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From meaty mains to hearty stews and more, you can count on your Crock-Pot to turn out no-fuss dishes with loads of long-cooked flavor.
Looking to amp up your beef stew but unsure where to start? A slow cooker can help create layers of flavor in any weeknight dinner, from hearty lentil soups to satisfying chicken dishes. It can take your comfort food to the next level, like a fall-off-the-bone pulled pork sandwich, creamy sausage-spinach risotto, meatballs that are equally great served with spaghetti or on a hoagie roll, or a Dr Pepper–braised pot roast. Even desserts can benefit from a Crock-Pot; the device steams a sour-cream cheesecake for an incredible silky texture. With a little planning, all it takes to develop complex flavors with minimal hassle are a few simple ingredients and time. Read on for all of our very best slow cooker recipes.
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Slow Cooker Pork Chile Verde
Bright, savory, and quietly smoky, chile verde owes its green hue to a mix of roasted tomatillos, blistered poblanos, jalapeño, and cilantro. Most of the sauce is sent to the slow cooker with pork shoulder to simmer until the meat is melt-in-your-mouth tender; the rest is stirred in at the end to keep the finished dish fresh and lively.
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Slow Cooker Burnt Honey Barbecue Chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are the ideal candidate for low-and-slow cooking. Here, they take a quick detour in a cast-iron skillet to toast the spices and develop a nice crust before mingling with a homemade barbecue sauce for the duration in your slow cooker. Finish the dish with a touch of caramelized honey.
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Mississippi Pot Roast
For this cozy pot roast, the meat is slathered with a mixture of mayo, peperoncini juice, dill, and garlic powder, then topped with peperoncinis and butter before taking a long, hands-off trip in the slow cooker. Serve it with buttered egg noodles to sop up all that tasty sauce.
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Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
This creamy chicken and white bean chili builds flavor with canned green chiles, jalapeños, and spices like coriander and cumin. Don't forget the avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, cheddar, and sour cream for serving.
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Slow-Cooker Sausage and Vegetable Risotto
Instead of adding liquid to rice incrementally and stirring, stirring, stirring, you'll only need to brown the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop, sauté the onion, and give the rice a preliminary round of liquid absorption by cooking it with the wine — before handing it all off to your slow cooker.
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Slow Cooker Maple-Soy Chicken Thighs
The key to this recipe's crisp-skinned chicken thighs is to start and end with a stovetop sear, first to render and caramelize the skin before it hits the slow cooker, then afterward to restore that irresistible crunch. A bit of cornstarch turns the garlic-and-ginger-infused cooking liquid into a sticky maple glaze that rounds out the dish.
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Dr Pepper–Braised Pot Roast
The molasses-like caramel notes of Dr Pepper bring sweet complexity to this tender chuck roast and vegetable braise. Serve it over mashed potatoes to complete the meal.
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Chicken Tinga Tacos
Chef Jenn Louis braises this smoky chicken in the oven, but it's also easy to make in a slow cooker. The dish comes together from simple ingredients, most of which you probably already have on hand.
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Gigante Beans with Sausage
Creamy gigante beans soak up a savory chicken broth flavored with crushed tomatoes, the dry-cured Italian pork sausage soppressata, and Parmesan rinds for this satisfying slow cooker dish.
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Marry Me Chicken Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese
Sun-dried tomatoes and a can of condensed cream of chicken soup bring Marry Me Chicken flavor to this mac and cheese mashup without the need for a roux, thanks to the soup's thickening properties. You'll only need 15 minutes of active work time to put the dish together.
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Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork
Tasty, tender pulled pork makes excellent use of your slow cooker. Richly flavorful and saucy, it's terrific on hamburger buns with coleslaw, thinly sliced onion, and dill pickles.
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Three-Cup Pork
The three cups in this recipe's name refer to the generous amounts of rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil used to braise the meat, traditionally chicken. This variation on the popular Taiwanese dish is made with pork, which becomes impossibly tender in the slow cooker.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Pho
A great bowl of pho is all about the broth. For this simplified version of the Vietnamese noodle soup, use a slow cooker to layer in the flavor with collagen-rich chicken wings and traditional pho spices like star anise, cinnamon, and coriander.
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Buttered Rum
Rich in cream, brown sugar, rum, and, of course, butter, this is just the drink to prepare when entertaining on a brisk evening. Though 10 servings may seem like a lot, we guarantee they'll disappear in no time.
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Crock-Pot Macaroni and Cheese
Prepared in a 6-quart slow cooker, this near-effortless version of the ultimate American comfort dish features sharp cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus a buttery breadcrumb topping for that crave-worthy crunch.
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Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew
This rich beef stew is all flavor, no fuss. Cremini mushrooms, pearl onions, whole-grain mustard, and red wine vinegar get added for the last 15 minutes of cooking to impart bright, fresh flavor and texture.
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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Ropa vieja is a Cuban classic. Flank steak melds with an aromatic tomato-pepper sauce in the slow cooker to become incredibly tender; after the meat is shredded, serve with steamed white rice or warm tortillas.
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Slow Cooker Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Set aside just 25 minutes to mix and shape these meatballs, then let your slow cooker take it from there. The cooked meatballs are equally delicious on their own, with pasta, or in a sandwich.
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Crock-Pot Chili
Since chili benefits from being simmered low and slow, using a slow cooker to make it is a no-brainer. This classic recipe calls for dried beans instead of canned; simply add them with the ground beef, tomatoes, and spices, and six hours later, you have delicious chili.
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Slow Cooker Rice Congee with Chicken
Serve this savory porridge with sliced Chinese sausages, minced ginger, sliced scallions, roasted peanuts, soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot sauce. If you'd like to make it ahead, the congee can be refrigerated overnight.
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Harissa White Bean Stew with Turmeric Yogurt
Cookbook author Sarah DiGregorio doubles down on the harissa, adding a generous amount to the stew's base at the beginning of cooking and stirring in even more just before serving for a layered finish.
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Farro-and-Sausage Parmigiano
Use your choice of sweet or hot Italian sausage in this thick, hearty recipe. After it has finished slow cooking, the dish takes a quick pass under the broiler to melt the doubly cheesy topping of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Slow Cooker Asado de Puerco (Pork and Tomatillo Stew)
Making this classic Mexican stew in your slow cooker results in great depth of flavor. Hominy provides texture and savory corn goodness in the tangy tomatillo sauce; the cilantro garnish adds a pop of freshness to each bowl.
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Slow Cooker Berbere Chicken and Black Lentil Stew
Set it and forget it: This hearty stew requires about two and a half hours in the slow cooker, or five hours at a lower heat setting. It derives its signature flavor from the chile-centric Ethiopian spice blend berbere, along with garlic, ginger, and sweet paprika.
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Slow Cooker Sour Cream Cheesecake
Cheesecake made in a slow cooker? Yes, you read that right! The machine acts as a mini water bath, steaming the cake to achieve that ideal silky texture.
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Slow Cooker Sweet-and-Sour Brisket
Spend a few minutes prepping the meat after breakfast, then let it cook low and slow until it's nearly time for dinner. We like this dish with buttered egg noodles on the side.
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew with Napa Cabbage and Pickles
This Korean-inspired beef stew packs a big punch of flavor thanks to tangy pickles, zippy jalapeños, and plenty of garlic — plan on it spending about three hours in the slow cooker.
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Slow Cooker Mushroom Stroganoff with Egg Noodles
This meatless stroganoff demands just half an hour of work time for a homey, satisfying meal. To make the dish vegetarian, seek out a plant-based Worcestershire sauce or substitute it with soy sauce.
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Slow Cooker Glazed Pork Ribs with White Beans
Baby back ribs, Great Northern beans, white wine, tomatoes, chicken broth, and more come together for a hearty, satisfying meal that's nearly effortless to prepare.
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Crock-Pot Baked Potatoes
The beauty of using your Crock-Pot for baked potatoes is that you can make six to eight at once without turning on your oven. Yes, you'll have to forgo the crispy skin with this method, but we promise they'll still be delightfully fluffy inside.
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Slow Cooker Coconut Pork Curry
This recipe is all about big, bold flavors. Fresh ginger, garlic, curry powder, cumin, and turmeric are cooked with onion before being mixed with tomatoes and coconut milk to form the base of this fragrant pork dish.
