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Mongolian Beef CrockPot Recipe

Saturday, February 20, 2021

Mongolian Beef is one of those classic Chinese food dishes you just can't get enough of. 

I like to make it at home, in a "Take Out/Fake Out" way to save us from extra oil, fat, and (in our case) gluten.

 This crockpot recipe uses a homemade Hoisin sauce but if you have a bottled favorite you can use that instead.

 Originally posted in 2008 during my Year of Slow Cooking.

homemade from scratch Mongolian Beef

How to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef from Scratch

[scroll down for printable recipe card]

Day 157.

Ever since I made Chinese Lemon Chicken, I've wanted to make Mongolian Beef. 

 Yesterday, I gathered enough guts to give it a go.

The results were phenomenal.

I gave myself a pat on the back.

This is an excellent crockpot meal. Since we are gluten free, I needed to play around a bunch of sauces and flavors because we can't use packaged Hoisin sauce. 

 If you can use hoisin sauce, you might want to simplify.

 But my concoction worked, and surprised Adam and the kids---one of whom has never had "real" Mongolian Beef.


The Ingredients to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef

serves 4 
(2 adults, 2 kids -- if you'd like more, double the ingredients)


Hold on to your hat!

 There are a lot of ingredients --- don't get mad!

 (updated: I've discovered that a few companies are now putting out a gluten free variety of Hoisin sauce. Feel free to use that if you don't want to make your own! And if you aren't gluten free, just ignore me! ;-)  )

 FOR THE MEAT:

2 pounds flank steak
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sliced green onions--one is for garnish
1 teaspoon dried minced onion (or 1/2 fresh onion, diced very small)

 THIS IS THE SAUCE -- if you have bottle Hoisin, go ahead and use it here instead
(approx 2 cups -- 18 ounce to 20 ounce bottle)

1/2 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (optional--I forgot to add it!)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (if allergic, use black bean paste)
3 tablespoon brown sugar

 AND THEN: 

1/4 cup cornstarch (to dredge meat--don't add to sauce mixture)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes --- optional -- if you don't like things spicy, you can add at the table if you'd like.



The Directions to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef


--slice your meat in thin strips and toss in a Ziploc bag with cornstarch.

--add all of the liquid and dried spices to your crockpot, and the peanut butter, and mix well.

 Add the garlic and three of the sliced green onions. If you are using fresh onion, add that now, too.

--put your meat on top, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Flank steak is thin and have very little fat, and will cook quickly. 

There isn't a lot of liquid in this dish, so if your crock tends to cook hot, please check it after 3 hours.

The meat is done when it is no longer pink and has reached desired tenderness. 

I cooked our meat in a 6qt oval slow cooker and it was done after 4 hours on low.

Serve over steamed or fried rice, and garnish with freshly sliced green onion.

Make Mongolian Beef at home with this gluten free family friendly recipe from ayearofslowcooking.com. Much healthier and less expensive, too!

The Verdict.

This serves enough to feed 2 hungry adults for dinner. 

If you have a large family, you're going to need more meat and double the sauce.

Delicious. This is so good---before this year I would not have attempted to make something so "complicated" in a crockpot. 

  But really, the only complicated thing was figuring out what flavors would work and assembling the ingredients---the actual cooking and food preparation was a snap, and the kitchen was clean and mopped at 12noon.

We had all of the ingredients on hand for this meal, except for the meat and the green onion. 

 Much better for our wallets, than take-out, and much, much, much less greasy than take-out. 

 And it was gluten-free!

 enjoy!


Want More Take Out Fake Out Favorites? Here you Go!!


Homemade Take Out Fake Out Classic Recipes -- from scratch

 


Homemade From Scratch Mongolian Beef Recipe

Homemade From Scratch Mongolian Beef Recipe

Yield: 2 adults, 2 children
Author: Stephanie O'Dea AYearofSlowCooking.com
You can easily make homemade mongolian beef without added grease or gluten or sodium. This recipe is for the CrockPot Slow Cooker but you can easily adapt it for use on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot. The sauce is so yummy, you'd be able to make a rubber shoe taste good!

Ingredients

Ingredients needed for homemade Mongolian Beef
  • (updated: I've discovered that a few companies are now putting out a gluten free variety of Hoisin sauce. Feel free to use that if you don't want to make your own! And if you aren't gluten free, just ignore me! ;-) )
  • FOR THE MEAT:
  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 sliced green onions--one is for garnish
  • 1 teaspoon dried minced onion (or 1/2 fresh onion, diced very small)
  • THIS IS THE SAUCE -- if you have bottle Hoisin, go ahead and use it here instead (approx 2 cups -- an 18 ounce - 20 ounce bottle)
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy)
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup cooking sherry
  • 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (optional--I forgot to add it!)
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon molasses
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (if allergic, use black bean paste)
  • 3 tablespoon brown sugar
  • AND THEN:
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch (to dredge meat--don't add to sauce mixture)
  • 1 teaspoon red chili flakes --- optional -- if you don't like things spicy, you can add at the table if you'd like.

