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Free, from episode 1

Ten cheap 3-ingredient slow cooker dinners for one

Every dinner needs three ingredients and makes two portions, one for tonight and one for the freezer. Salt, pepper, water and a stock cube don't count. Prices are rough 2026 UK supermarket costs per plate, with US dollars in brackets.

Download the printable sheet (PDF) Watch the episode on YouTube

Peggy's four rules

  1. Never put frozen meat straight into a slow cooker. Thaw it in the fridge overnight first.
  2. Fill the pot between half and two-thirds full. A small pot suits one person best.
  3. Don't keep lifting the lid. Every peek adds about twenty minutes.
  4. Cool and freeze your spare portion within two hours, and reheat it until it's piping hot all the way through.

Cooking times are for a small slow cooker on Low. Check meat is cooked right through before eating.

Sausage and Bean Hotpot

Sausage and Bean Hotpot

You need

  • 6 sausages
  • 1 tin baked beans (415g)
  • 1 onion

From the cupboard: Nothing else

Slow cooker Low · 6 hoursMakes 2 · freeze 1About £1 a plate ($1.30)

Method

  1. Slice the onion into the pot.
  2. Lay the sausages on top (brown them first if you like).
  3. Tip the beans over the lot.

Even better the next day.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Ham and Pea Soup

Ham and Pea Soup

You need

  • 1 ham hock
  • 1 mug dried yellow split peas (about 250g)
  • 1 onion

From the cupboard: Water (no salt: the ham's salty enough)

Slow cooker Low · 8 hoursMakes 4 bowls · freeze 3About 80p a bowl ($1)

Method

  1. Rinse the split peas (no soaking needed).
  2. Peas and chopped onion in, hock on top, cover with water.
  3. Lift out the hock, shred the meat, stir it back in.

Don't add salt. The ham is salty enough.

Freezes well for up to 3 months, in mugs or tubs.

Chicken, Leek and Potato

Chicken, Leek and Potato

You need

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 leeks
  • 3 or 4 potatoes

From the cupboard: A stock cube, salt and pepper

Slow cooker Low · 6 hoursMakes 2 · freeze 1About £1.30 a plate ($1.70)

Method

  1. Potato chunks in the bottom.
  2. Slice the leeks, rinse them in a sieve, add them.
  3. Chicken on top; pour over a stock cube in a mug of hot water.

Cook until the chicken falls off the bone.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Beef in Onion Gravy

Beef in Onion Gravy

You need

  • 300g braising steak
  • 3 large onions
  • 2 tbsp gravy granules

From the cupboard: Water, salt and pepper

Slow cooker Low · 8 hoursMakes 2 · freeze 1About £1.80 a plate ($2.40)

Method

  1. Thick-sliced onions in first.
  2. Beef on top, then the gravy granules.
  3. Add one mug of water, no more.

Lovely over a slice of toast.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Baked Apples

Baked Apples

You need

  • 2 Bramley apples
  • A handful of sultanas
  • 2 tbsp golden syrup

From the cupboard: A few spoons of water

Slow cooker Low · 3 hoursMakes 2About 40p each (50¢)

Method

  1. Core the apples.
  2. Stuff the middles with sultanas; drizzle with syrup.
  3. A few spoons of water in the bottom of the pot.

Any big, firm apple will do.

Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Liver and Onions

Liver and Onions

You need

  • 250g lamb's liver
  • 2 onions
  • 2 tbsp gravy granules

From the cupboard: Water, salt and pepper

Slow cooker Low · 4 hours (no longer)Makes 2 · freeze 1About 90p a plate ($1.20)

Method

  1. Sliced onions into the pot.
  2. Liver on top; sprinkle over the gravy granules.
  3. Add one mug of water.

Crumble crispy bacon on top as a treat.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Gammon in Cider

Gammon in Cider

You need

  • 1 small unsmoked gammon joint (about 750g)
  • 500ml cider (or apple juice)
  • 1 onion

From the cupboard: A spoonful of sugar, if you glaze it

Slow cooker Low · 7 hoursMakes 4 portionsAbout £1.50 a portion ($2)

Method

  1. Onion in the bottom, joint on top.
  2. Pour the cider round it.
  3. For a glaze: lift it out, cut off the skin, rub a little sugar on the fat and grill it for 5 minutes.

Hot tonight, sandwiches tomorrow, with eggs on Friday.

Freeze sliced gammon in portions for up to 2 months.

Scouse

Scouse

You need

  • 300g stewing beef
  • 4 potatoes
  • 2 carrots

From the cupboard: A stock cube, water, salt and pepper

Slow cooker Low · 8 hoursMakes 2 or 3About £1.60 a plate ($2.10)

Method

  1. Cut half the potatoes in chunks, half in thin slices.
  2. Everything in the pot with a stock cube.
  3. Cover with water.

Serve with pickled red cabbage.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Rice Pudding

Rice Pudding

You need

  • 4 or 5 heaped tbsp pudding rice (about 75g)
  • 1 pint whole milk (568ml)
  • 2 tbsp sugar

From the cupboard: A little butter for the pot; nutmeg if you have it

Slow cooker Low · 3 hours, stir halfwayMakes 2 bowlsAbout 30p a bowl (40¢)

Method

  1. Rub a little butter round the pot.
  2. Rice, milk and sugar in; stir once.
  3. Grate nutmeg on top if you have some.

Skin or no skin? Tell Peggy in the comments on YouTube.

Cool it quickly and eat it within a day.

Corned Beef Hotpot

Corned Beef Hotpot

You need

  • 1 tin corned beef (340g)
  • 4 or 5 potatoes, thinly sliced
  • 2 onions

From the cupboard: A stock cube, salt and pepper

Slow cooker Low · 7 hoursMakes 2 or 3About £1 a plate ($1.30)

Method

  1. Layer thin onions, potatoes and chunks of corned beef.
  2. Pour over a stock cube in a mug of hot water.
  3. Finish with a potato roof. If your pot is grill-safe, grill it at the end to crisp the top.

Serve with pickled beetroot or red cabbage.

Freezes well for up to 3 months.

Want more? The cookbook has all ten of these, plus twenty more.

See Slow Cooker Cookbook

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