Keep Sunday stress-free: 25 Crockpot Dinner Ideas (Your New Rotation)

Sunday has a particular rhythm that the other days of the week don’t. There’s more of it. The morning can be slow. The afternoon can involve the couch, a book, a walk, a nap, or all four in succession. And somewhere in the background, almost without requiring your attention, dinner can be making itself.

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That’s the crockpot proposition. Not that the food will be as technically refined as something you spent an hour over. Not that every slow-cooker meal will win awards. But that you can put real ingredients in a pot in the morning, go live your Sunday, and come back at 5pm to something that smells like you’ve been cooking all day, because you have, just without the standing part.

There’s a version of slow cooker cooking that produces watery, gray, textureless food that was technically cooked but achieved nothing else. That version is the result of ignoring a few principles that matter: browning the meat first when possible (the Maillard reaction doesn’t happen in liquid), not adding dairy until the end, not overcooking vegetables, and using enough aromatics and seasoning to give the long cooking time something to work with.

The version on the other side of those principles, the version that fills your kitchen with deep, complex aromas that have been developing for six hours, is one of the most satisfying forms of home cooking that exists. These 25 Sundays are that version.

1. Classic Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

The Sunday pot roast is the original slow cooker dinner: a tough cut of beef transformed by hours of gentle heat into something that falls apart at the touch of a fork and produces a braising liquid so richly flavored it becomes its own sauce. This is the dinner that makes people think you’ve been cooking all day. You have been. You just weren’t there for it.

What You’ll Need (serves 6-8):

• 3-4 lb chuck roast
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for searing
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, cut into wedges
• 4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered
• 2 stalks celery, cut into pieces
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup dry red wine (or additional broth)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh parsley for serving

How to Make It:

Season the chuck roast generously on all sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Heat olive oil in a heavy skillet over very high heat. Sear the roast for 4-5 minutes per side until a deep, mahogany crust develops. Don’t skip this step. The sear adds flavor that the slow cooker cannot produce on its own.

Place the onion and celery in the bottom of the slow cooker. Set the seared roast on top.

Whisk together the broth, wine, tomato paste, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour around (not over) the roast. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. Add the carrots and potatoes in the last 2-3 hours of cooking so they don’t become completely soft.

Remove the bay leaves. Pull the roast apart with two forks directly in the slow cooker. Taste the braising liquid and adjust salt. Serve with the vegetables and a generous ladle of the cooking liquid over the top.

2. Beef and Vegetable Stew

A slow cooker beef stew is the meal that justifies owning a slow cooker more than any other. Beef chuck, potatoes, carrots, peas, and a deeply flavored broth that has been developing complexity all day while you weren’t watching. It’s the food equivalent of compound interest.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 2 lbs beef chuck, cut into 1.5-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for searing
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large carrots, sliced
• 3 large Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas (add at the end)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley for serving

How to Make It:

Toss the beef cubes in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess. Sear in olive oil over high heat in batches until deeply browned on all sides. Do not crowd the pan. Remove and set aside.

Sauté the onion and celery briefly in the same pan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits.

Transfer everything to the slow cooker, including all the browned beef and any accumulated juices. Add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots in the last 2-3 hours. Add the frozen peas in the last 15 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf. The flour from the beef should have thickened the broth into something approaching a gravy. If you want it thicker, mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water and stir it into the stew. Cook for 15 more minutes.

3. Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

The takeout order you make when you want something warming and aromatic and deeply comforting, made in your slow cooker while you have your Sunday. This version is adapted for the slow cooker’s gentle heat and develops a sauce that is creamy, complex, and indistinguishable from the restaurant version.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup heavy cream, added at the end
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Fresh cilantro and basmati rice for serving
• Warm naan

How to Make It:

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, all spices, salt, honey, and crushed tomatoes in the slow cooker. Stir until combined. Add the chicken thigh pieces and stir to coat completely in the sauce.

Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until the chicken is completely tender.

Use an immersion blender to partially blend the sauce, leaving some texture. Or blend about half the sauce completely and stir back in. This is important: blending smooths out the onion pieces and makes the sauce silkier.

Stir in the heavy cream. Cook on HIGH uncovered for 20-30 minutes to allow the cream to incorporate and the sauce to thicken slightly.

Serve over basmati rice with fresh cilantro and warm naan.

4. BBQ Beef Brisket

Slow cooker brisket is the Sunday project that asks the least of you and delivers the most. A whole beef brisket, rubbed with spices and cooked low and slow all day in BBQ sauce and beef broth, emerges tender, deeply smoky, and ready to be sliced or pulled. It’s the dinner that feeds a crowd and makes excellent sandwiches from the leftovers.

What You’ll Need (serves 8-10):

• 3-4 lb beef brisket, flat cut
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• Salt and pepper
• 1.5 cups BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 onion, sliced

How to Make It:

Mix the dry spices together and rub generously over the entire brisket. If time allows, refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Lay the sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Place the brisket fat-side up on top of the onion. Whisk together the BBQ sauce, broth, and vinegar and pour over the brisket.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. The brisket is done when it yields easily when poked with a fork.

Remove the brisket carefully. It will be extremely tender. Skim the fat from the braising liquid. Pour the liquid into a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes to concentrate.

Slice brisket against the grain or shred. Serve with the reduced sauce over the top.

5. White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet

A simplified version of the classic French cassoulet made achievable by the slow cooker: white beans, Italian sausage, chicken thighs, tomatoes, and herbs braised all day into something deeply savory and warming. Serve with crusty bread to catch the broth and call it the best Sunday of the month.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 1 lb Italian sausage (sweet or hot), sliced into rounds
• 4 bone-in chicken thighs, skin-on, browned
• 2 cans (15 oz each) white cannellini beans, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh parsley for finishing
• Crusty bread

How to Make It:

Brown the sausage rounds in a skillet over medium-high heat until caramelized on the cut sides. Remove. Brown the chicken thighs skin-side down for 5 minutes until deeply golden. Remove.

Layer the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and white beans in the slow cooker. Add the diced tomatoes, broth, wine, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf. Place the sausage and chicken on top.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Remove the bay leaf. Shred the chicken off the bone back into the cassoulet or leave it whole. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Finish with fresh parsley and serve with crusty bread that will absorb the broth in the most satisfying way possible.

6. Slow Cooker Chili

A Sunday slow cooker chili that simmers all day until the beef is deeply flavored, the beans are creamy, and the sauce is thick and rich. The kind of chili that wins competitions when served at the right gathering, and wins the household when served with cornbread and sour cream.

What You’ll Need (serves 6-8):

• 2 lbs ground beef, browned and drained before adding
• 2 cans (15 oz each) kidney or black beans, drained
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup beef broth
• Salt and pepper

For Serving:

• Shredded cheddar
• Sour cream
• Sliced scallions
• Jalapeños
• Cornbread

How to Make It:

Brown the ground beef thoroughly in a skillet, breaking into small pieces. Drain the fat completely. This step is not optional: unbrowned ground beef creates a grainy, gray result that the slow cooker cannot fix.

Add everything to the slow cooker: the browned beef, beans, both tomatoes, vegetables, all spices, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and broth. Stir well.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours. The longer it cooks, the more the flavors meld.

Taste before serving and adjust salt, chili powder, and cumin. Great chili always needs last-minute seasoning adjustment.

