15 Best Slow Cooker Recipes to Make All Year Round

Posted by Posted: Silvy 20 September 2024
15 Best Slow Cooker Recipes to Make All Year Round

15 Best Slow Cooker Recipes to Make All Year Round

Slow cookers have become an essential tool for anyone who enjoys hearty, homemade meals without spending hours in the kitchen.

These slow cooker recipes are perfect for every season, from comforting soups to mouthwatering pulled pork.

With their “set-it-and-forget-it” convenience, they bring rich flavors and tender textures to your table. Whether you’re new to slow cooking or a seasoned pro, these dishes will satisfy your cravings all year long.

Let’s dive into some of the best slow cooker recipes you can prepare, and make sure to keep your slow cooker handy because you’ll want to whip these up time and time again.

1. Slow Cooker Lamb with Olives and Potatoes

Lamb shanks require low, slow cooking, making them perfect for your slow cooker. This dish combines lamb with zesty lemon juice, bright shallots, rosemary, and a crisp white wine like Pinot Grigio.

In just five hours on high or seven hours on low, you’ll have tender lamb served over potatoes.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Lamb shanks, potatoes, olives, rosemary, lemon juice, shallots, Pinot Grigio, salt, pepper.
  • Instructions:
    1. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Brown in a pan for 5 minutes.
    2. Place lamb, shallots, potatoes, olives, and rosemary in the slow cooker.
    3. Add lemon juice and Pinot Grigio.
    4. Cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7 hours.

2. Classic Pot Roast

This slow cooker pot roast is a classic. Simply throw all your ingredients in and let the slow cooker work its magic. The beef, carrots, and potatoes blend beautifully, creating a meal full of flavor with little cleanup.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Beef chuck roast, carrots, potatoes, garlic, thyme, beef broth.
  • Instructions:
    1. Brown the beef in a skillet for 5 minutes.
    2. Place beef, carrots, and potatoes in the slow cooker.
    3. Add garlic, thyme, and beef broth.
    4. Cook on low for 8 hours.

3. Slow-Cooker Queso

For the ultimate party starter, this creamy slow cooker queso uses a mix of ooey-gooey American cheese and spicy pepper jack. It’s perfect for dipping chips or pouring over nachos.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: American cheese, pepper jack, milk, jalapeños, diced tomatoes.
  • Instructions:
    1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
    2. Stir every 30 minutes until cheese is fully melted.
    3. Serve warm.

4. Slow-Cooker Chicken with 20 Cloves of Garlic

This dish may sound bold, but the garlic mellows out as it cooks, creating a soft, buttery flavor that pairs perfectly with chicken. Lemon slices and thyme bring brightness to this meal.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Chicken legs, garlic cloves, lemon, thyme.
  • Instructions:
    1. Place chicken, garlic, lemon slices, and thyme in the slow cooker.
    2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
    3. Serve with bread to soak up the garlic sauce.

5. Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

This pulled pork recipe skips the store-bought BBQ sauce and instead uses a marinade of crushed tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, oregano, and bay leaves. The result? Sweet, tangy, and utterly delicious.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Pork shoulder, crushed tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, oregano, bay leaves.
  • Instructions:
    1. Rub the pork with seasoning and place it in the slow cooker.
    2. Add crushed tomatoes, chipotles, oregano, and bay leaves.
    3. Cook on low for 8 hours.
    4. Shred and serve.

6. Slow-Cooked Tex-Mex Chicken and Beans

This Tex-Mex chicken and beans recipe uses jarred salsa and chipotles for a shortcut to deep, smoky flavor. It’s a hearty dish perfect for busy nights.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Boneless chicken thighs, black beans, salsa, chipotles in adobo.
  • Instructions:
    1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
    2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
    3. Serve with rice or tortillas.

7. Slow-Cooker Ribollita

This hearty Tuscan bread soup is a vegetarian masterpiece. Ribollita combines vegetables and day-old bread, and you can easily make it vegan by omitting the Parmesan.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Day-old bread, carrots, onions, celery, kale, vegetable broth.
  • Instructions:
    1. Sauté the vegetables in a pan for 10 minutes.
    2. Add bread and broth to the slow cooker.
    3. Cook on low for 4 hours.

8. Slow-Cooker Cinnamon Buns

Yes, you can make cinnamon buns in a slow cooker! This recipe allows you to prepare a sweet brunch treat without using your oven. The slow cooker steams the buns, making them extra soft.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Dough, cinnamon, sugar, butter, cream cheese icing.
  • Instructions:
    1. Roll out the dough and spread with cinnamon and sugar.
    2. Roll into buns and place them in the slow cooker.
    3. Cook on low for 2 hours.
    4. Top with icing.

9. Slow-Cooker Indian-Style Fish Curry

This slow-cooked fish curry uses a rich coconut milk sauce flavored with aromatic spices. The fish only needs to be added in the last 20 minutes of cooking to keep it perfectly tender.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: White fish, coconut milk, curry powder, garlic, ginger, turmeric.
  • Instructions:
    1. Combine the sauce ingredients in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
    2. Add the fish for the last 20 minutes.
    3. Serve with rice.

10. Slow-Cooker Marmalade-and-Vinegar Pork

This pork dish gets a sweet-and-sour twist with a marmalade and vinegar sauce. Pulled pork lovers will enjoy this fresh take.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Pork shoulder, marmalade, vinegar, soy sauce.
  • Instructions:
    1. Combine marmalade, vinegar, and soy sauce in the slow cooker.
    2. Add the pork and cook on low for 8 hours.
    3. Shred and serve.

11. Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja

This Cuban classic uses flank steak cooked low and slow until it’s fall-apart tender. Serve the ropa vieja over rice with a side of plantain chips for an authentic experience.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Flank steak, onions, bell peppers, garlic, tomatoes, cumin.
  • Instructions:
    1. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
    2. Cook on low for 8 hours.
    3. Shred the steak and serve over rice.

12. Garlic Chicken with Barley

This one-pot meal is perfect for busy nights. The barley and chicken cook together, creating a complete dish full of flavor with minimal effort.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Chicken thighs, barley, garlic, chicken broth.
  • Instructions:
    1. Place chicken, barley, garlic, and broth in the slow cooker.
    2. Cook on low for 6 hours.
    3. Serve with fresh herbs.

13. Slow-Cooker Root-Vegetable Confit

Confit is typically a method of slow-cooking food in fat, but this vegetable confit uses extra-virgin olive oil to create tender, flavorful root vegetables.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Carrots, parsnips, beets, onions, olive oil.
  • Instructions:
    1. Place vegetables and olive oil in the slow cooker.
    2. Cook on low for 5 hours.
    3. Serve with pesto.

14. Slow-Cooker Persian Lamb Stew

This rich and flavorful Persian lamb stew starts with a sear in a Dutch oven, then moves to the slow cooker where it braises with white wine, garlic, and thyme.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Lamb shoulder, white wine, garlic, onions, thyme, saffron.
  • Instructions:
    1. Sear the lamb in a pan until golden brown.
    2. Transfer to the slow cooker and add remaining ingredients.
    3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

15. Slow-Cooker Sicilian-Style Beef Stew

This beef stew is packed with Mediterranean flavors like olives, orange zest, and rosemary. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta for a hearty meal.

Recipe:

  • Ingredients: Beef chuck, olives, orange zest, rosemary.
  • Instructions:
    1. Brown the beef in a pan.
    2. Add beef, olives, and orange zest to the slow cooker.
    3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Conclusion

Slow cookers are a fantastic way to create comforting meals with little hands-on time. Whether you’re making a tender pulled pork, a rich Persian stew, or even cinnamon buns, these recipes show the versatility of this kitchen tool.

With the ability to set it and forget it, you’ll find yourself turning to these dishes time and time again.

Enjoy these slow cooker recipes, and feel free to experiment with your favorite ingredients to make them your own.

FAQs

Can I use any meat in the slow cooker?


Absolutely! Beef, lamb, pork, and even chicken work wonderfully in the slow cooker, provided they are cooked at the right temperature and for the right duration.

Can I make dessert in a slow cooker?


Yes! Recipes like slow-cooker cinnamon buns and triple-chocolate brownies prove that this appliance is versatile enough for both savory and sweet dishes.

What’s the best way to prevent overcooking in a slow cooker?


Make sure you follow the recipe’s guidelines on low and high settings, and avoid opening the lid during cooking—it slows down the process.

These slow cooker recipes are sure to become staples in your kitchen, offering everything from weeknight dinners to party-ready dishes.

Let the slow cooker work its magic while you enjoy flavorful, fuss-free meals all year round!

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