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Cooking for one? We’ll show you how to cook small meals in a large slow cooker by using an oven safe bowl. Plus, we’re sharing several single serving slow cooker and Crock Pot recipes specially created to serve one person. No need to rush out to purchase a small slow cooker, adapt recipes to the size of your slow cooker.
We love our slow cooker and here at One Dish Kitchen we have several delicious slow cooker recipes that serve one or two people.
What if you have a large slow cooker though? Do you need to purchase a small one?
The answer is no. You can cook small portion, easy Crockpot meals in a large slow cooker. We will show you the easy way to adapt recipes to the size of your slow cooker!
For popular Slow Cooker and Crockpot recipes CLICK HERE.
How To Adapt Recipes To The Size Of Your Slow Cooker
For the slow cooker recipes featured on this website, I suggest using a 1.5 to 3-quart slow cooker.
If you have a large slow cooker, that’s fine too. You can easily adapt your large slow cooker into a small slow cooker by placing an oven safe bowl inside of the bowl of your slow cooker. This absolutely works and I’ve done it many times.
Rules to follow…
- Be sure to use an oven safe bowl inside the big bowl of the slow cooker.
- Slow cookers work best when they are about two-thirds to three-quarters full. When the bowl isn’t full enough, the food will cook faster and possibly burn. If the bowl is too full, the food may need to be cooked longer than the suggested cooking times.
- Always cook with the lid on your crockpot and try to avoid opening the lid while cooking.
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Best Slow Cooker When Cooking For One
If you decide that you would like to purchase a small slow cooker, the size I recommend for single serving recipes is a 1.5 to 2-quart slow cooker.
This size isn’t big enough to hold a big roast or a whole chicken, but this size slow cooker will work for many other recipes. (See below for recipes)
Small slow cookers work just as well as large slow cookers and with the removable stoneware crock, clean up is a breeze.
Not only are small slow cookers great for making single serving meals, they are also perfect for keeping dips and sauces warm.
What Is The Difference Between A Slow Cooker And A Crock Pot
Many people use the names slow cooker and Crock Pot interchangeably.
A Crock Pot is a type of slow cooker which was introduced in the 1970’s and originally marketed as a bean cooker. Over the years, it has been redesigned and has evolved into the model we are most familiar with today.
The Crock Pot and Crock Pot styles have a stoneware pot that sits inside a surrounding heating element.
A slow cooker refers to the appliance and there are many manufacturers of all sorts of slow cookers.
Some slow cookers have a heating element on the bottom and the pot (usually metal or stoneware) sits on top. These pots are heated solely from the bottom.
Both a Crockpot and a slow cooker can be used to cook any of the slow cooker recipes below.
RELATED: 20 Single Serving Meatless Recipes
Slow Cooker Recipes For One
Here are a few of our most popular slow cooker recipes for one:
Slow Cooker Sesame Chicken For One
Slow Cooker Italian Chicken For One
Slow Cooker Red Beans And Rice For One
Slow Cooker Chicken Piccata For One
Slow Cooker Orange Chicken For One
Slow Cooker Meatloaf For One
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowl For One
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For information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
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Hi – if I’m cooking for 2, do I need to double the ingredients in your “for 1” recipes? Most of the recipes say either specifically for one, or for one or two. Thank you!
All of our recipes can be doubled successfully and we recommend using larger baking dishes and pans.
I am thrilled to have found your recipes. I am alone now after cooking for a family and find it extremely difficult. I either eat said recipes for days, yes I do freeze, or just don’t bother. I made your fetticine Alfredo tonite and I loved it! Thank you for such easy and awesome recipes.
May I add, I am disabled and your recipes are quite easy for me to make. Oh I am so excited!
Putting a smaller dish in a large cooker is a great idea, thanks for posting it. Definitely will use that idea
If I put a dish in side my large crockpot for a single person meal; do I have to add water down the side
No, you do not need to add water inside your large crockpot. Just make sure the bowl you use inside the crockpot is oven-safe and fill it about two-thirds to three-quarters full.
I have an original “Crockpot”, I think it’s 1.5, but it doesn’t say on it. Can’t find my little book at the moment, but I’m pretty sure. Anyway, it has no dial at all. I used it once for a small pot of beef stew. It just s3med to be on high all of the time so I kept my eye on it. It came out very well! My problem is I’m afraid to try anything else in it unless I’m here all day to keep an eye on it. Any suggestions? Sorry so long..
Hi Jacqui,
The problem with so many small slow cookers is that they don’t come with timers. The ones I use just have a warm, low, and high setting. I think your best bet with yours is to keep an eye on it, unfortunately.
I have a 4qt, if I cook the smaller portion in the oven safe bowl is the cooking time the same? That is my problem…everything is usually overcooked which you mentioned may happen if the slow cooker size is too big.
Hi Andi,
Yes, the cooking time will be the same.
Joanie
The last time I signed up for something (crochet) I started getting all kinds of things popping up on my computer screen. I really don’t want to do that again. Will I only get these recipes from you and nothing else?
You will only receive emails from me. I send out a weekly newsletter on Friday afternoons. Occasionally, a separate email will go out if there is a special giveaway we’re offering but that happens rarely.
Thank you.
Joanie
What is the LOVELY Blue cooker in the picture.
Laurie,
It’s a Hamilton Beach Party Crock and I’m not sure they make them anymore, unfortunately. I did a quick check and it’s not on Amazon or Walmart online. The party crock is a 1.5-quart.
Joanie
It is a thing of beauty!!! I was going to ask about it also! Thanks for all you do!
I have a 4quart insta pot. Will that work?
Gloria,
I’m really not sure that it will work. I haven’t tried modifying the Instant Pot and would not recommend it.