7. Slow Cooker Lamb Shoulder with Rosemary and Garlic

A bone-in lamb shoulder, studded with garlic and rosemary, slow-cooked until it collapses into extraordinarily tender, deeply fragrant meat is the Sunday dinner for occasions when you want something genuinely special without spending the day in the kitchen. It’s special. And you spent the day on the couch.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 3-4 lb bone-in lamb shoulder
• 6 cloves garlic, cut into slivers
• Several fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper
• 1 onion, roughly chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup chicken or lamb broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Juice of half a lemon

How to Make It:

Using a small knife, make 12-15 small incisions in the lamb shoulder. Push a sliver of garlic and a small piece of rosemary into each incision. This infuses the meat from the inside out during the long cook.

Rub the entire surface with olive oil, oregano, salt, and pepper. Sear in a very hot skillet for 4-5 minutes per side until deeply browned.

Place the chopped onion in the slow cooker. Set the lamb on top. Whisk together the wine, broth, and tomato paste and pour around the lamb. Add additional rosemary sprigs.

Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. The lamb should fall completely off the bone.

Remove the lamb and rest for 10 minutes. Skim the fat from the braising liquid and add the lemon juice. Serve the lamb pulled or sliced with the braising liquid drizzled over the top.

8. Slow Cooker Butter Chicken

The slow cooker produces an exceptionally good butter chicken because the long, gentle cooking time is perfect for developing the layered spice and tomato base into something smooth and deeply aromatic. Add butter and cream at the end and it becomes something genuinely extraordinary for a Sunday family dinner.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 1.5 lbs chicken thighs, cut into chunks
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tablespoons butter (added at the end)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (added at the end)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Basmati rice and warm naan for serving

How to Make It:

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, all spices, salt, honey, and crushed tomatoes in the slow cooker. Add the chicken and stir to coat.

Cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Blend with an immersion blender until the sauce is completely smooth. Stir in the butter in pieces until melted. Add the cream and stir to combine. Cook on HIGH uncovered for 20 minutes.

Serve over basmati rice with naan for scooping the extra sauce from the plate, which is the correct way to eat this meal.

9. Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Caramelizing onions the traditional way requires forty-five minutes of constant attention. The slow cooker method for French onion soup does it in eight hours with zero attention: the onions caramelize slowly, deeply, and completely without burning, producing a broth so rich and sweet-savory it barely needs anything else. But the cheese toast on top still needs to happen.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 4 lbs yellow onions (about 6 large), thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry sherry or dry white wine
• 6 cups good beef broth
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the Cheese Toasts:

• 6 thick slices crusty French bread or sourdough, toasted
• 1.5 cups shredded Gruyère or Swiss cheese

How to Make It:

Place the sliced onions in the slow cooker with the butter, olive oil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook on HIGH for 8-10 hours, stirring every 2-3 hours if you’re around. The onions will reduce dramatically, caramelize, and turn a deep amber-brown.

Add the sherry, broth, thyme, bay leaves, and Worcestershire. Cook on HIGH for another 1 hour or LOW for 2 hours to allow the soup to develop.

To serve: ladle into oven-safe bowls. Float a toast on top. Pile the Gruyère on the toast generously. Broil for 3-4 minutes until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and deeply golden. Serve immediately.

10. Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken Tagine

Warm spices, preserved lemon, olives, and chickpeas slow-cooked with chicken thighs into a fragrant, complex stew that is fundamentally unlike anything else in the Sunday dinner rotation. The spice blend does the heavy lifting. The slow cooker does the rest.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup green olives
• 1 preserved lemon, quartered and pith removed (or zest of 2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro and mint for serving
• Couscous for serving

How to Make It:

Combine the spices with salt and pepper. Rub over the chicken thighs.

Layer the onion and garlic in the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, broth, chickpeas, olives, and preserved lemon. Place the chicken on top.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone. The sauce should be rich and fragrant.

Serve over couscous with fresh cilantro, mint, and a wedge of lemon alongside.

11. Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese

The slow cooker macaroni and cheese that makes itself while you read the Sunday paper is the kind of discovery that fundamentally changes how you think about what the crockpot is capable of. Rich, impossibly creamy, deeply cheesy, and requiring nothing from you but patience.

What You’ll Need (serves 8):

• 1 lb elbow macaroni, uncooked
• 4 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• 1 cup shredded Gruyère
• 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
• 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and white pepper

How to Make It:

Add uncooked pasta, both milks, broth, butter, cream cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cook on LOW for 2-2.5 hours, stirring every 30-45 minutes. The pasta absorbs the liquid as it cooks.

When the pasta is tender, stir in the shredded cheeses in batches, fully incorporating each addition before adding the next. The sauce should be thick, creamy, and intensely cheesy.

Switch to WARM until ready to serve. Stir again before serving, adding a splash of milk if it has thickened too much.

12. Beef Short Ribs in Red Wine

Short ribs braised in red wine and aromatics emerge from the slow cooker as something that belongs on a white tablecloth. The collagen in the ribs melts into the braising liquid over eight hours, creating a sauce of extraordinary richness and depth. This is the Sunday dinner that makes everyone ask when you started cooking.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 4 lbs bone-in beef short ribs
• Salt, pepper, and garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups dry red wine
• 1 cup beef broth
• 2 bay leaves
• Fresh thyme sprigs
• Fresh rosemary
• Mashed potatoes or polenta for serving

How to Make It:

Season the short ribs generously and sear in olive oil over very high heat until deeply browned on all sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Do this in batches. The sear is the foundation of the entire dish.

Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery in the same pan. Add garlic and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in the wine and scrape the bottom. Add the broth.

Transfer everything to the slow cooker, placing the seared short ribs on top. Add bay leaves, thyme, and rosemary.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours until the meat is falling off the bone and the braising liquid has concentrated.

Remove the short ribs. Strain the braising liquid and simmer in a saucepan for 10 minutes to reduce into a glossy sauce.

Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta with the reduced sauce spooned generously over the top.

13. Slow Cooker Split Pea and Ham Soup

The soup that requires almost nothing from you and produces something deeply satisfying from the most humble collection of ingredients. Split peas, a ham hock, aromatics, and water become thick, creamy, and richly flavored after eight hours in the slow cooker. This is the soup that tastes like it took effort it didn’t take.

What You’ll Need (serves 6-8):

• 1 lb dried green split peas, rinsed
• 1 smoked ham hock or 1.5 cups diced ham
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and cracked pepper
• Crusty bread for serving

How to Make It:

Add everything except the salt to the slow cooker: split peas, ham hock, vegetables, broth, water, thyme, and bay leaf. Stir to combine.

Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. The split peas will break down completely and the soup will thicken dramatically. Remove the ham hock, pull off any meat, and return the meat to the soup.

Season with salt and pepper. The smokiness from the ham hock will have permeated every spoonful. Remove the bay leaf.

Serve with crusty bread and, if you like, a drizzle of good olive oil on top.

14. Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

One of the fastest slow cooker dinners to put together and one of the most reliably loved at the table. Chicken thighs in a sticky honey garlic sauce emerge tender and saucy after four to six hours. The sauce concentrates and clings to the chicken. Serve over rice and the whole thing disappears.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 2 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or boneless for easier eating)
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water (added at end)
• Sesame seeds and scallions for serving
• Cooked white rice

How to Make It:

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place in the slow cooker.

Whisk together honey, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes. Pour over the chicken.

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 2.5-3 hours.

Remove the chicken. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan. Add the cornstarch slurry and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick and glossy.

Pour the thickened sauce back over the chicken. Serve over rice topped with sesame seeds and scallions.

15. Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry

A deeply spiced, completely plant-based slow cooker curry that requires no meat and makes no apologies for it. Chickpeas, sweet potato, cauliflower, and spinach in a coconut tomato curry sauce is warming, satisfying, and genuinely complete as a meal over basmati rice or with warm naan.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained
• 1 large sweet potato, cubed
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 can (13 oz) coconut milk
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 tablespoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Salt to taste
• 3 cups baby spinach, added at the end
• Fresh cilantro and basmati rice for serving

How to Make It:

Combine the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato paste, all spices, salt, crushed tomatoes, and coconut milk in the slow cooker. Stir until the spices are fully incorporated.

