Home Recipes by Cooking Method Slow Cooker
SCSlow Cooker
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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 04/11/2023
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If you’re looking for an easy hands-off dinner, look no further! These 20 easy crockpot recipes will make dinnertime completely stress-free!
Table of Contents close
- 1 Tips for Success
- 2 What’s the Difference Between a Slow Cooker and a Crockpot?
- 3 20 Crockpot Dinner Recipes
When it comes to dinner time, I often feel so tired and worn out. Is that just me? I remember the “witching hour” when my kids were toddlers and I swear it applies to adults too.
You’ve adulted all day long and now you have to make dinner? And you have to do it every day??? C’mon, can’t a girl catch a break?
Enter, the slow cooker. Capitalize on your morning energy and get that dinner in your crockpot. Then, when 5:00 or 6:00 rolls around, you can sit back, relax, and just put a few finishing touches on dinner.
And then there’s the bonus of the smells! Everyone will be excited for dinner because of how deliciously fragrant your whole house will smell!
We’ve featured all dinner and main dish recipes on this list. If you want more slow cooker recipes (sides, etc.), find all our crockpot recipes here.
Tips for Success
There are a few things to keep in mind when cooking with a slow cooker. Beyond the obvious things you’ll find in your manual, here are some tips that come with experience.
- Make clean up easy. I like to spray the inside of my slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. You can also buy liners but the thought of cooking my food in plastic for hours just doesn’t sit well with me personally. Spraying the inside prevents the food from sticking and makes for an easy clean up.
- Leave the lid on! Every time you open the lid, a lot of heat escapes and slows down the cooking process. This is not only important for timing of your recipe being ready, but also for food safety. So resist the urge to peek or stir, unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
- Safety: If your crockpot has a timer, make sure to use it. Most will automatically go to low when the time has elapsed. I heard a horror story once about a house burning down because someone couldn’t get home for some reason or another and their crockpot just kept cooking, cooking, cooking. Although the story was probably an urban myth, it always pays to be careful.
What’s the Difference Between a Slow Cooker and a Crockpot?
As you can see, I use the terms interchangeably. They’re the same thing, but Crockpot is a specific brand of slow cooker. Kind of like Kleenex and Bandaid, the name Crockpot has become synonymous with slow cooker. Same thing applies to Instant Pot and pressure cookers or multi-cookers.
PS: Crockpot is a trademarked product. Crockpot is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to. This post is not directly affiliated with them.
20 Crockpot Dinner Recipes
We’ll be adding to this list frequently so you’ll want to bookmark it for future reference!
Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Balsamic Glaze
Tender and juicy pork with a sweet balsamic glaze, this slow cooker pork loin is a dinner favorite. Fix it and forget it!
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Crockpot BBQ Chicken Recipe
Crockpot BBQ chicken is irresistible and a real crowd-pleaser! With only 3 ingredients, it's super easy to make.
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Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Tender and juicyslow cooker pork chopsare smothered with a rich mushroom and onion gravy. This easy dinner idea is quick to prep; your slow cooker does the rest!
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Whole Chicken in the Crockpot
Make a whole chicken in a crockpot and come home to a cozy dinner complete with tender, slow-cooked veggies and juicy seasoned chicken.
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Crockpot Ham with Maple Dijon Sauce
Whether you’re entertaining or just looking for an easy dinner with great leftovers, crockpot ham is the answer. Hands-off and delicious!
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Crockpot Mac and Cheese Recipe
Perfect for parties, crockpot mac and cheese is creamy, flavorful, and so easy to make. Ready to serve in just 2 hours!
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Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Thighs
Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Thighs cook all day while you're busy doing other things. They're super flavorful, filling, and nutritious.
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Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken
Boneless skinless chicken breasts and homemade teriyaki sauce served over rice make this crockpot teriyaki chicken a perfect weeknight meal.
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Crockpot Tomato Soup with Cheese Tortellini
Warm, comforting, and hearty — all words that describe this simple crockpot tomato soup. It’s a crowd pleaser!
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Crockpot Minestrone Soup With Quinoa
This slow cooker minestrone soup is filled with fresh veggies and quinoa – healthy, delicious, and it cooks practically on its own!
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Slow Cooker Italian Pot Roast
You won't believe how good Italian pot roast is! This slow cooker beef roast is sure to become a family favorite. And it's easy!
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Vegetarian Chili Recipe – Stovetop or Slow Cooker
You'll discover that chili doesn't require meat to be hearty and delicious. This vegetarian chili is thick, rich, and flavorful, and it's so easy to make.
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Slow Cooker Ribs – fall off the bone!
Try easy to make slow cooker ribs, so tender and juicy, with loads of flavor from a homemade dry rub and lots of barbecue sauce. Fix 'em and forget 'em for up to ten hours.
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Slow Cooker Pork Tacos
Change up your taco menu with slow cooker pork tacos, a Mexican riff on tender pulled pork with green tomatillo sauce. Serve on warm corn tortillas with all the fixings.
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Slow Cooker Texas Chili
Rich and full of warm heat, this slow cooker Texas style chili will instantly become your favorite chili recipe. The big chunks of beef will fall apart in your mouth!
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili Recipe
This slow cooker white chicken chili will become your go-to recipe for cool weather entertaining and busy weeknights. Included in the recipe are more than 5 ways to adapt this and make it perfect for YOU!
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Slow Cooker Chicken Kale Soup Recipe
Slow cooker chicken kale soup simmers all day for a healthy, hearty dinner that's ready when you are. It's packed with lean chicken, lots of leafy green kale, cannellini beans, and loads of flavor.
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Slow Cooker Mango Bourbon Pulled Pork
This mango bourbon pulled pork has the perfect combination of sweet and spicy – and the bourbon gives it that WOW factor!
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Slow Cooker Marsala Beef Stew Recipe
Slow cooker beef Marsala stew will fill your house with tantalizing aromas as it simmers. You'll look forward to dinner all day long!
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Slow Cooker Cuban Pork
A citrus based marinade adds flavor and tenderness to slow cooker Cuban pork. Change up your normal routine of pulled pork with this unique flavor combination.
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Crockpot Chicken Tacos – 3 ingredients!
Slow cooker shredded chicken that only takes 3 ingredients. Easy, versatile and delicious.
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Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
This crockpot buffalo chicken is made in the crockpot and becomes so tender and flavorful as it cooks. It's perfect on sandwiches or sliders!
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Crockpot Goulash
This cozy and hearty American-style crockpot goulash is easy to make with juicy ground beef, macaroni, canned tomatoes, and savory spices.
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Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (beef, turkey, sausage, or vegetarian!)
Start crockpot spaghetti sauce in the morning and forget about it all day. At dinner time, cook up a big pot of pasta and enjoy an absolutely delicioushomemade spaghetti dinner.
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You May Also Like...
12 Easy Crockpot Soup Recipes
Slow Cooker Beef Marsala Stew
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Reader Interactions
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Wow! What an amazing round-up to a part of! :) Thank you so much for including my recipes!
Pinned & sharing!Reply
Thanks for the awesome roundup! It’s been pinned! I do have to let you know, though, that I think the blogger from Peas and Thank You has shut her blog down. I tried going to it about a week ago to get the recipe for some granola bars that I’ve made before and I just tried clicking on the link in this post and no such luck. Just letting you know.
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Rachel Gurk says
Thanks so much for letting me know, Kim!
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Rita Wilbert says
Whoah! They look so delicious. Whether I admit or not, I miss my mom’s dishes because of the samples above…
Glald you shared this one. At least there’s something to remind me about my mom.
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