Your slow cooker is a versatile kitchen appliance that can make more than just soup and stew. This collection features delicious pasta dishes, casseroles, stuffed peppers, jambalaya and more to help you make the most of your slow cooker at dinnertime. Recipes like our Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna and Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Bowls let the slow cooker do most, if not all, of the work for a flavorful and nutritious meal.
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Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Lasagna
Sure, the slow cooker’s great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.
Sweet-and-Sour Chicken Bowls
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickeyt, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
Bone-in chicken thighs are pan-seared before being basted with sticky-sweet sauce and slow-cooked to fork-tender perfection. Sear the chicken thighs in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and hindering browning. Though we swoon over the superiorly moist meat, the real magic lies within the sauce, which masters the balance of savory and sweet. For a burst of freshness, we add a simple cabbage slaw that rounds out the meal with a satisfying crunch. To get an extra dose of veggies, pair it with sugar snap or snow peas.
Slow-Cooker Braised Beef with Carrots & Turnips
The spice blend in this healthy beef stew recipe—cinnamon, allspice and cloves—may conjure images of apple pie, but the combo is a great fit in savory applications too. Serve over creamy polenta or buttered whole-wheat egg noodles.
Slow-Cooker Chicken with Rosemary & Mushrooms over Linguine
The classic pairing of shallots and mushrooms gives this easy slow-cooker chicken recipe a timeless quality that’s sure to please everyone at your table. Swirling the stock and flour together at the beginning is a pro tip for creating a thick sauce that moistens the final dish and helps all the ingredients come together.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Pinto Bean Enchilada Casserole
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This slow-cooker meal is comfort food at its best: the layers of tortillas, cheese and sauce meld together into a cozy casserole inspired by the flavors in enchiladas. The top tortilla layer gets beautifully crispy in the slow cooker. We use pinto beans, but you could easily swap in black beans.
Slow-Cooker Black Bean & Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
Few dishes smell better as they cook than these cheesy brown-rice-stuffed peppers simmering gently in a pool of cinnamon- and clove-spiced tomato sauce. If you want to try a different whole grain, swap out the rice for millet. The peppers are fragile after cooking, so use tongs to gently remove them from the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooker Turkey Thighs with Herb Gravy
Those who love tender, moist, dark meat will love these slow-cooker turkey thighs. If turkey thighs aren’t available, ask your butcher to cut up a whole turkey and give you the bone-in thighs. Feel free to substitute an equal weight of chicken thighs for the turkey thighs, if desired. This pairs well with a simple side of steamed green beans.
Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooker Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi with Delicata Squash & Spinach
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This cozy, hearty slow-cooker dinner features tender gnocchi and veggies in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. The dusting of flour in the gnocchi packaging helps thicken the broth over the long, gentle cooking time—and a swirl of cream finishes the dish. Serve with crusty whole-wheat bread for sopping up the tangy sauce.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Brown Rice with Roasted Corn & Black Beans
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
With plenty of spice from ground cumin, cayenne and paprika and the bit of char that frozen roasted sweet corn brings to the dish, you won’t miss the browning step in this easy load-and-go recipe. If frozen roasted corn isn’t available, substitute regular.
Slow-Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Lauren McAnelly
Using the slow cooker allows the flavors in these cabbage rolls to develop and meld together beautifully. The filling features ground beef and brown rice, so you’ll feel full and satisfied. If you’re looking for a sweeter sauce, you can add the optional sugar, but we think it works just as well without it.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Orzo with Tomatoes & Olives
Perk up basic chicken breast and whole-wheat orzo with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, like lemon and olives. This load-and-go recipe makes a complete and satisfying meal; just add a green salad.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta
This rustic stew cooks all day in the slow cooker so you can come home to a comforting, hot dinner. Not a fan of polenta? Try this healthy chicken dinner over pasta instead.
Slow-Cooker Jambalaya
This hearty jambalaya is bursting with chicken, smoked turkey sausage, and shrimp. It takes just 25 minutes to prep in the morning and then your slow cooker will work its magic and deliver a tasty meal at the end of the day.
Pork & Pineapple Tacos
Plan ahead so you can use your slow cooker to prepare the pulled pork for these tacos. This recipe is a better-for-you twist on the classic tacos al pastor. Pork loin is a lean cut that’s a healthier option than traditional pork shoulder, which has more fat.
Slow-Cooker Quinoa Salad with Arugula & Feta
Chock-full of quinoa, chickpeas and vegetables, this salad is a meal in itself. The roasted red peppers, lemon, olives and feta add texture and flavor to this Mediterranean diet recipe.
Slow-Cooker Flank Steak Au Jus Sandwiches
Juicy flank steak, beefy sauce and caramelized onions come together easily to create this delectable hoagie sandwich. The flank steak is tender, moist and flavor-packed, making it a great base recipe not only for these sandwiches but also for any recipe that calls for shredded beef, such as Italian sandwiches or chili.
Slow-Cooker Chicken with Potatoes, Carrots & Herb Sauce
Impress the in-laws, neighbors or any other dinner guests with this pretty dish. It’s a slow-cooker chicken recipe that actually looks and tastes like it was oven-roasted. To save time, prep the vegetables a day ahead or in the morning, and then refrigerate until ready to brown the meat and start the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooked Beef with Carrots & Cabbage
In this main-dish recipe, the pot roast is slow-cooked with carrots and low-sodium beef broth. Toward the end of the cooking time, shredded cabbage is added in to round out the meal. Each of the two servings has just 215 calories.