Instructions

How to Cook Mongolian Beef in the CrockPot Slow Cooker
  1. --slice your meat in thin strips and toss in a Ziploc bag with cornstarch.
  2. --add all of the liquid and dried spices to your crockpot, and the peanut butter, and mix well.
  3. Add the garlic and three of the sliced green onions. If you are using fresh onion, add that now, too.
  4. --put your meat on top, and toss gingerly to coat.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Flank steak is thin and have very little fat, and will cook quickly.
  6. There isn't a lot of liquid in this dish, so if your crock tends to cook hot, please check it after 3 hours.
  7. The meat is done when it is no longer pink and has reached desired tenderness.
  8. I cooked our meat in a 6qt oval slow cooker and it was done after 4 hours on low.
  9. Serve over steamed or fried rice, and garnish with freshly sliced green onion.

Homemade Chicken Broth Slow Cooker Recipe

Friday, February 19, 2021

How to Make Homemade Chicken broth, home, in your slow cooker. 

This is a super easy way to use bones from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make bone broth or chicken broth with your crockpot slow cooker or Instant Pot.



How to Make HomeMade Chicken Broth or Bone Broth in your CrockPot Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
Day 17.

(originally posted on January 17, 2008, during my Year Long Slow Cooking Challenge)


How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth or Bone Broth in your CrockPot Slow Cooker or Instant Pot

(scroll down for a printable version of this recipe)


Mmm. Looks lovely, doesn't it? 

Making your own chicken broth isn't as hard as you think it is. Knowing what exactly is going into your family is important if you have allergies, health problems that call for low-sodium diets, or sensitivities to preservatives.

I am not a purist. I am not going to play one on the Internet. 


I like spice packets, and I definitely like shortcuts--I do use store-bought chicken broth (a lot.)---but I also use my own broth when I have it on hand in the freezer.



Ingredients needed to make Homemade Chicken Broth or Bone Broth in the CrockPot Slow Cooker or Instant Pot










The Ingredients to Make Homemade Chicken Broth or Bone Broth at Home:


--store bought rotisserie chicken carcass (see! shortcuts!) 

if you are gluten-free or have other allergies, read the ingredients on the package carefully. Costco clearly labels their chickens as gluten-free.

-- chopped onion

--bunch of celery

--2 cups or so baby carrots

--small bunch of green onions

--head of garlic

--3 bay leaves

--1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning

--6 cups of water


The Directions:

--put chicken carcass into slow cooker stoneware

--coarsely chop onion, celery, and green onion; place into crock with baby carrots

--peel entire head of garlic; dump in

--add Italian Seasoning and water Close it up and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove from heating element, and let cool completely on stove-top.

The cooling is important. 

Humor me.

okay. 

Wash your hands and dig in. 

Find all the little chicken bones, peel off any remaining chicken and discard the bones and bay leaves. 

This is a good exercise in finding your inner 9-year-old.
let your chicken broth cool in the crockpot completely













Using WASHED hands, carefully remove all of the bones of the chicken from your broth


Freeze Your homemade Chicken Bone Broth in Freezer bags














Use a cup and scoop the soupy liquid into your blender to brothicize (technical term).

Once liquified, pour broth into freezer bags in manageable portions. 

I chose to use 1-cup servings. This particular batch made nine 1-cup servings.




Place on a small cookie sheet and freeze. 

Once the bags are frozen, they are small enough to be tucked in nooks around your freezer.

This broth has NO salt added. I am happy about this, but some people really like salt. 


When using a homemade broth recipe, taste the dishes you make and add salt as needed. 


The overall sodium content will be much lower.


Homemade Chicken Broth Easy CrockPot Slow Cooker Instant Pot Recipe




How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth in the CrockPot Slow Cooker

How to Make Homemade Chicken Broth in the CrockPot Slow Cooker

Yield: 9 cups
Author: Stephanie O'Dea AYearofSlowCooking.com
Prep time: 45 MinCook time: 8 HourInactive time: 2 HourTotal time: 10 H & 45 M
This is a super easy way to use bones from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make bone broth or chicken broth with your crockpot slow cooker or Instant Pot.

