250 low cooker recipes

Five-alarm slow cooker beef chili with cubed chuck, jalapenos, beer, and a bold hit of chili powder and cumin. No beans, no tomatoes, all heat. Texas-style.

Slow cooker vegetable stroganoff combines mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and onions in tomato-stock sauce, finished with yogurt and sour cream over noodles. Vegetarian comfort food without the beef.

Slow-cooker sweet and sour cocktail franks simmered in chili sauce, currant jelly, mustard, and pineapple chunks. Retro mid-century party appetizer that holds warm in the crock for serving.

International chicken curry in the slow cooker with tomatoes, raisins, bell peppers, and warm curry spice. A hands-off 8-hour braise that delivers tender, saucy chicken pieces over rice.

Cajun chicken sauce piquant with a dark roux, Chablis wine, tomato sauce, stuffed olives, and hot pepper sauce, slow-cooked for hours and served over spaghetti. Big-batch Cajun cooking.

Old-fashioned watermelon honey preserve made from the white rind, slow-cooked with sugar, lemon, and fresh ginger into a thick, golden spread. A heritage canning recipe worth reviving.

Slow cooker apple cake bakes in a coffee can with chopped Golden Delicious apples, walnuts, and nutmeg. No oven needed. Dense, moist, and loaded with fruit in every slice.

Five-day beans: a slow-cook project where dried limas soak, simmer with aromatics, rest, and finish under a crusty cream and breadcrumb topping. Bean heaven for patient cooks.

Flowerpot banana bread: classic banana walnut bread baked in a clay flowerpot in a slow cooker for an unusual conversation-piece presentation. Rustic gift idea with a 1970s charm.

Slow cooker black bean and potato soup with diced ham, jalapenos, cumin, oregano, thyme, and cloves in a beef broth base. Dump everything in the crockpot and let it cook all day.

Caramelized onion topping with rosemary and toasted pine nuts, slow-cooked in butter and olive oil. A savory make-ahead spread for crostini, pizza, roast meats, or tossed with pasta.

Slow-cooked beef brisket cholent with buttery lima beans, caramelized onions, and a paprika kick. Set it in your crockpot Friday night for a melt-in-your-mouth Sabbath feast.

Slow cooker Southwestern beef and pinto beans with salt pork, red chili, cumin seeds, and tomato paste. Set it and forget it for 9-10 hours of hands-off cooking.

Caramelized onion and basil pasta with five pounds of sweet onions slow-cooked into a golden, jammy sauce deglazed with brandy. Tossed with fresh basil and Parmesan. Simple and stunning.

Crock-Pot minestrone soup with kidney beans, zucchini, carrots, red pepper, and crushed tomatoes slow-cooked 8 to 10 hours. A set-it-and-forget-it vegetable soup with rice.

Chicken and cherries jubilee braises whole chickens in cherry juice and chili sauce for 6 to 8 hours, finished with a sherry-brandy flambé cherry sauce. Retro slow-cooker showstopper.