Winter recipes are often different around our house than recipes we make in the summer or spring. With rain and wind {up to 30 mph} in the forecast for today, it seems like the perfect excuse to stay in my pj’s, work on a hooked rug all day, and cook a warm and savory meal in the Crock Pot.
I love the smell of a hearty dish cooking slowly during the day. It kind of mirrors the way the world slows down a bit in the winter. Winter slow cooking matches the speed of the season, and if you’re like me and are putting your Crock Pot to work this winter as the weather chill lingers, you’re probably always on the hunt to try something new. So here are 24 tried and true slow cooker recipes I’ve collected over the years that should warm you right up!
Crock Pot Lasagna Soup: This recipe will give you the lasagna taste, without the time-consuming prep. The result is a little lasagna party in your mouth.
Crock Pot Chili with Heirloom Tomatoes and Beer: If there is one thing my son LOVES, it’s chili. In fact I think he’d eat chili seven nights a week if I’d make it that often. So while he’s not picky when it comes to his chili, he absolutely gobbled this version down.
Slow Cooker Asian Chicken w/ Ginger: This one is always a big hit with the family. We unanimously love the ginger flavor of the chicken. Gives it a little something extra.
Slow Cooker Cinnamon Pot Roast: When I first made this recipe, I was curious how the cinnamon would change the taste. You definitely can taste it, but it’s not overwhelming and really awesome. My whole fam gobbled it up.
Crock Pot Chicken Chipotle Stew: Monkey Boy gave me a Crock Pot Cookbook for Christmas a few years back and this was just one of the many recipes I’ve loved that I’ve cooked out of it. It’s the HH’s new favorite recipe, so I end up cooking it often!
Slow Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken: I’ve made a lot of chicken recipes in my Crockpot. I’ve made a lot of BBQ chicken recipes outside the Crock Pot. Combining them leads to some of the very best shredded BBQ chicken I’ve ever had. EVER.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes: While not a full meal, this side dish is every bit as warm and comforting. I first made it a few Thanksgivings ago. It was a fun twist on the traditional sweet potato casserole. The addition of applesauce is sheer perfection. Plus, it frees up your oven space so you can cook more yummy pies and turkeys!
Slow Cooked Boston Baked Beans: Good things come to those who wait, right? Well if you’ve never made real baked beans before {as opposed to opening a can} then you simply must give it homemade baked beans a try. Your taste buds will thank you.
Pork Roast with Sauerkraut: This one comes from my friend Zoë’s mom in Pennsylvania. The HH swoons every time I make it.
Slow Cooker Corn Chowder w/ Bacon Potatoes and Chives: Come to the dinner table hungry, cause you’ll want seconds! It’s chunky and savory and oh so filling!
Slow Cooker 13 Bean Soup: Using Bob’s Red mill or Winco’s 13 bean mix makes this hearty soup oh so good! And if you do have a Winco around, they sell the bean mix in the bulk bin for cheap! Score!
Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Chili: This is a perfect recipe to make if you ever find yourself with some leftover chicken. Using up leftovers so your food waste is limited is rad! I highly recommend it. And this recipe, too!.
Slow Cooker Black Bean and Corn Soup: The first time I made this recipe, I actually made myself sick. I ate 3 bowls full of this soup and my stomach grew a few sizes. But man, it was totally worth it. This is an awesome dump and go recipe that doesn’t taste like it took you all of 2 minutes to prep!
Mississippi Pot Roast: Any recipe that has a stick of butter in it, well, you just know it’s going to be good!
Slow Cooker Ham and Cheese Casserole: If you are an early riser or you’re looking for a delish brunch recipe that you can set and forget, this ham and cheese casserole is the perfect dish for you. We make it every year around Easter and Christmas to use up our leftover ham!
Slow Cooker Savory Mushroom Chicken: I don’t really care for mushrooms. I rarely make recipes that call for them, but I make an exception for this recipe. I’m not sure what it is about the simple combo of these ingredients that makes it so tasty, but it works so I’m not messing with it!
