Long afternoons can slip away before dinner is ready, especially when the day keeps you outside or busy at home. These 17 slow cooker recipes put roasts, chicken, soups, beef, pork chops, and meatballs on a gentle cooking schedule. Most need only a short round of prep before the crock pot takes over. Choose a hearty meal that can be waiting when the daylight fades.
Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
When the evening calls for a full roast dinner, Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast cooks on low for 7 to 8 hours with carrots, celery, shallots, and baby potatoes. Rosemary, sage, thyme, and garlic season the pork and vegetables as they cook together. Slice the roast and serve it with the vegetables and optional gravy. It suits a day when you want the main dish to be ready after the last errands or outdoor chores.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast
Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken
Smoky, saucy chicken makes Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken a flexible choice for a busy evening, cooking on high for 3 to 4 hours. Hatch chile salsa and sliced onion cook with chicken seasoned with cumin, black pepper, and smoked paprika. Shred the meat directly into the sauce once tender. Use it to fill tacos or spoon it over rice bowls when you want dinner ready without keeping watch at the stove.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken
Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef
On a day when dinner needs to take care of itself, Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef cooks until the meat is fork-tender, about 7 to 8 hours on low. Stew beef, mushrooms, onion, garlic, beef broth, Dijon, and Worcestershire form the savory base, while sour cream makes the finish creamy. Serve it over egg noodles for a filling plate that is ready when the household is back inside.
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German Pork Loin
Over a slow afternoon, German Pork Loin turns a 2-pound cut into a tender dinner with a savory gravy. German mustard, onion, garlic, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves build its flavor in the slow cooker. The pork is seared before cooking, so there is a little stovetop prep up front. Set it going earlier in the day, then spoon the gravy over the sliced meat at dinner.
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Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops
After a quick browning, Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops simmer on high for about 4 hours or low for 6. The recipe uses meaty pork chops with diced tomatoes, beef broth, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce. Those vegetables cook into the savory sauce around the chops. Start it before the afternoon gets away from you, then serve the pork with rice, potatoes, or bread to catch the sauce.
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4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken
Few prep steps stand between you and 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken: the recipe takes about 5 minutes to assemble, then cooks on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 5 to 6. Chicken breasts sit under a topping of cream of chicken soup and stuffing mix, with broth or water in the pot. Scoop up the sauce as gravy and add a side of steamed vegetables for an easy dinner after a full day.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Between work and dusk, Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup takes about 5 hours to cook and makes six servings, with meatballs, carrots, celery, orzo, spinach, and chicken broth. The pasta and spinach go in near the end, keeping them from spending the whole slow-cooking stretch in the broth. This soup works well when you want a complete bowl waiting at dinnertime, especially with bread alongside for the fading-light hours.
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Cowboy Cornbread Casserole
Hearty layers make Cowboy Cornbread Casserole a substantial choice for an evening meal, and the slow cooker handles its 4-hour cook. Ground beef, pinto beans, corn, green chiles, red bell pepper, and taco seasoning sit beneath cornbread batter; the recipe makes eight servings. Set it up before the afternoon passes, then add sour cream, pico de gallo, or cilantro at the table for a filling dinner that feeds a group.
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Birria de Res
Rich chile broth and tender beef give Birria de Res a place in a slow-cooked dinner plan, with about 5 hours of cooking and eight servings. The seasoned cooking liquid becomes a consomé, while the beef can be tucked into corn tortillas for tacos or served as a stew. Chopped onion, cilantro, avocado, lime, and radishes bring fresh toppings to the table. Start the pot earlier so the long cook happens while you get on with the day.
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Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs
Potluck trays and casual dinners both suit Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs, which make 12 servings and cook for about 4 hours on low. Frozen meatballs simmer in a sticky sauce made with ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and minced garlic. The slow cooker can keep them warm for people to serve themselves, making these handy when dinner happens around different schedules or daylight is running short.
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Al Pastor Carnitas
Extra browning gives Al Pastor Carnitas crisp edges after the pork has slow-cooked and been shredded. The recipe seasons pork with a spice mixture and uses pineapple juice for flavor and tenderizing; the cooking liquid is discarded before serving. Serve the pork plain, in lettuce wraps, or with rice or tortillas for others at the table. It takes some hands-on attention before and after the crock pot, then becomes a flexible filling for dinner.
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Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Sweet potatoes and apple wedges cook beneath Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples, turning it into a complete dinner from one crock pot. Brown sugar, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a touch of cayenne season the pork and vegetables; dried cranberries join the fruit. The recipe cooks about 2 hours on high or 4 to 5 on low. Start it in the afternoon for a plate with savory, sweet, and gently spiced flavors.
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Authentic Hungarian Goulash
Cooler evening plans pair well with Authentic Hungarian Goulash, a slow-cooked beef stew that takes about 6 hours and serves six. Stewing beef cooks with sliced onions, garlic, beef broth, tomato paste, paprika, smoked hot paprika, thyme, and bay leaves. The long simmer brings the sauce together while you handle the rest of the day. Make it ahead when daylight is fading early, then serve bowls with bread or noodles.
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Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers
When you want a hands-off filling for dinner, Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers brings Italian sausage and sweet bell peppers together in a savory sauce. The slow cooker softens the peppers while the sausages cook, leaving an easy option to pile into hoagie rolls or serve over pasta. Put the ingredients on before the late afternoon rush, then let everyone choose how to serve it once they come in.
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Slow Cooker Carnitas Board
Make dinner a relaxed spread with Slow Cooker Carnitas Board, which cooks 3 to 4 pounds of pork shoulder or pork butt until fork-tender. Cumin, ancho chile powder, Mexican oregano, jalapeño, onion, garlic, and chicken broth season the meat; after shredding, it gets briefly crisped in a skillet. Put out tortillas, chips, cheese, salsa, and pickled onions so people can build tacos or nachos as the daylight winds down.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Carnitas Board
Mississippi Meatballs
Tangy gravy and pepperoncini set Mississippi Meatballs apart from a plain slow-cooker dinner. Ground beef meatballs cook with au jus mix, ranch seasoning, butter, and pepperoncini for 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 5 on low. The sauce coats each meatball before serving, and the recipe can use frozen meatballs to shorten prep. Add rice, mashed potatoes, or rolls for a simple meal after a long afternoon.
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Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
Late-day dinner is easier to manage with Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken, which serves six and cooks about 4 hours on low or 2 on high. Chicken breast gets ranch and chicken gravy seasoning, onion, pepperoncini, pickling liquid, and butter, creating a tangy, savory sauce as it cooks. Shred the chicken and serve it over rice or mashed potatoes, or tuck it into sandwiches when everyone comes in at different times.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken