed like normal.
12:43But this really does keep your kitchen nice and cool.
12:46The only ingredients in here are potatoes, sugar, and water.
12:49So there's nothing to be scared of.
12:51I am going to drain off all the liquid though.
12:53This is also an all recipes recipe.
12:55I am doubling the recipe because it's the holidays.
12:58We've got a crowd.
12:59What's good about these is they're also cooked super soft, so they're easy to mash.
13:03I don't know why I've never thought to use the canned sweet potatoes.
13:06It sure is easy.
13:11Tastes like a sweet potato.
13:13I'd say for four cans, that's probably the equivalent of about eight nice-sized sweet potatoes.
13:19Sugar.
13:20Doing a combination of white and brown sugar.
13:23Going in with a little milk.
13:24And a pinch of salt.
13:26Not in the recipe, but I like that to balance out the sweet.
13:29And then I'm doing a whole stick of melted butter.
13:31That all mixed together.
13:32This recipe also does a little splash of orange juice.
13:37Why?
13:37I don't really know.
13:40Okay, now you want to give it a little taste before we add in the egg.
13:45It's quite nice.
13:46Now we're going to go in with a couple eggs.
13:49Give them a little mix before you mix it in.
13:51Help it evenly distribute.
13:53This goes into the slow cooker and then we'll make a little topping.
13:56The slow cooker cooking is keeping me from getting too hot in the kitchen.
14:01I'm loving that.
14:02Perf.
14:03Now just a quick little topping.
14:04Okay, so just chop up some pecans.
14:06We're making like a little streusel-y pecan topping.
14:09And more brown sugar.
14:11A little bit of flour.
14:12I'm going to mix that up and then I'm going to add in some melted butter.
14:15I like to mix this with my hands so that I can feel when it gets kind of crumbly.
14:18You just want everything to be slightly damp with the butter.
14:22You're not looking for this to be runny at all.
14:24Okay, we're just going to spread this over the top.
14:26Getting ready for the grand finale.
14:28This is just going to cook on high for three to four hours.
14:31Sweet potatoes are ready.
14:32I know this looks a little funny, but if it's catching too much moisture on the casserole,
14:36you can slide a towel or a paper towel under there just to catch some of that extra moisture.
14:42But look at this.
14:43It looks like a sweet potato casserole to me.
14:46Smells amazing.
14:47You know, it was kind of runny when we poured it in, but the egg helped it to set up.
14:52I'm loving the extra caramelization that is happening like deep down on the sides.
14:57I feel like at the end after everybody's eaten, I'm going to take my spoon and like grab the perfect
15:02bite.
15:04And that tastes like everything I know and love in a sweet potato casserole.
15:10If I did not know, I would not know that this started with canned sweet potatoes either.
15:14I thought I was going to be able to tell the difference.
15:15But with that warm like buttery pecan topping, the brown sugar, that's not to love.
15:20We have knocked every single one out of the park.
15:24I think what I'm most impressed about is the fact that we let the slow cooker cook the sides for
15:29us.
15:29However, we did not sacrifice any of the quality or flavor in these dishes.
15:33I wouldn't lie to you.
15:34That's a wrap.