A long week makes a hands-off dinner especially useful when nobody wants to hover over the stove. These 21 slow cooker recipes cover roasts, meatballs, chicken, pork, soup, casseroles, and shredded beef with enough variety to carry dinner from weeknight plates to a relaxed weekend meal. Most of the work happens up front, then the slow cooker handles the long stretch. That leaves more time for the rest of the evening while dinner builds flavor on its own.
Slow Cooker German Pot Roast
Deep, savory gravy gives Slow Cooker German Pot Roast the kind of dinner-table presence that makes a long cooking day worthwhile. The recipe serves six in 6 hours 10 minutes, pairing chuck roast with bacon, German beer, dill pickles, mustard, garlic, carrots, baby potatoes, and red cabbage. Sour cream finishes the gravy after the beef turns tender. Serve the sliced or shredded roast with the vegetables and plenty of gravy spooned over everything.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker German Pot Roast
Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
Old-school meatballs get their distinctive texture in Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs, which serves four in 3 hours 10 minutes. Lean ground beef is mixed with long-grain rice, egg, onion flakes, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning before the meatballs cook in crushed tomatoes and water. Balsamic vinegar and fresh basil finish the sauce. Spoon them over spaghetti or mashed potatoes when you want a slow-cooked dinner with a familiar, homey shape.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Porcupine Meatballs
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken
Minimal prep is the draw of 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken, a four-serving dinner that takes 4 hours 5 minutes. Chicken breasts cook with cream of chicken soup, boxed stuffing mix, and water or chicken broth, with salt and pepper added for seasoning. The stuffing mixture sits right over the chicken as it cooks, so there is no separate side to manage. Plate it straight from the slow cooker for an easy end-of-day meal with very little cleanup.
Get the Recipe: 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken
Vintage Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Layer after layer of potatoes makes Vintage Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes Recipe a substantial side that can carry plenty of a dinner plate. Eight servings take 6 hours 5 minutes, including a short rest, with Russet potatoes, yellow onion, Gruyère, heavy cream, salt, and black pepper. The cheese and cream cook between the thin slices until everything is tender. Bring it out beside roast beef, pork, or chicken when the meal needs a rich potato side without using the oven.
Get the Recipe: Vintage Slow Cooker Scalloped Potatoes Recipe
Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
Buttery and tangy, Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken turns six servings into a mostly hands-off dinner in 4 hours 10 minutes. Boneless chicken breasts cook under chopped onion, chicken gravy mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini, pepperoncini liquid, and pieces of salted butter. Once tender, the chicken can be served whole or shredded into the cooking juices. Pile it over mashed potatoes or rice, or tuck the shredded chicken into sandwiches for a relaxed dinner with very little last-minute work.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
Authentic Hungarian Goulash
A deep paprika sauce gives Authentic Hungarian Goulash plenty of character over its 6 hour 15 minute cook. The recipe serves six with stewing beef, sliced onions, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, paprika, smoked hot paprika, thyme, and bay leaves. Browning the beef first builds the base before everything moves to the Crock Pot. Ladle it into bowls with spaetzle, noodles, or mashed potatoes when you want a slow dinner that can carry the whole plate.
Get the Recipe: Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Mississippi Meatballs
Rich sauce and tender beef make Mississippi Meatballs a six-serving option that cooks for 4 hours 10 minutes. Ground beef is mixed with breadcrumbs, egg, milk, garlic powder, and onion powder, then browned before going into the slow cooker. Au jus mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini, pepperoncini liquid, water, and butter create the sauce around them. Serve the meatballs over rice or mashed potatoes, or set them out with picks when dinner is leaning more casual.
Get the Recipe: Mississippi Meatballs
Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Fork-tender beef and vegetables make Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast a full six-serving dinner with very little fuss after setup. The 6 hour 10 minute recipe combines rump roast with yellow baby potatoes, baby carrots, onion, beef broth, rosemary, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Everything cooks together until the meat softens and the vegetables absorb the broth. Slice the roast and serve the potatoes and carrots alongside it for a one-pot meal that needs little else.
Get the Recipe: Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Slow Cooker Carnitas Board
A build-your-own dinner takes shape around Slow Cooker Carnitas Board, which serves eight in 4 hours 20 minutes. Pork shoulder cooks with cumin, ancho chili powder, Mexican oregano, chicken broth, jalapeño or poblano, onion, and garlic until it is tender enough to pull apart. Tortillas, chips, guacamole, cheese, pickled onions, jalapeños, and salsa turn the pork into a flexible spread. Put the fixings around the meat and let everyone assemble tacos, nachos, or bowls at the table.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Carnitas Board
Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
Saucy peppers and browned sausage give Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers an easy route to six servings in 3 hours 15 minutes. Italian sausage links cook with red, yellow, and green bell peppers, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, and marinara after a quick sear. The slow cooker softens the peppers while the sausage finishes in the tomato sauce. Serve the mixture over pasta or rice, or spoon it into sturdy rolls for a dinner that needs almost no assembly at the end.
Get the Recipe: Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Smoky-sweet shredded chicken makes Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken useful far beyond one dinner. Six servings take 6 hours 10 minutes, with chicken breasts seasoned with brown sugar, smoked hot paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper before cooking in BBQ sauce and apple cider vinegar. The chicken gets shredded back into the sauce once tender. Load it onto buns, wraps, rice bowls, or baked potatoes, then save any extra for another meal later in the week.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Herbs pressed over a browned roast give Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast a more traditional Sunday-dinner feel without keeping anyone by the oven. The recipe serves six in 4 hours 10 minutes, pairing pork shoulder with rosemary, sage, thyme, white wine, chicken broth, garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, and baby potatoes. An optional gravy uses the cooking liquid at the end. Slice the rested pork and plate it with the vegetables for a complete slow-cooked meal.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken
Smoky green chile flavor runs through Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken, a six-serving recipe that takes 4 hours 10 minutes. Chicken breasts or thighs cook over sliced onion, garlic, Hatch chile salsa, cumin, black pepper, and smoked paprika or chipotle powder. Once the chicken pulls apart easily, it is shredded directly into the sauce. Spoon it into tacos, burritos, or rice bowls when you want one batch of chicken that can take dinner in several directions.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken
Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Sweet and savory fall flavors meet in Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples, which serves six in 4 hours 15 minutes. Pork tenderloins cook over sweet potatoes, onion, ginger, and garlic with Granny Smith apples, dried cranberries, brown sugar, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little liquid underneath. The pork rests after cooking before slicing. Plate it with the softened apples and sweet potatoes when you want dinner and its seasonal side dishes handled together.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
A hearty layered dinner comes together in Cowboy Cornbread Casserole, which makes eight servings in 4 hours 10 minutes. Ground beef is cooked with onion and taco seasoning, then combined in the slow cooker with Rotel tomatoes, pinto beans, corn, green chiles, and red bell pepper. Prepared cornbread batter and shredded cheddar finish the casserole. Scoop generous portions into bowls and add sour cream, pico de gallo, or cilantro when a one-dish dinner sounds better than juggling sides.
Get the Recipe: Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
German Pork Loin
Mustard-coated pork turns tender in German Pork Loin, an eight-serving slow cooker dinner that takes 4 hours 10 minutes. The pork is seared first, then cooks over onions with garlic, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves. Flour is used at the end to turn the cooking liquid into gravy. Slice the rested loin and spoon the gravy over it, then add potatoes, cabbage, or another simple side if you want to keep the German-style dinner going.
Get the Recipe: German Pork Loin
Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Brothy and filling, Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup gives six servings in 5 hours 10 minutes with very little stovetop work. Frozen small meatballs simmer with chicken broth, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder before small pasta and fresh spinach are added near the end. Cooking the pasta last keeps it from sitting in the broth for hours. Ladle the soup into deep bowls and add bread alongside for an easy dinner that covers meat, vegetables, and pasta at once.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops
Tender pork chops sit in a tomato-rich sauce in Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops, a six-serving dinner that takes 4 hours 10 minutes. Bone-in chops are dredged in seasoned flour and browned before cooking with beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. Part of the finished sauce is blended for a smoother texture. Serve the chops with mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice so the sauce has something to soak into.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops
Birria de Res
Deep chile broth surrounds fork-tender beef in Birria de Res, which serves eight after about 5 hours of slow cooking. Chuck roast cooks with onion, celery, garlic, beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, Mexican oregano, and a blend of chipotle, guajillo, pasilla, ancho, and arbol chiles. The beef is shredded while the broth is strained into consommé. Serve both in bowls with onion, cilantro, lime, and tortillas, or use the meat for tacos.
Get the Recipe: Birria de Res
Classic Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Tangy green sauce gives Classic Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde plenty of personality across six servings. The 6 hour 15 minute recipe slow-cooks pork shoulder with onion, salsa verde, green chiles, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes, cinnamon, and cilantro until the meat shreds easily. The pork goes back into the sauce for a final warm-through. Spoon it over rice, tuck it into tortillas, or add sour cream on top for an easy bowl-style dinner.
Get the Recipe: Classic Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Creamy sauce and tender beef make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff a six-serving dinner built for an 8-hour, 10-minute slow cook. Stewing beef or chuck cooks with onion, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and parsley before sour cream is stirred in at the end. Egg noodles are cooked separately so they keep their texture. Spoon the beef and sauce over the noodles when you want a classic dinner with most of the day’s work handled unattended.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff