Slow Cooker Dinner Ideas for Easy Homemade Meals

Let me clue you in on just a little secret: One of many best methods to make restaurant-quality meals at dwelling (I am speaking barely lifting a finger right here) is by enlisting the assistance of a trusty sluggish cooker.

Even after the a whole lot (!) of hours I spent at culinary faculty studying the a whole lot (!!) of chef-approved cooking strategies there are—blanching, poaching, roasting, frying, you title it—sluggish cooking yields among the most interesting outcomes with the least quantity of effort of all of them.

Between the sheer comfort of merely letting a machine do the cooking so that you can the fork-tender proteins and veggies you’ll get pleasure from after just some hours of hands-off work, there’s actually no wanting again when you’ve gotten the dangle of sluggish cooking.

Should you’re able to embark on this culinary journey, we salute you—and never solely as a result of it is the right time (see additionally: winter). We’ve rounded up among the greatest sluggish cooker dinner concepts for you so you possibly can get pleasure from scrumptious melt-in-your-mouth meals each night time of the week.

The most effective sluggish cooker available on the market

First issues first, you’re going to wish to get the precise tools. IMO, you merely can’t go improper with a Crock-Pot, an OG title within the sport.

The Crock-Pot Programmable Six-Quart Slow Cooker with Sous Vide is my tried-and-tested decide. It combines a sluggish cooker and a sous vide machine for final precision cooking. It additionally has a built-in, detachable thermometer probe and digital settings to simply program cooking instances from 5 minutes to 30 hours. For simple cleanup and supreme versatility, the detachable stoneware is dishwasher and oven secure. (And fairly! This model is available in a beautiful ‘oat milk’ colorway that’s the right shade of impartial vanilla—no must stash it within the pits of your cabinets anymore, people.)

What’s greatest to prepare dinner in a sluggish cooker?

Though sluggish cookers are usually related to tenderizing cuts of meat, this actually isn’t the one scrumptious factor to prepare dinner in a sluggish cooker. In actual fact, this kitchen workhorse can do—and prepare dinner—absolutely anything you throw its method. From making pillowy-soft bread to one-pot pasta dishes to stick-to-your-bones soups and stews, a sluggish cooker is ideal for nearly any recipe.

Associated Tales

That mentioned, like every dish you make, you’ll must know the precise ideas and tips to attaining the perfect outcomes. Fortunately, the oldsters at Crock-Pot have you ever lined with this easy cooking guide for cooking veggies, meats, frozen meals, and even desserts to perfection.

6 easy sluggish cooker dinner concepts for weeknight meal perfection 

Gradual cooker important dishes

1. Hearty Vegan Purple Lentil Chili

Legumes and beans—as longevity-boosting and scrumptious as they might be—are infamous for taking endlessly (and ever) to prepare dinner. However with the set-it-and-forget-it nature of a sluggish cooker, the wonder is that you just don’t must spend hours stirring and even babysitting a giant ol’ pot of lentils till they’re good and tender. As an alternative, you should utilize the useful machine to make hearty vegetarian slow cooker recipes like this pink lentil chili by Running on Real Food with out even breaking a sweat. Yep, you simply must throw the whole lot (actually) within the sluggish cooker and switch it on. Three hours on excessive (or 5 hours on low) later, and also you’ll be digging right into a warming bowl of vegan chili earlier than you understand it. Bonus: Every serving has a whopping 18 grams of protein that can assist you meet your daily nutrient goals.

Get the recipe: Vegan Slow Cooker Red Lentil Chili

2. Spicy Salsa Verde Rooster

In search of a simple four-ingredient paleo slow cooker recipe to make in a pinch? Say no extra. This salsa verde hen recipe by Downshiftology is strictly what your recipe field has been lacking. In a sluggish cooker, add hen breast, salsa verde, cumin, cilantro, plus salt, and set it on low for 4 to 5 hours. As soon as it’s prepared, all you want are two forks to simply shred the succulent hen for serving over a mattress of heat, steamy rice or smooth, tender tortillas. Swoon.

Get the recipe: Crock-Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

3. Really feel Higher Rooster Soup

Throat beginning to get that obnoxious little tingle that indicators a chilly is just some hours away? Cease it in its tracks with this immune-boosting and nourishing “really feel higher” hen soup by Feasting at Home. And in case you are questioning how a slow cooker chicken soup can have the ability that can assist you begin feeling higher very quickly, effectively, this recipe filled with nutrient-and vitamin-rich components like lemon, ginger, and hen broth to replenish your depleted power shops ASAP. Plus, who desires to prepare dinner whereas feeling below the climate? Let the sluggish cooker do the give you the results you want as a substitute.

Get the recipe: Feel Better Chicken Soup

4. Lasagna Soup

Fam, I’ve made this lasagna soup recipe by Feel Good Foodie numerous instances and might affirm it’s pretty much as good because it will get in terms of fast dinner recipes which might be as comforting as might be. Think about the heart-warming goodness of a creamy and dreamy home made lasagna, however with out the fuss of layering all of it collectively (and getting the casserole pan sitting on the very backside of all of your bakeware out of the cabinet). Though this recipe might be made in an everyday ol’ pot, I’d argue that making it in a sluggish cooker will unlock unholy depths of taste your tastebuds will thanks for later. Merely prepare dinner the entire components (minus the noodles) on low for six to eight hours (or on excessive for 4 to 5), and toss cooked noodles simply earlier than serving. Belief, it’s even higher than it sounds.

Get the recipe: One-Pot Lasagna Soup

Gradual cooker sauce

Straightforward Gradual Cooker Marinara

Nothing says leveling up your culinary expertise than making a home made marinara sauce that rivals your store-bought favourite. The most effective half? This recipe by Budget Bytes comes out to a grand complete of simply over 4 {dollars} per seven-cup batch—a steal a lot? And it pairs effectively with absolutely anything—pizza, spaghetti, meatballs, shakshuka, you title it.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Marinara 

Gradual cooker dessert

Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

Would dinner actually be full with out one thing candy to seal the deal? And who’s to say all vegan slow cooker recipes should be savory? So, if you happen to firmly stand on crew candy over salty, then this sluggish cooker vegan chocolate lava cake by Thyme and Love is asking your title. It’s easy and unsuspecting, but one chunk of this heat, luscious lava cake with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream and also you’ll be seeing the world via rose-colored glasses. Wish to add one thing crunchy for juxtaposing textures? Whip collectively a slow-cooked granola to garnish the dessert (and avoid wasting for breakfast, too!).

Get the recipe: Vegan Chocolate Lava Cake

Extra dinner recipes incoming: