When life gets busy, the slow cooker does the heavy lifting. These highly rated crockpot recipes make it easy to serve a nourishing, satisfying dinner. Just add everything to the pot, let it cook while you’re away and by the time you’re home, a cozy, family-friendly meal is waiting. From our Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake to our Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup, these are the must-make crockpot recipes you’ll come back to all season long.
Slow-Cooker Sun-Dried Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
This simple vegetarian pasta bake is rich in protein and comes together effortlessly in the slow cooker, for a convenient one-pot meal. The combination of sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato pesto and plenty of veggies delivers a mix of sweet and savory flavors with every bite.
Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
If you love spinach and artichokes, this is the perfect soup for you. The creamy base is packed with veggies and shredded chicken, which soaks up the broth while adding a boost of protein.
Kalua Cabbage
Photographer: Jacob Fox, Food stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop stylist: Breanna Ghazali
Re-create the steaming effect of an imu, or Hawaiian underground oven, using your slow cooker to make this hearty pork and cabbage dish. Lapsang souchong, a smoky tea, mimics the imu’s smoke while a whole banana replicates the flavor traditionally imparted by layers of banana leaves.
Slow-Cooker Loaded Broccoli & Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This comforting soup is loaded with broccoli and chicken in a creamy, cheesy base and finished off with the classic toppings of bacon and scallions. Frozen onions and rice keep their integrity and add texture to the soup, but chopped fresh onions and cooked brown rice (not frozen) can be used in their place.
Slow-Cooker Beef Curry
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Torie Cox, Prop Stylist: Joshua Hoggle
Long, slow cooking periods mellow flavors while bold spices, in bold amounts, will hold their own over time. That’s just what happens here with big flavors from Thai curry paste and fish sauce finished with fresh touches of cilantro and lime juice that together, draw inspiration from Thai curry. Serve over a bed of brown rice or brown rice noodles to catch all the sauce.
Slow-Cooker Three-Bean Chili Mac
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Chili meets mac and cheese in this fix-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker dinner. Hot tomato sauce, a Mexican canned tomato sauce that also includes spices and chiles for heat, kicks up the flavor.
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This recipe uses store-bought biscuits for dumplings that are moist and tender once stirred into the savory mixture of creamy mushrooms, chicken and veggies.
Slow-Cooker Kale & Sausage Stew
Ali Redmond
Turkey sausage gets transformed in this rich stew made with hearty winter vegetables like carrots, kale and potatoes. Perfect for meal prep or family dinners, this stew comes together easily in the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Jason Donnelly
If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.
Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon & Potato Soup
Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
This chicken potato soup is perfect for soup season, hearty yet brothy and veggie-packed so it doesn’t feel too heavy.
Easy Slow-Cooker Potato-Leek Soup with Boursin
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This creamy slow-cooker leek soup showcases leeks’ mild onion flavor, enhanced by plenty of fresh and dried herbs and with potatoes adding texture and body.
Kale, Wild Rice & Chicken Stew
Chicken thighs get perfectly tender in just a few hours in the slow cooker. Plus, cooking everything together low and slow infuses all the flavors together for complexity in every bite.
Slow-Cooker Potato Soup Four Ways
Be sure to use waxy potatoes, such as red or Yukon Gold, in this crockpot potato soup recipe. The result will be creamier than if you use starchy varieties like russets. Load your bowl up like a classic baked potato or see the tip below for more ways to mix it up.
Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Diet Stew
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Annie Probst, Prop Stylist: Breanna Ghazali
With a focus on vegetables, legumes and healthy fats, this slow-cooker stew fits the bill for those following the Mediterranean diet. Swap out the chickpeas for white beans for a different twist, or try collards or spinach in place of the kale.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup
Thanks to plenty of vegetables, lean chicken breast and whole-wheat pasta, this slow-cooker soup fits nicely into the Mediterranean diet. Pair it with a salad and toasted whole-grain bread for an easy, healthy dinner.
Slow-Cooker White Bean & Sausage Cassoulet
This slow-cooker cassoulet comes together quickly without fuss. Mashing some of the beans makes the broth creamier, while a topping of toasted panko adds contrasting crunchiness. Serve with a crusty baguette to sop up every last drop of the sauce. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.
Slow-Cooker Barbecue Brisket Sliders
Serve these slow-cooker brisket sliders when company’s coming–perhaps to watch the big game–for an easy, crowd-pleasing dish. The crisp, tangy coleslaw is the perfect pairing for the tender, rich brisket.
Slow-Cooker Herb & Mushroom Braised Beef
With its comforting flavors contributed by savory meat, mushrooms, onions, carrots and fresh herbs, this slow-cooker braised beef is a wonderful supper on cold-weather days.
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-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.
