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If you’re looking for an easy hands-off dinner, look no further! These 20 easy crockpot recipes will make dinnertime completely stress-free!
When it comes to dinner time, I often feel so tired and worn out. Is that just me? I remember the “witching hour” when my kids were toddlers and I swear it applies to adults too.
You’ve adulted all day long and now you have to make dinner? And you have to do it every day??? C’mon, can’t a girl catch a break?
Enter, the slow cooker. Capitalize on your morning energy and get that dinner in your crockpot. Then, when 5:00 or 6:00 rolls around, you can sit back, relax, and just put a few finishing touches on dinner.
And then there’s the bonus of the smells! Everyone will be excited for dinner because of how deliciously fragrant your whole house will smell!
We’ve featured all dinner and main dish recipes on this list. If you want more slow cooker recipes (sides, etc.), find all our crockpot recipes here.
Tips for Success
There are a few things to keep in mind when cooking with a slow cooker. Beyond the obvious things you’ll find in your manual, here are some tips that come with experience.
Make clean up easy. I like to spray the inside of my slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. You can also buy liners but the thought of cooking my food in plastic for hours just doesn’t sit well with me personally. Spraying the inside prevents the food from sticking and makes for an easy clean up.
Leave the lid on! Every time you open the lid, a lot of heat escapes and slows down the cooking process. This is not only important for timing of your recipe being ready, but also for food safety. So resist the urge to peek or stir, unless the recipe specifically calls for it.
Safety: If your crockpot has a timer, make sure to use it. Most will automatically go to low when the time has elapsed. I heard a horror story once about a house burning down because someone couldn’t get home for some reason or another and their crockpot just kept cooking, cooking, cooking. Although the story was probably an urban myth, it always pays to be careful.
What’s the Difference Between a Slow Cooker and a Crockpot?
As you can see, I use the terms interchangeably. They’re the same thing, but Crockpot is a specific brand of slow cooker. Kind of like Kleenex and Bandaid, the name Crockpot has become synonymous with slow cooker. Same thing applies to Instant Pot and pressure cookers or multi-cookers.
PS: Crockpot is a trademarked product. Crockpot is a proprietary brand that I want to acknowledge and give credit to. This post is not directly affiliated with them.
20 Crockpot Dinner Recipes
We’ll be adding to this list frequently so you’ll want to bookmark it for future reference!
Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Balsamic Glaze
4.72 from 14 votes
Tender and juicy pork with a sweet balsamic glaze, this slow cooker pork loin is a dinner favorite. Fix it and forget it!
Tender and juicy slow cooker pork chops are smothered with a rich mushroom and onion gravy. This easy dinner idea is quick to prep; your slow cooker does the rest!
You'll discover that chili doesn't require meat to be hearty and delicious. This vegetarian chili is thick, rich, and flavorful, and it's so easy to make.
Try easy to make slow cooker ribs, so tender and juicy, with loads of flavor from a homemade dry rub and lots of barbecue sauce. Fix 'em and forget 'em for up to ten hours.
Change up your taco menu with slow cooker pork tacos, a Mexican riff on tender pulled pork with green tomatillo sauce. Serve on warm corn tortillas with all the fixings.
Rich and full of warm heat, this slow cooker Texas style chili will instantly become your favorite chili recipe. The big chunks of beef will fall apart in your mouth!
This slow cooker white chicken chili will become your go-to recipe for cool weather entertaining and busy weeknights. Included in the recipe are more than 5 ways to adapt this and make it perfect for YOU!
Slow cooker chicken kale soup simmers all day for a healthy, hearty dinner that's ready when you are. It's packed with lean chicken, lots of leafy green kale, cannellini beans, and loads of flavor.
A citrus based marinade adds flavor and tenderness to slow cooker Cuban pork. Change up your normal routine of pulled pork with this unique flavor combination.
Crockpot Spaghetti Sauce (beef, turkey, sausage, or vegetarian!)
4.28 from 11 votes
Start crockpot spaghetti sauce in the morning and forget about it all day. At dinner time, cook up a big pot of pasta and enjoy an absolutely delicious homemade spaghetti dinner.
Thanks for the awesome roundup! It’s been pinned! I do have to let you know, though, that I think the blogger from Peas and Thank You has shut her blog down. I tried going to it about a week ago to get the recipe for some granola bars that I’ve made before and I just tried clicking on the link in this post and no such luck. Just letting you know.
Rachel,
You’ve got a giant list here, and I’m pleased as punch to be included on it.
I’m sharing on my FB pages so that I can spread the word–always great to have a go-to slow cooker resource heading into cold weather.
Thanks so much!
Wow! What an amazing round-up to a part of! :) Thank you so much for including my recipes!
Pinned & sharing!
Thanks for the awesome roundup! It’s been pinned! I do have to let you know, though, that I think the blogger from Peas and Thank You has shut her blog down. I tried going to it about a week ago to get the recipe for some granola bars that I’ve made before and I just tried clicking on the link in this post and no such luck. Just letting you know.
Thanks so much for letting me know, Kim!
Whoah! They look so delicious. Whether I admit or not, I miss my mom’s dishes because of the samples above…
Glald you shared this one. At least there’s something to remind me about my mom.
Rachel,
You’ve got a giant list here, and I’m pleased as punch to be included on it.
I’m sharing on my FB pages so that I can spread the word–always great to have a go-to slow cooker resource heading into cold weather.
Thanks so much!
what a great roundup….my gosh lovin’ all of it!!!! thanks for sharing so many recipes.
Here’s one more recipe from Katie, Healthy Seasonal Recipes, that is a favorite of ours.
http://www.healthyseasonalrecipes.com/braised-beef-with-penne-marjoram-and-mushrooms/
Katie’s recipes are so thoroughly tested and reliable and precise with specific directions!
Thanks so much for including two of my recipes in this fan-freakin’-tastic round-up Rachel! Wowzers you really knocked it out of the park!
I can’t even tell you what a perfect time this round-up came! So awesome!! Thanks for sharing my Tacos!