Add the chickpeas, sweet potato, and cauliflower. Stir to coat in the sauce.

Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick and fragrant.

Stir in the baby spinach and let it wilt for 5 minutes before serving. Taste and adjust salt and spice.

Serve over basmati rice with cilantro.

16. Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja (Cuban Beef)

The classic Cuban shredded beef dish cooked in tomatoes, peppers, onions, and olives until the beef is impossibly tender and saturated with the flavors of everything it’s been cooking with all day. Served over white rice with black beans and fried plantains, this is the Sunday dinner that immediately enters permanent rotation.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 2 lbs flank steak or beef chuck
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 1 onion, sliced into half-moons
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh cilantro for serving
• White rice and black beans for serving

How to Make It:

Season the steak with cumin, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper. Sear briefly in a hot pan.

Layer the onion and peppers in the slow cooker. Place the seared beef on top. Add the tomatoes, broth, garlic, tomato paste, olives, and bay leaf.

Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours until the beef shreds easily. Remove and shred the beef with two forks. Return to the slow cooker and stir into the sauce.

Serve over white rice with black beans alongside and fresh cilantro scattered over the top.

17. Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

The ultimate cold-weather Sunday comfort food. Tender chicken in a thick, creamy broth with soft, pillowy dumplings that are added in the last hour and steam to perfection in the slow cooker. This is not elegant food. It is the food that makes people feel taken care of.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Salt and pepper

For the Dumplings:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter

How to Make It:

Place the chicken, vegetables, garlic, broth, cream of chicken soup, thyme, salt, and pepper in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.

Cook on LOW for 6-7 hours. Shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker.

For the dumplings: mix the dry ingredients. Add the milk and melted butter and stir until just combined. Drop spoonfuls of batter onto the surface of the stew. Replace the lid and cook on HIGH for 1 hour without lifting the lid. The steam is what cooks the dumplings. Lifting the lid releases it.

Serve immediately in deep bowls with a large dumpling in the center of each.

18. Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

One of the most satisfying plant-based slow cooker recipes: lentils, tomatoes, vegetables, and warming spices simmered all day into a thick, creamy soup that provides complete protein and extraordinary flavor from entirely humble ingredients. The lemon juice added at the end is not optional. It brightens everything.

What You’ll Need (serves 6-8):

• 1.5 cups red or green lentils, rinsed
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Fresh parsley for finishing
• Crusty bread and olive oil for serving

How to Make It:

Add everything except the lemon juice and parsley to the slow cooker. Stir well.

Cook on LOW for 8-9 hours or HIGH for 4-5 hours. The lentils will break down and the soup will be very thick and creamy.

Remove the bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to blend about half the soup for a creamier texture while maintaining some whole lentils for texture.

Add lemon juice, taste, and adjust salt and spice. The lemon transforms the soup from good to genuinely bright and alive.

Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh parsley, alongside crusty bread.

19. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

A rustic Italian hunter’s chicken: bone-in chicken thighs braised with tomatoes, olives, capers, bell peppers, and white wine in the slow cooker until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce is thick and deeply savory. Serve over pasta or polenta for the full effect.

What You’ll Need (serves 4-6):

• 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and drumsticks
• 1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 cup green olives
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
• Fresh parsley and Parmesan for serving
• Pasta or polenta for serving

How to Make It:

Brown the chicken pieces in olive oil over high heat, skin-side down, for 4-5 minutes until deeply golden. This step creates flavor that the slow cooker builds on.

Layer the onion and peppers in the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, wine, broth, garlic, olives, capers, oregano, basil, and bay leaf. Place the browned chicken on top.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Remove the bay leaf.