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Slow Cooker Sunday Sauce on Spaghetti
Since Sunday sauce typically needs to simmer for four or more hours, using your slow cooker to make it is a genius idea. This version — featuring pork shoulder, pancetta, and sweet Italian sausage — won't splatter your stovetop, and you won't have to babysit it, either.
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Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks with Lemon, Dill, and Feta
Lamb shanks are slow cooked to perfection with herbs and spices, giving this dish a complex flavor with a simple method.
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Slow Cooker Turkey Wings
First brown, then braise, then broil these slow cooker turkey wings for the perfect combo of tender and crispy. They need nearly four hours to cook in a sweet-and-savory braising liquid, so start early.
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Slow Cooker Pasta Bake
Valerie Bertinelli’s slow cooker baked ziti is super simple — it takes only 15 minutes of active time and is ready in an hour and 45 minutes. If you’re really short on time, you can buy the vegetables pre-cut from the store, as Bertinelli sometimes does.
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Slow Cooker Corned Beef with Cabbage, Carrots, and Potatoes
Corned beef originated before widespread refrigeration and many foods were pickled or cured to better preserve them. This modern version lets your slow cooker do the bulk of the work — it requires just 15 minutes of active time in the kitchen.
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Slow Cooker Moroccan-Spiced Chicken with Apricots, Olives, and Almonds
This warming chicken dish is slow cooked in spices like cumin, cinnamon, and ginger and is best served on couscous with a sprinkle of toasted almonds.
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Slow Cooker Ham Hock and Chickpea Stew
Soak your chickpeas overnight, then toss them in your slow cooker along with ham hocks, carrots, onion, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs. Red-skinned potatoes are added halfway through cooking, then get mashed and stirred back into the finished stew.
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Pork Rillettes
The slow cooker is a terrific way to make pork rillettes: Boneless pork butt is poached in its own fat along with lots of garlic, thyme, and warm spices to yield a rich, rustic pâté. Don't skip the sweet-tart pickled apricots – they complement the meat beautifully.
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Vegetable Farro Stew with Figs and Pine Nuts
Chef Grant Achatz is a fan of making this Italian vegetarian stew at home, in his slow cooker. It showcases eggplant, artichokes, and peppers along with chewy farro and sweet dried fruit.
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Slow Cooker Spiced Red Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard
Subtly sweet and packed full of warm flavor, this is the soup to light up your taste buds on a cool day — it's very much like an Indian dal with added Swiss chard.
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Belgian Ale-Braised Pot Roast with Melted Kale and Onions
Made with a full pint of Belgian ale, this pot roast packs in the flavor. It requires four to eight hours in your slow cooker, depending on your preferred heat setting; serve the dish with horseradish and buttered egg noodles.
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Slow Cooker Bolognese
Bolognese is a meatier, less tomato-forward version of Sunday sauce — both rely on a long cook time to develop deep flavor. This slow cooker version features ground beef and sausage; if you can make it ahead, you'll be rewarded with an even tastier sauce.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Curry with Potatoes and Cauliflower
This nourishing and easy slow cooker chicken recipe combines skinless, boneless chicken thighs with potatoes, cauliflower, and frozen peas in a rich and silky sauce of coconut milk, curry powder, and fresh ginger.
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Slow Cooker Turkey Soup
This is the soup to make post-Thanksgiving to use up that turkey carcass but also when you need a break from anything overly laborious in the kitchen. Of course, if you have a hankering for turkey soup in the off-season, feel free to swap in fresh turkey legs.
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Slow Cooker Beef Goulash
Grace Parisi's slow cooker version of this warming Eastern European short-rib stew is not only easy to prepare, but is also a terrific make-ahead meal: It can be refrigerated for up to five days or frozen for up to three months.
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Slow Cooker Pennsylvania Dutch Chicken Pot Pie
A regional variation of chicken and dumplings, this recipe calls for wide, flat potpie noodles, which hold their texture in the broth. Substitute regular egg noodles if potpie noodles aren't available.
Read the original article on Food & Wine
