My bachelor son Scott emailed me an SOS last week asking for some new recipes to expand his repertoire for one-pot meals done in his Crockpot. (And yes, he does have a Crockpot, but by law a slow-cooker can only be called “Crockpot” if it is made by the Rival Co. How’s that for a little trivia?)

Perfect timing, Scotty B; your request is very timely as National Slow Cooker Week starts on February 24.

The aforementioned child still says one of his favorite birthday gifts he ever received was in college his senior year when he lived off campus in his very first apartment — it was an avocado green Crockpot. I think he is on pot #3 at age 42 so you can see he really does “crock” a lot. If you’re new to slow cooking this way, here are a few tips to get you started:

The best kinds of food to cook in a slow cooker are tougher cuts of meat (beef chuck or brisket, lamb and lamb shanks, pork butt, etc.) and dense, fibrous, veggies like carrots, both white and sweet potatoes, onions, turnip, celery, etc. You can use softer veggies like spinach and zucchini in a slow cooker, but add them in the last few minutes so they don’t overcook and become mushy. Make sure you cut dense veggies all the same size so they will cook evenly. While it may seem super easy to just dump everything into the slow cooker, pop on the cover and walk away, most recipes will be tastier with a little more effort. Because slow cookers don’t sear or brown meat, you may want to brown it in a separate pan before adding to the slow cooker. For some recipes this isn’t necessary especially if you have lots of super-flavorful ingredients. (See Beef Stroganoff recipe below.)

And never put frozen foods directly into the cooker — always defrost and/or brown first. Be cautious about adding too much liquid to your cooker, too. It is best to use only smaller amounts of liquids that really pack a flavor-punch, like wine and good quality stocks, broths and juices. There is little to no evaporation (so long as you don’t keep lifting the cover and peeking!) so liquids are not reduced in volume.

Slow cooker lentil & chicken sausage stew

• 4 cups (1 qt.) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 fully cooked spicy chicken sausage links, cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• Combine all ingredients in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until lentils are tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Slow cooker beef stroganoff

• 1-1/2 lbs. beef sirloin, cut into 1 by 3-inch strips
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 boxes (8-oz. each) white button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
• 1 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) reduced sodium beef stock
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 2 Tbsp. light cream cheese, softened
• 3 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water

Combine beef, onion, garlic, mushrooms, marjoram, salt, thyme, black pepper, bay leaf, beef stock, wine, and Worcestershire in a slow cooker, stirring well. Cook on low heat for 8-10 hours (or high for 4-5 hours). Remove and discard bay leaf.

In a medium bowl, combine sour cream, cream cheese, Dijon, flour, and water and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add 1 cup of the hot liquid from the slow cooker to the sour cream mixture and stir until combined. Return this mixture to the slow cooker and stir well. Cover; cook on high for 20-30 minutes until thickened and bubbly. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired. Yield: 6 servings

Crockpot lasagna

• 1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 large jar (about 25 oz.) marinara sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. hot pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp. mixed Italian seasonings
• 1 pkg. (8 oz.) no-boil lasagna noodles
• 4 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1-1/2 cups 4% cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook beef (or turkey) with onion in a skillet set over medium heat until cooked through. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Drain and discard any fat in pan. Stir in marinara sauce, salt, pepper, hot pepper flakes (if desired) and Italian seasonings.

Spread one fourth of the sauce in an ungreased 5-qt. slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce, breaking them to fit. In a medium bowl, combine mozzarella, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese and mix well. Spoon about one third of the cheese mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice and top with remaining sauce.

Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

5 ingredient Mexican beef

• 1-1/2 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 2 cups salsa (mild, medium or hot)
• 1 Tbsp. light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

Combine beef, salsa, brown sugar, soy sauce and garlic in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until meat is tender. Delicious served over cooked rice. Yield: 8 servings.

Chicken tagine

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1-3/4 lbs.), cut into chunks
• 2 large onions, halved and sliced
• 6 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, each cut in half
• 2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups couscous, cooked

Layer chicken, onions, carrots, raisins and apricots in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, whisk chicken stock with tomato paste, lemon juice, garlic, flour, salt, cumin, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper. Pour over chicken and veggies in slow cooker. Cover and cook 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Serve over cooked couscous. Yield: 8 servings.