When fall sports take over the calendar, dinner needs to keep cooking while everyone is somewhere else. These 13 slow cooker recipes cover chicken, pork, beef, soup, chili, meatballs, ribs, and stew with very little last-minute work. Most need only a short prep before the lid goes on, then the slow cooker handles the long stretch. That leaves more room for practices, games, pickups, and the rush back home.
Slow Cooker Chicken Breast
Silky mushroom sauce around tender chicken makes Slow Cooker Chicken Breast feel like a fuller dinner without keeping you near the stove. The chicken is seared briefly, then slow-cooked with mushrooms, garlic, Marsala wine, and broth before heavy cream finishes the sauce. The recipe takes 2 hours 40 minutes and serves four. With only 10 minutes of prep, most of the afternoon belongs to the slow cooker while you handle everything else.
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Cabbage
Fork-tender beef with potatoes, carrots, and cabbage gives Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Cabbage a full meal in one pot. The brisket cooks with beef broth and pickling spice, while the vegetables go in during the final part of cooking. The recipe serves eight and allows 6 to 8 hours on low. One catch for a sports week is the homemade brine, which needs 3 to 5 days before the slow cooker ever starts.
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Shreddable pork with a sweet and savory cooking liquid makes Slow Cooker Pulled Pork easy to pile into buns, tacos, or bowls after practice. Pork loin cooks with brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce, bay leaves, black beer, salt, and pepper. The recipe takes 6 hours and 10 minutes and serves 12. Prep takes just 10 minutes, then the pork stays on low for six hours, giving you plenty of room to leave the kitchen alone.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Brothy soup filled with meatballs, vegetables, pasta, and spinach makes Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup useful when everyone gets home at a different time. Frozen meatballs cook with chicken broth, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, with small pasta and spinach joining later. The recipe takes 5 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. With 10 minutes of prep, the slow cooker handles most of the afternoon while the final additions keep the soup from getting overcooked.
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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Juicy pork with citrus and warm spices gives Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas plenty of options for tacos, bowls, or nachos after a late game. Pork shoulder cooks with cumin, oregano, chili powder, onion, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth. The recipe takes 5 hours 25 minutes and serves eight. A short broil at the end can crisp the edges, but the five-hour slow cook does nearly all of the heavy lifting.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Creamy sauce with beef and mushrooms makes Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff a filling dinner that can wait while the afternoon gets busy. Stewing beef or chuck cooks with onion, mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and seasonings before sour cream goes in at the end. The recipe takes 6 hours 10 minutes and serves six. Egg noodles cook separately, so the slow cooker handles the meat and sauce while you are out.
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Slow Cooker Ribs
Sticky barbecue sauce over tender ribs makes Slow Cooker Ribs possible without spending the afternoon watching a grill. Baby back ribs are rubbed with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper before cooking with barbecue sauce. The recipe takes 4 hours and 20 minutes and serves four. After 10 minutes of prep, the slow cooker does four hours of cooking, with an optional 10-minute broil for a darker, caramelized finish.
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Slow Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast
Buttery pork with pepperoncini and savory seasoning makes Slow Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast especially useful on days when dinner has to take care of itself. Pork shoulder cooks with ranch seasoning, au jus mix, butter, pepperoncini peppers, and a little brine. The recipe takes 8 hours and 5 minutes and serves eight. Prep is only five minutes, so it can go into the slow cooker early and stay out of your way until everyone is finally back home.
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Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf
Cheesy taco flavor tucked into a sliceable meatloaf makes Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf a change from the usual weeknight ground beef dinner. Lean beef is mixed with onion, green chiles, taco seasoning, crushed nacho cheese chips, Monterey Jack, eggs, and milk, then topped with taco sauce and Colby Jack. The recipe takes 6 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. Once shaped and loaded into the slow cooker, the six-hour cook leaves very little to manage.
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
Thick, creamy chili with beans and corn makes Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili easy to ladle into bowls whenever everyone finally gets through the door. Chicken breasts or thighs cook with white beans, corn, green chiles, onion, broth, cumin, oregano, and garlic powder before cream cheese and cream finish the pot. The recipe takes 4 hours 25 minutes and serves six. With 10 minutes of prep, the slow cooker covers most of dinner without much checking.
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Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs
Cheesy sauce coating tender meatballs makes Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs work as either a casual dinner or something everyone can grab between activities. Frozen meatballs cook with Rotel tomatoes, Velveeta, taco seasoning, and heavy cream, with scallions added at the end. The recipe takes 4 hours and 5 minutes and serves six. Prep takes only five minutes, so the slow cooker can handle the rest while you are out at practice or driving home.
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Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Creamy garlic Parmesan sauce around tender pork makes Slow Cooker Pork Chops easy to pair with potatoes, noodles, or vegetables once the evening settles down. Boneless pork chops cook with heavy cream, Parmesan, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. The recipe takes 4 hours and 5 minutes and serves four. With only five minutes of prep, there is almost nothing to do after the lid goes on until it is time to make a quick side.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Big pieces of beef, potatoes, and carrots make Slow Cooker Beef Stew a full bowl that can cook from morning into a packed evening. Chuck roast slow cooks with onion, carrots, russet potatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, red wine, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme. The recipe takes 8 hours and 10 minutes and serves eight. With only 10 minutes of prep, this is one of the easiest options for days when the calendar stays full until dinner.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Beef Stew