Ingredients

Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Broth in the CrockPot Slow Cooker or Instant Pot
  • --store bought rotisserie chicken carcass (see! shortcuts!)
  • if you are gluten-free or have other allergies, read the ingredients on the package carefully. Costco clearly labels their chickens as gluten-free.
  • -- chopped onion
  • --bunch of celery
  • --2 cups or so baby carrots
  • --small bunch of green onions
  • --head of garlic
  • --3 bay leaves
  • --1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
  • --6 cups of water

Instructions

Directions
  1. --put chicken carcass into slow cooker stoneware
  2. --coarsely chop onion, celery, and green onion; place into crock with baby carrots
  3. --peel entire head of garlic; dump in
  4. --add Italian Seasoning and water Close it up and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
  5. Remove from heating element, and let cool completely on stove-top.
  7. The cooling is important.
  8. Wash your hands and dig in.
  9. Find all the little chicken bones, peel off any remaining chicken and discard the bones and bay leaves.
  10. Use a cup and scoop the soupy liquid into your blender to brothicize (technical term).
  11. Once liquified, pour broth into freezer bags in manageable portions.
  12. I chose to use 1-cup servings. 
  13. This particular batch made nine 1-cup servings.

Original Taco Soup CrockPot Recipe

Sunday, February 14, 2021

This was the recipe that made me fall in love with my crockpot. 

I first came across it a hundred million years ago on a message board. I have seen different variations, but in my not-so-humble-opinion, this one is the very best. 

It’s so easy!

if you give it a try, please let me know!
This is the Original Taco Soup Recipe from the A Year of Slow Cooking website (crockpot 365). Taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, canned beans, canned corn, ground meat -- I've made this SO MANY times!

The Original Taco Soup Recipe for the CrockPot Slow Cooker



Day 54.

I'm calling this the "original" taco soup recipe because it is the very first taco soup crockpot recipe I tried.

That makes it the original.


The Ingredients for Taco Soup:

serves 8 to 10 as a full meal, but can get stretched to feed 16 or so if served over rice or chips

taco soup ingredients for slow cooking

 There are a lot of cans. recycle. make the environment happy.

  • 1 pound browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional.)
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced (optional, brown with the ground meat)
  • 2(15-ounce) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans of corn (WITH juice!!)
  • 1 large can (26-ounces) of diced tomatoes 
  • 1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)
  • 1 packet taco seasoning (if you are gluten free, stick to McCormick)
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix (make sure there isn't hidden gluten, I went with Hidden Valley)
  • shredded cheese and sour cream for embellishment (optional, unless you're in my house. then it's mandatory.)


How to Cook -- CrockPot Slow Cooker Directions

Use the largest slow cooker you have in the house --- this is a BIG recipe, you need a 6-quart or above. 

Brown meat if you are going to use it

Drain fat and add to crockpot stoneware insert (the meat. not the fat.)

Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat

Drain and rinse the beans and:

Add the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans

Stir.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5. I think the longer you cook soup, the better, so if you have the time, opt for cooking on low. 

Stir well, and serve with a handful of shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream.


We brought this to a PTA potluck dinner this week and it was well-received.

crock pot taco soup for potluck dinner


[I used painter's tape to secure the lid. I'm resourceful that way.]




I have LITERALLY made THOUSANDS of CrockPot Slow Cooker recipes. 


These are the Top Ten Reader Favorites. Enjoy!!





This was the recipe that made me fall in love with my crockpot. I first came across it a hundred million years ago on a message board. I have seen different variations, but in my not-so-humble-opinion, this one is the very best.



The Original Taco Soup Recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking

The Original Taco Soup Recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking

Yield: 8-12
Author: Stephanie O'Dea
Prep time: 15 HourTotal time: 15 Hour
The absolute best crockpot slow cooker taco soup recipe of all time. It uses pantry staples and is always a hit at potlucks and parties.

Ingredients

The Ingredients
  • 1 pound browned ground turkey or hamburger (optional)
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced (optional, brown with the ground meat)
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans of pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans of corn (with juice!)
  • 1 large can (26-ounces) of diced tomatoes
  • 1 (10-ounce) can tomatoes and chiles (Rotel)
  • 1 packet taco seasoning
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix
  • shredded cheese and sour cream

Instructions

The Directions
  1. Brown meat (if used).
  2. Drain fat from meat and add to crockpot.
  3. Sprinkle seasoning packets on top of meat.
  4. Drain and rinse the beans and add.
  5. Add the entire contents of the corn and tomato cans.
  6. Stir.
  7. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5.
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