13 slow cooker picks that made my dad ask for the recipe instead of his usual complaints

A tough dinner critic can make a slow cooker meal feel like a gamble before the lid even comes off. These 13 recipes lean on sticky sauces, browned roasts, rich gravies, long-simmered beef, seasoned chicken, and familiar casserole flavors that bring more than plain slow-cooked meat to the table. Most need only a short prep or browning step before the cooker takes over for hours. The lineup moves from honey-garlic meatballs and sausage with peppers to birria, pork chops, goulash, and a tater tot casserole.

Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs

Sticky, glossy sauce gives Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs enough personality to work as dinner instead of only party food. Frozen meatballs cook with ketchup, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, and fresh garlic until the sauce thickens around them. The recipe takes 4 hours and 5 minutes and makes 12 servings. Spoon them over rice or egg noodles when you want the slow cooker to handle nearly everything after a five-minute start.

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey-Garlic Meatballs

Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast

Herbs pressed over a browned roast give Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast a more traditional Sunday-dinner feel without hours beside the oven. Pork shoulder cooks with rosemary, sage, thyme, white wine, chicken broth, garlic, carrots, celery, shallots, and baby potatoes. The recipe takes 4 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. Slice the pork with the vegetables and spoon over the optional gravy when one slow cooker needs to cover most of dinner.

Get the Recipe: Old Fashioned Slow Cooker Herb-Crusted Pork Roast

Vintage Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers

Sweet peppers and tomato sauce turn Vintage Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers into the kind of straightforward dinner that still has plenty going on. Italian sausage cooks with onion, garlic, red, yellow, and green bell peppers, Italian seasoning, and marinara sauce. The recipe takes 6 hours and 15 minutes and serves ten. Pile the sausage and peppers into rolls, spoon them over pasta or rice, or serve them with crusty bread to catch the sauce.

Get the Recipe: Vintage Slow Cooker Sausage & Peppers

German Pork Loin

Tangy mustard gravy gives German Pork Loin a strong savory edge while the slow cooker keeps the roast tender. Pork loin is seared before cooking with German mustard, onion, garlic, white wine, chicken broth, thyme, and bay leaves, then the liquid is thickened into gravy. The recipe takes 4 hours 10 minutes and serves eight. Slice it for dinner with potatoes, cabbage, or another simple side when plain pork loin will not cut it.

Get the Recipe: German Pork Loin

Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast

Fork-tender beef with potatoes and carrots makes Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast a practical full dinner instead of a roast that still needs several sides. Rump roast cooks with beef broth, onion, rosemary, thyme, baby potatoes, and carrots until the meat softens. The recipe takes 6 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. Spoon some of the cooking liquid over each serving when you want a classic beef dinner with only ten minutes of prep.

Get the Recipe: Easiest Slow Cooker Rump Roast

Birria de Res

Deep chile broth makes Birria de Res stand out from the usual slow cooker roast, with beef that cooks until it can be shredded easily. Chuck roast simmers with beef broth, apple cider vinegar, cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, onion, and a mix of dried chiles. The recipe serves eight with about five hours of cooking on high. Ladle the beef with its consommé into bowls, or save the shredded meat for tacos and other dinners.

Get the Recipe: Birria de Res

Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef

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Rich mushroom gravy gives Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef the payoff of a long-cooked dinner without constant stirring. Stew beef cooks with onion, mushrooms, garlic, beef broth, Maggi seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and Dijon before sour cream finishes the sauce. The recipe takes 7 hours 45 minutes and serves six. Spoon it over wide egg noodles when you want tender beef and plenty of sauce from one mostly hands-off cook.

Get the Recipe: Creamy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff Recipe With Stew Beef

Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops

Tomato-rich sauce keeps Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops from turning into another plain pork dinner after several hours in the cooker. Bone-in pork chops are browned, then slow-cooked with beef broth, diced tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, onion, green bell pepper, mushrooms, and garlic. The recipe takes 4 hours 10 minutes and serves six. Serve the chops with mashed potatoes, rice, or bread, so the thickened sauce has somewhere to go.

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Swiss Pork Chops

4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken

Stuffing over tender chicken makes 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken especially useful when the ingredient list needs to stay short, but dinner still needs some substance. Chicken breasts cook with cream of chicken soup, stuffing mix, and water or chicken broth, creating its own gravy underneath. The recipe takes 4 hours and 5 minutes and serves four. Add a green vegetable or salad on the side when you want a full plate without adding much extra prep.

Get the Recipe: 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken

Slow Cooker German Pot Roast

Tangy pickles, mustard, and beer give Slow Cooker German Pot Roast a different direction from a standard beef-and-potatoes dinner. Chuck roast cooks with bacon, onion, garlic, German beer, grainy mustard, thyme, carrots, baby potatoes, red cabbage, and sour cream for the gravy. The recipe takes 6 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. Bring it out when you want a slow-cooked roast with stronger savory and tangy notes built right into the pot.

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker German Pot Roast

Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken

Buttery pepperoncini juices give Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken plenty of flavor from a short ingredient list and only ten minutes of prep. Chicken breasts cook with onion, chicken gravy mix, ranch seasoning, pepperoncini peppers, brine, and butter until tender enough to shred. The recipe takes 4 hours 10 minutes and serves six. Spoon it over mashed potatoes or rice, or pile the chicken into sandwiches when you want leftovers to work a second way.

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken

Authentic Hungarian Goulash

Paprika-rich sauce and tender beef make Authentic Hungarian Goulash a slow cooker dinner that gets deeper as the hours pass. Stewing beef cooks with onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar, beef broth, tomato paste, thyme, bay leaves, paprika, and smoked hot paprika. The recipe takes 6 hours and 15 minutes and serves six. Serve it in bowls with spaetzle, noodles, or potatoes when you want a thick beef dish that can handle a cold evening.

Get the Recipe: Authentic Hungarian Goulash

Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole

Cheesy beef under a layer of tater tots makes Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole an easy finish to a list built around substantial slow cooker dinners. Ground beef cooks with corn, condensed soup, sour cream, cheddar, onion, and garlic powder before frozen tater tots cover the top. The recipe takes 5 hours and 10 minutes and serves six. Scoop it straight from the cooker when meat, potatoes, and a creamy sauce all need to land in the same bowl.

Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole

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