Crock Pot Baked Potatoes: In case nobody ever told you {or you didn’t take a Home Economics in high school, or your mother never used a crock pot when you were a kid either}, here is how to make baked potatoes in a crock pot. It’s a thing, and it’s an awesome thing!
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Indian-Spiced Lentils with Spinach and Rhubarb: Eating this is so good it feels like you’re sitting in one of those trendy restaurants that only total hipsters go to. Seriously, freakin’ delicious doesn’t even begin to describe it. Hearty? Earthy? I should be wearing corduroys? Hmm. I can’t quite put my finger on it but it was dang food.
Slow Cooker Lentil Stew w/ Sweet Potatoes: I love how the sweet potatoes give this meal just a tiny kick of sweetness to mellow out the salty and savory. The lentil and sweet potato combo is hearty and tasty.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup: Sick or not, you can’t go wrong with a traditional chicken noodle soup simmering away all day in a crock pot. And man oh man does it make your whole house smell amazing.
Sticky Honey Sesame Chicken: Super easy to make and plenty of leftovers for lunch the next day.
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Pasta E Fagioli Soup- Copy Cat Recipe: This may say copy cat and normally that means the recipe is good but not quite as awesome as the original. No so in this case. If you put them side by side, I’d have a hard time pick the Olive Garden version. It’s pretty spot on and that means it’s pretty delicious!
Slow Cooker Savory Chicken w/ Tomatoes: This meal takes a whoppin 5 minutes to throw together. No joke. Time it. But it tastes like you slaved away in the kitchen!
Slow Cooker Meatloaf: Meatloaf in a slow cooker? Yes, please! We love a good meatloaf around here, but the “set it and forget it” way of cooking is so much easier. This combines both, so it’s practically a perfect recipe.
My Favorite Turkey Soup Recipe: If you’ve got some leftover turkey just sitting there in your freezer, make this! You won’t be disappointed.
Slow Cooker Chili Verde Soup: I always freeze a few pork shoulders when I find them on sale and I have a bunch of frozen peppers from last summer, so I pull them out and toss them in a crock pot. A few hours later and this delicious, light soup is done.
Slow Cooker Hobo Bean and Bacon Chili: It’s a chili that has bacon in it. Enough said.
Slow Cooker Steel Cut Oatmeal w/ Apples and Brown Sugar: But wait! We can’t forget about breakfast. And wowza! Talk about a yummy stick to your ribs kind of food.
Are you in love with your crock pot too? What are you making in yours these days… Curious minds want to know.
Have a wonderful day everyone, and stay warm.
~Mavis
Carolina Cooper says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the recipes. And yes, it is a perfect day to stay home in your jammies! On the plus side of all of this wind and rain, at least here in really southern Maine—the rain has melted almost all of the snow! I hope that while you are staying in and hooking today, that the HH is finishing up the kitchen. Can’t wait to see the pictures of the results!
Judy says
Hi Mavis, thank you for the recipes. My crockpot is 30 years old. Nothing better than coming in from the cold and having the house smell so good from the dinner that is waiting for us.
Mavis Butterfield says
Yes! I couldn’t agree more.
Linda Sand says
Some of my favorites as a thank you for yours:
Skinless/boneless chicken, sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil, drained can of artichoke hearts. Cook. Serve.
Pork roast, can of crushed pineapple, ginger. Cook. Shred pork and stir back into pot. Serve.
Beef roast, top with dried onion soup mix, top with cream of mushroom (or celery) soup. Cook. Remove beef and stir remaining ingredients to make gravy.
jj says
I use almost the same recipe for the roast beef. I usually end up putting in a dried gravy mix with all the other ingredients pour it all over the roast and let it cook all day.
Yummy.
jj says
I use almost the same recipe with the addition of dried beef gravy mix. Pour everything over the roast and let it cook for the rest of the day. Yummy
Cathy says
Thank you! We did the oatmeal one last night. OMG, sooooo easy! Delicious, and we loved waking up to a yummy breakfast. That oatmeal kicked cereal’s butt. Ha, ha!