Getting dinner started before work can save the evening from turning into another long task. These 19 slow cooker recipes put the lengthy simmering, braising, and tenderizing into the hours when you are away, covering chicken, beef, pork, soups, meatballs, ribs, and cheesy dinners. Several need only a quick finish when you get home, such as stirring in pasta or sour cream, thickening a sauce, or giving the meat a short broil. The result is a range of dinners where the slow cooker handles the time-consuming part before the workday ends.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Creamy broth and tender chicken make Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili a strong fit for a workday because the cooker handles most of the 4-hour-25-minute recipe on its own. Chicken, white beans, corn, green chilies, onion, and chicken broth simmer before cream cheese and heavy cream go in near the end. It serves 6, with enough body for a full bowl at dinner. Add tortilla strips, avocado, cheese, or cilantro once you get home.
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Slow Cooker Mac n Cheese
Cheese melts into the pasta while Slow Cooker Mac n Cheese cooks for 3 hours 10 minutes and serves 8. Uncooked macaroni goes straight into the cooker with cheddar, mozzarella, whole milk, evaporated milk, butter, paprika, and optional Dijon mustard. The recipe calls for a couple of stirs as it warms, so it suits a day when someone can check it occasionally rather than a completely unattended shift. Keep it on warm until dinner is served.
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Pulled Pork Sliders
Smoky pork cooks down into an easy sandwich filling in Pulled Pork Sliders, a 6-hour-15-minute recipe that makes 16 sliders. Pork shoulder slow cooks with barbecue sauce, beer, ketchup, and brown sugar until it is tender enough to shred. Once you are home, pile the pork onto slider buns with coleslaw and the mayo-cider sauce. Most of the long cooking happens without you, leaving only shredding and quick assembly before dinner.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Tender beef and mushrooms do the long simmering in Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff, which takes 6 hours 10 minutes and serves 6. Beef, onion, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder cook together until the meat softens. Sour cream is stirred in during the last 15 to 30 minutes, while egg noodles cook separately. That makes the after-work part short even though the dish is not fully hands-off from start to finish.
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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Citrus and spices work through the pork while Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas cooks for 5 hours 25 minutes and serves 8. Pork shoulder slow cooks with cumin, oregano, chili powder, onion, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth after an optional sear. The final 10-minute broil crisps the shredded edges once you are back home. Serve the carnitas in tortillas or bowls with red onion, avocado, or cilantro.
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Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs
A cheesy sauce turns frozen meatballs into Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs, a 4-hour-5-minute recipe that serves 6. Homestyle meatballs cook with Rotel tomatoes, Velveeta, taco seasoning, and heavy cream until the cheese melts around them. The recipe recommends an occasional stir, so it works best when someone can check the cooker once or twice. Spoon the meatballs over rice for dinner or set them out with tortilla chips as an easy appetizer.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Big chunks of beef and vegetables settle into Slow Cooker Beef Stew during an 8-hour-10-minute cook that serves 8. Chuck roast, onion, carrots, potatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and thyme all cook together on low. There is no required mid-cook step, which makes this one especially useful for a full workday. Remove the bay leaves and add fresh herbs when you walk in the door.
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Crockpot Marry Me Chicken
A creamy tomato and Parmesan sauce surrounds Crockpot Marry Me Chicken during its 4-hour-5-minute cook. The recipe serves 3 and combines chicken breasts with chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes after a quick sear. Once the chicken goes into the cooker, the long part is handled. Finish with fresh basil and serve it over pasta, rice, or potatoes for an easy dinner after work.
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Slow Cooker Ribs
Sticky barbecue sauce coats Slow Cooker Ribs through a 4-hour-20-minute recipe that serves 4. Baby back ribs cook with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and barbecue sauce until the meat pulls away from the bone. The cooker handles the tenderizing while you are busy, then an 8-to-10-minute oven finish adds caramelized edges. Brush with extra sauce before serving if you want a glossier finish.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
A creamy garlic sauce builds around Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs over 4 hours 15 minutes, with 6 servings from the pot. Chicken thighs cook with onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, chicken broth, and Italian seasoning after an optional sear. Heavy cream and spinach go in for the last 5 to 10 minutes, followed by Parmesan at serving. The long cook happens while you are away, leaving a quick creamy finish for the end of the day.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs and vegetables spend most of the day simmering in Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup, a 5-hour-10-minute recipe that serves 6. Frozen meatballs, chicken broth, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder cook first. Small pasta is added for the final 20 to 30 minutes, then spinach wilts in for another few minutes. The cooker handles the base while you are busy, with only a short finish needed before ladling it into bowls.
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Slow Cooker Pot Roast
A full roast dinner takes shape in Slow Cooker Pot Roast, which runs 5 hours 10 minutes and serves 8. Chuck roast cooks with onion, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, and red wine for the first four hours. Potatoes and mushrooms are added for the final hour, so this one needs someone available late in the cook. Fresh thyme, rosemary, and parsley finish the beef and vegetables right before serving.
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Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
A sweet-savory sauce keeps Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin busy for 4 hours 15 minutes while the rest of the day moves on. The recipe serves 6 and uses pork tenderloins with apple cider vinegar, honey, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, ginger, and smoked paprika. A quick sear happens before slow cooking, and the sauce can be thickened afterward with flour and water. Slice the pork and spoon the cooking sauce over each serving.
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Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Creamy, bacon-studded Slow Cooker Potato Soup cooks for 3 hours 10 minutes and serves 6. Potatoes, chicken broth, bacon, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper go into the cooker first, then some of the potatoes are mashed to thicken the base. Butter, flour, milk, cheddar, and sour cream finish the soup after the potatoes soften. It is a good option when you want the slow cooker to handle the long simmer, then spend a few minutes finishing dinner.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
A mushroom cream sauce keeps Slow Cooker Chicken Breast from being plain during its 2-hour-40-minute cook. The recipe serves 4 with sliced chicken breasts, garlic, Marsala wine, chicken broth, mushrooms, heavy cream, and paprika. The chicken is seasoned and seared before slow cooking, while a cornstarch slurry thickens the sauce near the end. It suits a shorter workday or an afternoon start when dinner needs to be nearly finished by the time you are home.
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Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Tater tots, beef, and cheese turn Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole into a 5-hour-10-minute dinner for 6. Browned ground beef goes into the cooker with corn, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, cheddar, onion, garlic powder, and frozen tater tots. Once the beef is browned and the layers are assembled, the cooker handles the long stretch. Serve it straight from the crock after work when you want something substantial without making several side dishes.
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Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
Chicken and vegetables cook together under a creamy sauce in Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken, an 8-hour-5-minute recipe that serves 6. Chicken breasts sit over baby potatoes and carrots, then ranch seasoning, cream of chicken soup, and heavy cream go over the top. The low setting runs 6 to 8 hours, which lines up well with a full workday. With the protein, potatoes, and carrots already in the pot, dinner needs very little else.
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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Rich gravy builds around Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs during a 6-hour-5-minute cook that serves 6. Frozen meatballs simmer with beef broth, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce until heated through and well coated. Cornstarch and cold water thicken the sauce toward the end. Serve the meatballs over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice when you get home and want dinner to feel more finished without much extra work.
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Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
Pepperoncini and ranch seasoning give Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken plenty of flavor during a 4-hour-5-minute cook that serves 4. Chicken breasts go into the Crock-Pot with au jus mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini juice, chopped pepperoncinis, and butter. The setup takes only a few minutes before the cooker takes over. Shred the chicken once it is tender and serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, or rolls for an easy end-of-day meal.
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