Our favorite slow cooker recipes

When it comes to meal planning, we love a good hack, and we think having and using a slow cooker or a crock pot is one of the best hacks of all. Why? Because slow cookers and crock pots allow you to spread out the cooking process over larger periods of time, making them less stressful.

Let's compare cooking a soup over the stove to cooking the same soup in a crock pot. If you're cooking over a stove, you'll likely be chopping veggies and adding ingredients to the pot just in time to heat it up and let it simmer. This process can sometimes take over an hour. By then, your kiddos are whining and asking for food, which you do not want to give them because it will spoil their dinner. Then when the soup is finally cooked, it's piping hot and has to cool for 30 minutes — ok, that's an exaggeration, but it seems like an eternity.

Now let's see how this plays out in the slow cooker. You chop veggies the night before and put them in the fridge. In the morning, before you start your busy day, you combine all of the ingredients to the slow cooker, and turn it to the low setting for 8 hours. All day long, you're greeted with the sweet scent of what's to come. When it's finally dinner time, and everyone's hungry, you simply scoop soup into bowls, and your family can eat.

Sounds nice, right?

There are a plethora of tasty crock pot and slow cooker recipes on the web, and we've compiled a list we think you'll enjoy as much as we do. Here, in no particular order, are our favorite slow cooker recipes.

1. Crock Pot Spaghetti

We typically make spaghetti every week since our kids love it, and we were thrilled to find this crock pot spaghetti recipe from Delish.

2. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Several of our favorite slow cooker recipes come from Delish, so just be warned. If you don't have a go-to BBQ pulled pork recipe, this one is for you. We have made this slow cooker pulled pork recipe, and it's packed with flavor.

3. Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Soup

If you're looking for a crock pot meal that's cheesy and rich, this crock pot cheesy chicken broccoli soup is just what you need.

4. Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup

If you’re looking for a warm soup to spice up the cold winter nights, try this Crock Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup.

5. Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew

If you’re looking for a hearty stew to warm your soul, look no further than this Slow Cooker Classic Beef Stew.

6. Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Brisket

We often hear of people asking if you can cook brisket in a crock pot, and the answer is a resounding "yes"! Here’s a recipe for Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Brisket that will make your mouth water.

7. Slow Cooker Burnt Honey Barbecue Chicken

The name has a lot going on, but if you're looking for a good bbq chicken crock pot recipe, you'll love this Slow Cooker Burnt Honey Barbecue Chicken recipe. We love BBQ chicken in the crock pot because it makes great sandwiches, or you can plop it on top of a baked potato.

8. Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry

Our family loves Thai food, and this slow cooker Creamy Thai Sweet Potato Curry hits the spot every time.

9. Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

This recipe is a gem for many reasons. First of all, it’s only 2 ingredients — who doesn’t love that? Secondly, you can use it for tacos, burritos, or nachos. If you want a slow cooker meal that’s tasty and easy, look no further than this Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken

10. Mississippi Pot Roast

For all those looking for a slow cooker recipe with a southern drawl, look no further than this delicious Slow Cooker Mississippi Pot Roast

11. Crock Pot Whole Chicken

We love cooking whole chickens because you can eat several meals with them, and you can use them to plan meals with reusable ingredients. If you want to start planning meals with reusable ingredients, or if you’re just looking for a solid slow cooker whole chicken recipe, look no further than this Crock Pot Whole Chicken recipe.

12. Crock Pot Lentil Soup

This Crock Pot Lentil Soup one from Pinch of Yum is quite easy to make since it only involves chopping some veggies and adding them to the slow cooker with broth and lentils. Plus there are endless cozy vibes with all of the smells and flavors that come with this one.

We hope these slow cooker and crock pot recipes make their way into your meal plan. At Meal Planner App, our mission is to make meal planning simpler and easier, so that you can spend more time on what matters most to you. Try Meal Planner App free of charge for 30 days. Sign up for a trial now