School projects have a way of getting complicated right when dinner needs to happen. These 13 easy slow cooker picks let you start the main dish earlier, from tender roasts and shredded chicken to meatballs, soup, pork, and a cheesy casserole. Some go straight into the pot, while others need a brief browning step before the lid goes on. Once the slow cooker is working, there is more room in the evening for homework, missing supplies, and whatever else the school day brings.
Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast
Little hands-on work makes Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast a useful choice when the afternoon already looks crowded. A 2½-pound beef roast cooks with baby potatoes, carrots, onion, beef broth, rosemary, and thyme, putting the main and vegetables in one pot. Allow about 6 hours 10 minutes for six servings, including just 10 minutes of prep. Slice the tender beef and spoon some cooking juices over each plate when everyone is finally ready to eat.
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Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef
Fork-tender beef and a mushroom gravy make Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef worth starting long before the school pickup. Stew meat, onion, mushrooms, garlic, broth, Dijon, Worcestershire, and Maggi cook without a preliminary sear. It makes six servings in 7 hours 45 minutes. Near dinner, thicken the sauce and temper the sour cream before stirring it in. Cook egg noodles separately so they stay firm beneath the gravy.
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Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops
Brief skillet browning starts Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops, giving the meat color before the longer cooking begins. Flour-dusted shoulder chops go into a tomato-rich sauce with beef broth, Worcestershire, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. It serves six in 4 hours 10 minutes when cooked on high. Spoon the tender pork and its vegetables over mashed potatoes or rice once the homework table is cleared.
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4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken
Bare-minimum assembly is the draw of 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken, which needs only chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, boxed stuffing mix, and water or broth. Four servings take 4 hours and 5 minutes, with only five minutes of preparation. Season the chicken before adding the stuffing mixture, then leave the cooker covered until the chicken is cooked through. Green beans or carrots on the side can finish the dinner without another lengthy recipe.
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Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs
Sticky sauce coats Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs without having to roll or brown fresh meatballs first. Fully cooked frozen meatballs warm in a mixture of ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and minced garlic. Five minutes of setup starts a 12-serving batch that cooks for about four hours. Leave them in the cooker on its warm setting for serving, or spoon generous portions over rice when they are the main course.
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Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
Tangy and buttery, Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken turns boneless chicken breasts into tender meat for several meals. Onion, chicken gravy mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini brine, and butter go straight into the pot. It serves six in 4 hours and 10 minutes, starting with 10 minutes of prep. Shred the finished chicken into its juices and serve over mashed potatoes, rice, or toasted buns.
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Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup
Soup night takes little early work with Slow Cooker Italian Wedding Soup, which combines small meatballs with carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and chicken broth. Frozen beef or turkey meatballs keep the initial setup simple, and the pot yields six servings in 5 hours 10 minutes. Small pasta is added for the final 20 to 30 minutes, followed by spinach just before serving. Keep bread nearby for a fuller dinner after a busy afternoon.
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Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken
Shreddable chicken is the payoff with Slow Cooker Hatch Chili Salsa Chicken, which starts with a jar of Hatch chile salsa, sliced onion, garlic, cumin, and smoky seasoning. Chicken breasts or thighs cook until tender, then get pulled apart right in the sauce. Six servings take 4 hours 10 minutes, including 10 minutes of prep. Use the finished chicken in tacos or rice bowls with minimal last-minute cooking.
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Vintage Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers
Browning the links first gives Vintage Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers extra color before they finish in marinara. Italian sausages cook with softened onion, garlic, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, and Italian seasoning. The dish makes ten servings and takes 6 hours 15 minutes in total. Put the finished sausages and sauce into hoagie rolls, or spoon them over pasta when dinner needs to feed more than a few people.
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German Pork Loin
Quickly seared and coated in German mustard, German Pork Loin goes into the slow cooker with onion, garlic, wine, chicken broth, herbs, and bay leaves. The pork stays whole during cooking, making it easy to slice neatly for the table afterward. It makes eight servings in 4 hours 10 minutes, with 10 minutes of prep. Use the savory cooking liquid as gravy and serve the slices with potatoes or cabbage.
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Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Layered like a complete dinner, Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole combines browned ground beef, corn, onion, cheddar, sour cream, and condensed soup beneath a blanket of frozen tater tots. It serves six in 5 hours and 10 minutes, including browning the beef before assembling the pot. Scoop through the potato layer to reach the cheesy filling underneath. It is a useful one-cooker option when there is little time to prepare separate sides.
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Retro Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples
Fall flavors share the pot in Retro Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes & Apples, pairing tender pork with sweet potato slices, Granny Smith apples, onion, garlic, ginger, and dried cranberries. Brown sugar, thyme, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a little cayenne season the dish. Ten servings take 4 hours 15 minutes, beginning with 15 minutes of prep. Slice the cooked pork and serve it alongside the fruit and vegetables.
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Slow-Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Long, gentle cooking makes Slow-Cooker Pork Chile Verde easy to pull apart once dinner rolls around. Pork shoulder simmers with salsa verde, chopped green chiles, onion, broth, cumin, oregano, cilantro, and a little cinnamon for a tangy sauce. Six servings take 6 hours 15 minutes, starting with 15 minutes of prep. Spoon the tender pork into warm tortillas or over rice, then add sour cream if desired.
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