Ordering out can sound tempting until a slow cooker dinner is already filling the kitchen with the kind of aroma that makes staying home the better plan. These 15 recipes cover beef roasts, pork dinners, chicken in creamy or spiced sauces, hearty soup, meatballs, and a cornbread-topped casserole. Long, steady heat handles the tougher cuts, builds rich sauces, and leaves each dish ready for the table with sides as simple as rice, bread, noodles, or potatoes. There is enough range here to turn an ordinary night at home into a meal nobody wishes had arrived in a delivery bag.
German Pork Loin
Coated with German brown mustard before a quick sear, German Pork Loin slow cooks with onion, garlic, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves for 4 hours 10 minutes. The cooking liquid is thickened into gravy after the 2-pound roast rests. It makes 8 servings, with sauerkraut, spaetzle, green beans, or mashed potatoes ready to catch every spoonful of sauce.
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Pot Roast with Bacon
Built around a 3-pound beef roast, Pot Roast with Bacon combines chopped bacon, onion, garlic, beef broth, turnips, thyme, rosemary, and a bay leaf in 5 hours 20 minutes. The roast can cook for 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low, then the liquid is reduced into gravy. Six servings make this a strong choice when dinner needs to arrive with plenty left for another plate.
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Beef Stew
Packed with browned stew beef and vegetables, Beef Stew brings turnips, carrots, celery, mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato paste, and beef broth together in 4 hours 20 minutes. The mushrooms go in near the end so they keep more of their texture. With 12 servings from the recipe, one batch covers a full table and still gives the slow cooker enough time to deepen the broth.
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Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala
Fragrant spices coat chicken thighs before Slow-Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala simmers them with onion, garlic, ginger, tomato sauce, and heavy cream for 4 hours 45 minutes. The recipe makes 6 servings and includes a homemade blend with coriander, turmeric, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and smoked paprika. Spoon it over basmati rice or bring out naan, yogurt, cilantro, and lime wedges for the sauce.
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Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
A full roast dinner goes into one pot with Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast, which pairs a 2 1/2-pound rump roast with baby potatoes, carrots, onion, beef broth, rosemary, and thyme. The recipe takes 6 hours 10 minutes and serves 6. Slice or shred the beef, then plate it with the broth-soaked vegetables when the evening calls for something more substantial than another takeout container.
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Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
Under a cheesy cornbread layer, Cowboy Cornbread Casserole holds ground beef, pinto beans, corn, Rotel tomatoes, green chiles, red bell pepper, onion, and taco seasoning. It takes 4 hours 10 minutes and feeds 8, with cheddar added during the final stretch. Set out sour cream, avocado, green onions, or cilantro, and the slow cooker becomes both the main dish and the serving pan.
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Retro Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Sweet and savory layers run through Retro Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples, made with two pork tenderloins, sweet potatoes, Granny Smith apples, onion, ginger, garlic, and dried cranberries. Brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, thyme, and ginger season the pot over 4 hours 15 minutes. It yields 10 servings, and the cooking liquid can be spooned over the sliced pork and vegetables at the table.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Small meatballs simmer in chicken broth as Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup cooks with carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, orzo, and fresh spinach. The 5-hour, 10-minute recipe makes 6 servings, with the pasta added near the end and spinach folded in just before serving. Bring crusty bread, garlic toast, crackers, or grilled cheese alongside for an easy soup night that does not need a delivery order.
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Beef Barbacoa
Deep chile flavor develops while Beef Barbacoa cooks a 3-pound chuck roast with beef broth, guajillo and ancho powders, chipotles in adobo, cider vinegar, Mexican oregano, garlic, cloves, and cinnamon. The 6-hour, 10-minute recipe yields 8 servings. Shred the beef, reduce the cooking liquid, and spoon it back over the meat before dividing the richly seasoned roast across eight plates at home.
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Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Rosemary, sage, and thyme form the herb coating on Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast, a 4-hour, 10-minute dinner built from pork shoulder, white wine, chicken broth, garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, and baby potatoes. The recipe makes 6 servings, with an optional flour-thickened gravy from the drippings. Slice the rested roast and arrange everything on one platter when the night needs a complete dinner without extra pans.
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Mississippi Meatballs
Tangy pepperoncini and two seasoning packets give Mississippi Meatballs their sauce, while homemade beef meatballs bring breadcrumbs, egg, milk, garlic powder, and onion powder to the pot. Au jus mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini brine, and butter cook together for 4 hours 10 minutes. The recipe serves 6 and can go over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles, with enough gravy to tie the whole plate together.
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Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Classic roast-and-vegetable structure keeps Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast straightforward: pork shoulder, baby potatoes, carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, white wine, and chicken broth. Rosemary, sage, and thyme sit over the roast during the 4-hour, 10-minute cook, and the recipe yields 6 servings. Finish with the optional gravy and carry the platter straight to the table for a dinner that already includes its sides.
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Birria de Res
A mix of dried guajillo, pasilla, ancho, chipotle, and arbol chiles gives Birria de Res its deeply seasoned broth around a 3-pound chuck roast. The recipe lists 15 minutes of prep, 5 hours of cooking, and 8 servings, with onion, celery, garlic, beef broth, cider vinegar, cumin, and Mexican oregano. Serve the shredded beef in bowls with the consomme, then add onion, cilantro, lime, avocado, or warm corn tortillas.
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Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Bright green sauce surrounds Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde, made with a 3- to 4-pound pork shoulder, salsa verde, chopped green chiles, onion, chicken broth, cumin, oregano, cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and cilantro. It cooks in 6 hours 15 minutes and serves 6. Shred the pork back into the sauce, then bring rice, tortillas, beans, or cornbread to make the most of every spoonful.
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Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken & Gravy
Only four main ingredients build Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken & Gravy: boneless chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, ranch seasoning, and chicken broth. The recipe lists 6 hours 5 minutes for 6 servings, and the chicken is shredded directly in the pot before being stirred through the sauce. Ladle it over mashed potatoes, rice, buttered noodles, or toasted rolls when a creamy dinner sounds better than anything on an ordering app.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken & Gravy