Giada De Laurentiis: Stracoto w/ Porcini Mushrooms

Otherwise known as fancy Italian pot roast, this recipe is amazing. It takes a long time to cook, but it's very hands off. This is a great recipe if you've got people coming over for dinner and you don't have a lot of time during the day to get something going.

I always add some carrots and potatoes for the last hour of cooking time in the oven, and then it becomes a true one-pot meal (other than the blender, which is totally an optional step, although the sauce it makes is pretty amazing).

Cooking Light: Spicy Beef and Barley Soup

If you're looking for an easy, healthy and YUMMY weeknight recipe, I highly recommend this spicy beef barley soup, conveniently made in a crock pot. It takes just a few minutes to throw all the ingredients together in the morning, and when you get home, your house smells great, and after you heat up a little crusty bread to go with this (you'll want it to soak up the broth), you've got a hearty, healthy dinner.

I actually don't have any commentary on how to improve this recipe, because it's great as-is. I cut this out of a Cooking Light in 2007, and we still pull it out and make it fairly regularly. That's when you know a recipe is great :)

***I posted this awhile back, and recently I tried it without doing any of the browning/sauteeing that is in the directions. I just threw everything raw in the crock pot together. Guess what? The recipe was every bit as good! Woo hoo! Makes an easy recipe even easier.