The slow cooker works for more than one kind of dinner plate. Pick the recipe by how you want to serve it, whether that means a main dish, a bowl of soup, or something for sandwiches. Some plates need noodles or potatoes, and others are better with bread, toppings, or a bowl.
Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
Cubed chuck and mushrooms make Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff a six-serving dinner in 6 hours 10 minutes. Onion, cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and sour cream form the sauce around the tender meat. The sour cream goes in near the end, while the egg noodles cook separately so they do not soften in the slow cooker. Spoon the stroganoff over noodles and add green beans, peas, carrots, or bread.
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Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
Citrus and warm spices carry Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas through 5 hours 25 minutes for eight servings. Pork shoulder cooks with cumin, oregano, chili powder, onion, garlic, orange juice, lime juice, and chicken broth before the shredded meat broils for crisp edges. The extra broiler step means this is not completely hands-off, but most of the tenderizing happens unattended. Fill tacos, burritos, bowls, or nachos and add avocado, red onion, cilantro, salsa, or cabbage.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs
A creamy tomato sauce surrounds Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs, a six-serving dinner with a listed total of 4 hours 15 minutes. Bone-in chicken thighs cook with Italian seasoning, onion, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, broth, heavy cream, and Parmesan. Searing the chicken first is recommended for deeper browning, although the instructions allow that step to be skipped. Serve the thighs with pasta, rice, mashed potatoes, polenta, or bread for catching the sauce.
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Pulled Pork Sliders
Soft buns turn Pulled Pork Sliders into 16 portions after 6 hours and 15 minutes in the slow cooker. Pork shoulder cooks with barbecue sauce, beer, ketchup, brown sugar, salt, and pepper before it is shredded into the cooking juices. A mayonnaise, cider vinegar, cumin, and sugar sauce joins prepared coleslaw and cilantro on each slider. Bring the assembled sandwiches to game day or serve them with pickles, potato salad, corn, baked beans, or chips.
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Cabbage
A homemade brine sets Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Cabbage apart from the shorter recipes in this collection. The eight-serving meal lists 5 days, 8 hours, and 30 minutes because the brisket cures with salt, brown sugar, pickling spice, curing salt, and garlic before slow cooking. Beef broth, more pickling spice, carrots, red potatoes, and cabbage complete the pot. Plan several days ahead, then serve the sliced beef and vegetables with mustard, horseradish sauce, or rye bread.
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Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs
Frozen meatballs and melted cheese make Slow Cooker Nacho Meatballs a six-serving dish in 4 hours 5 minutes. Tomatoes with green chiles, Velveeta, taco seasoning, and heavy cream create the sauce with only five minutes of preparation. The recipe works as an appetizer with toothpicks or as a main course when served over rice or alongside tortillas. Finish with scallions and add jalapeños, cilantro, avocado, salsa, or crushed tortilla chips.
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Slow Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast
Pepperoncini and seasoning packets give Slow Cooker Mississippi Pork Roast eight servings in 8 hours 5 minutes. Pork shoulder cooks with ranch seasoning, au jus mix, butter, pepperoncini peppers, and a little brine, with optional water or broth for a hot-running cooker. The short ingredient list keeps preparation to five minutes before the pork cooks until shreddable. Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, egg noodles, or rolls, or use leftovers in tacos and sandwiches.
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Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Ground beef and tater tots fill Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole, a six-serving meal with a 5-hour 10-minute total. Corn, cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, cheddar, onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper form the layers around the beef and potatoes. The beef must be browned and drained in a skillet before it reaches the slow cooker, so this is not a dump-only recipe. Scoop it into bowls and serve with salad, green beans, or sliced tomatoes.
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Crockpot Marry Me Chicken
Sun-dried tomatoes and Parmesan give Crockpot Marry Me Chicken three servings in 4 hours 5 minutes. Chicken breasts are seared, then slow-cooked with broth, heavy cream, garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes before basil goes on top. The skillet step adds browning, while the slow cooker handles the remaining cook time and creamy sauce. Serve the chicken over pasta, rice, potatoes, or polenta, and scale the recipe when feeding more than three people.
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Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin
A sweet and tangy sauce carries Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin through 4 hours 15 minutes for six servings. Pork tenderloins cook with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cider vinegar, honey, soy sauce, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, fresh garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Flour and cold water thicken the cooking liquid near serving time. Slice the pork and serve it with mashed potatoes, rice, roasted vegetables, green beans, or a cabbage salad.
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Slow Cooker Potato Soup
Potatoes and bacon make Slow Cooker Potato Soup a six-serving dinner in 3 hours 10 minutes. Chicken broth, onion, garlic, butter, flour, whole milk, cheddar, sour cream, and green onions turn the cubed potatoes into a thick soup. A butter-and-flour mixture and the dairy finish the soup after the potatoes become tender, so the final stage needs a little supervision. Set out extra bacon, cheese, green onions, crackers, bread, or a simple salad.
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Dark beer and pantry seasonings give Slow Cooker Pulled Pork 12 servings from a two-pound pork loin. The recipe lists 6 hours 10 minutes with brown sugar, mustard, soy sauce, bay leaves, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Its instructions also call for another 30 to 45 minutes uncovered after shredding so the sauce can thicken, creating a timing inconsistency worth checking before publication. Serve the pork on buns, rolls, baked potatoes, rice, tacos, or nachos.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Meatballs, pasta, and vegetables share the broth in Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup, a six-serving recipe with a 5-hour 10-minute total. Frozen beef or turkey meatballs cook with chicken broth, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Small pasta goes in for the final 20 to 30 minutes, followed by spinach for only a few minutes. Ladle it into bowls and serve with Parmesan, garlic bread, focaccia, or a green salad.
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Slow Cooker Pork Chops
Garlic Parmesan sauce keeps Slow Cooker Pork Chops to six ingredients and five minutes of preparation. Four boneless chops cook with heavy cream, grated Parmesan, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper for a listed total of 4 hours 5 minutes. The sauce and meat cook together without a separate searing step, making this one of the more direct recipes in the lineup. Serve the chops with egg noodles, mashed potatoes, rice, broccoli, green beans, or bread.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Chuck roast, potatoes, and carrots make Slow Cooker Beef Stew eight servings in 8 hours 10 minutes. Onion, beef broth, tomato paste, red wine, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, and thyme build the gravy around the beef and vegetables. Everything goes into the cooker without a required stovetop sear, which keeps the active work to about 10 minutes. Serve the stew in deep bowls with bread, biscuits, or a green salad, and refrigerate leftovers for next-day lunches.
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Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken
Chicken, potatoes, and carrots share the pot in Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken, a six-serving meal with a listed total of 8 hours 5 minutes. Dry ranch mix, cream of chicken soup, and heavy cream form the sauce over boneless chicken breasts and vegetables. The recipe needs only five minutes of preparation and includes the starch and vegetables in the slow cooker. Serve it as written or add green beans, mushrooms, bell peppers, bread, or a crisp salad.
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Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Chuck roast and vegetables make Slow Cooker Pot Roast eight servings in 5 hours 10 minutes. Onion, carrots, garlic, tomato paste, beef stock, red wine, potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, and parsley cook around the beef. The potatoes and mushrooms join after four hours, which helps them keep more structure than vegetables added at the start. Serve the roast with its cooking liquid, or add rolls, mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, or a green salad.
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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs
Frozen meatballs simmer in brown gravy in Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak Meatballs, a six-serving dinner with a 6-hour 5-minute total. Beef broth, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and a cornstarch slurry create the sauce. The meatballs go into the cooker frozen, which keeps preparation to five minutes before the final thickening step. Spoon them over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, or toast and add peas, carrots, or green beans.
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Slow Cooker Ribs
A smoky spice rub and barbecue sauce cover Slow Cooker Ribs, a four-serving dinner in 4 hours 20 minutes. Baby back ribs are cooked with brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and two cups of sauce. Ten minutes under a hot broiler set the glaze after the slow cooker tenderizes the meat, so the oven still plays a finishing role. Serve the ribs with coleslaw, corn, baked beans, potato salad, rolls, or macaroni salad.
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Slow Cooker White Chili Chicken
White beans and corn give Slow Cooker White Chili Chicken six servings in 4 hours 25 minutes. Chicken breasts or thighs cook with green chiles, onion, chicken broth, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cream cheese, and heavy cream or milk. The beans and vegetables make each bowl substantial, while the dairy goes in later for a creamy finish. Serve it with tortilla chips, cornbread, avocado, cilantro, lime, shredded cheese, jalapeños, or sour cream.
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Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Beef and vegetables make this Slow Cooker Rump Roast a six-serving all-in-one dinner. The recipe lists 5 hours 5 minutes, using rump roast, yellow baby potatoes, carrots, beef broth, onion, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper. That total reflects the high setting, while the instructions give seven to eight hours for low cooking. Slice the beef and serve it with the potatoes, carrots, and cooking liquid, or add bread, salad, or mashed potatoes.
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Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf
Crushed nacho chips and green chiles turn Slow Cooker Taco Meatloaf into a six-serving dinner with a 6-hour 10-minute total. Ground beef, onion, taco seasoning, Monterey Jack, eggs, milk, taco sauce, and Colby Jack form the loaf and topping. Foil lines the cooker for easier lifting, while the cheese and taco sauce go over the meat near the end. Serve slices with corn, beans, rice, salad, avocado, sour cream, tomatoes, olives, or jalapeños.
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Mississippi Pot Roast
Pepperoncini brine gives Mississippi Pot Roast eight servings in 10 hours 10 minutes. Chuck roast is browned in a skillet, then slow-cooked with ranch seasoning, au jus or brown gravy mix, pepperoncini peppers, their juice, and butter. The long, low cook makes the beef easy to shred, but the initial sear means the method uses more than the slow cooker. Serve it over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice, or pile the beef onto toasted rolls.
Get the Recipe: Mississippi Pot Roast