Serve over pasta or polenta, with the sauce spooned generously over the chicken. Fresh parsley and Parmesan on the table.

20. Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli

The takeout classic made in the slow cooker all day, producing deeply saucy, tender beef that you then add broccoli to in the last thirty minutes. It’s better than most delivery versions and costs a fraction of the price.

What You’ll Need (serves 4):

• 1.5 lbs beef flank steak or chuck, sliced thin against the grain
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets (added at end)
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/3 cup beef broth
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water (added at end)
• Sesame seeds and scallions for serving
• White rice

How to Make It:

Place the sliced beef in the slow cooker. Whisk together soy sauce, broth, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and rice vinegar. Pour over the beef.

Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or HIGH for 2.5-3 hours until beef is very tender.

Add the broccoli florets. Cook on HIGH for 30 minutes until the broccoli is tender but not soft.

Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook on HIGH for 15 more minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the beef and broccoli.

Serve over white rice with sesame seeds and scallions.

21. Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup

A beautiful, simple, deeply satisfying Italian soup of white beans, vegetables, kale, and herbs simmered to something thick and comforting. Add a piece of crusty bread and a drizzle of good olive oil and it becomes a dinner that requires nothing else.

What You’ll Need (serves 6):

• 2 cans (15 oz each) white cannellini beans, drained
• 3 cups kale or spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 Parmesan rind (adds extraordinary depth, optional but very much recommended)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes
• Good olive oil for finishing
• Fresh Parmesan for serving
• Crusty bread

How to Make It:

Add everything except the kale, salt, and olive oil to the slow cooker. Include the Parmesan rind if using.

Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours. Remove the bay leaf and Parmesan rind. Add the kale or spinach and stir until wilted, about 10 minutes.

Season generously with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Mash some of the beans against the side of the slow cooker with the back of a spoon to naturally thicken the soup.

Serve with a generous drizzle of good olive oil over each bowl, Parmesan grated on top, and crusty bread alongside.

22. Slow Cooker Teriyaki Salmon

One of the few slow cooker fish recipes that actually works, specifically because salmon’s fat content protects it from the drying that would ruin leaner fish in a slow cooker. The teriyaki sauce glazes the salmon gently over a shorter cook time, producing moist, flavorful fish over rice.

What You’ll Need (serves 4):

• 4 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
• Sesame seeds, scallions, steamed broccoli, and rice for serving

How to Make It:

Whisk together soy sauce, honey, mirin, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Place the salmon fillets in the slow cooker and pour the teriyaki sauce over the top.

Cook on LOW for 1.5-2 hours, or on HIGH for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Salmon cooks faster than meat in the slow cooker. Check at 1 hour on LOW: the salmon should flake easily when pressed.

Remove the salmon. Pour the cooking liquid into a small saucepan, add the cornstarch slurry, and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thick and glossy.

Pour the thickened sauce over the salmon. Serve over rice with steamed broccoli, sesame seeds, and scallions.

23. Slow Cooker Chocolate Lava Cake

Not dinner. The ending of dinner. A slow cooker chocolate cake with a molten center is the dessert that begins in the afternoon alongside whatever dinner you’ve been cooking all day and emerges warm, fudgy, and deeply chocolatey at exactly the right moment. Sunday deserves this.

What You’ll Need (serves 8):

• 1 box (15 oz) chocolate fudge cake mix
• 1 box (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Cooking spray
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Vanilla ice cream for serving

How to Make It:

Spray the slow cooker insert generously with cooking spray.

Combine the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, water, and vanilla in a large bowl. Mix until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared slow cooker and spread evenly.

Cook on HIGH for 2.5-3 hours. The edges should be set and the center should still have a slightly underdone, fudgy quality. It should not be completely firm all the way through.

Serve warm directly from the slow cooker, scooped into bowls. Dust with powdered sugar. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Eat it on a Sunday. That’s what Sundays are for.