This slow-cooked taco sauce has great flavor and can be used in a variety of dishes. Also, it freezes great!
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Crock Pot Cooking
Don't overlook the slow cooker as being just as valuable a kitchen tool as your stove or oven. While it's long been recognized as an ideal way to cook roasts and stews, it can do so much more - and we'll show you how.
jump to the recipes
Pro Tip:
The crock pot should be filled 2/3rds full when cooking for best results. Scale recipes up or down to fit your size crock pot.
Crock Pot 101
A properly working crock pot uses as about as much electricity and resources as a light bulb - making it more economical than using your stove! Also, it won't heat up your kitchen in the summer months.
crock pot cooking time conversion chart
| Crockpot | ||
| Oven Or Stovetop | High Temp 300F | Low Temp 200F |
| 15-30 minutes | 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hours | 4 - 8 hours |
| 35-45 minutes | 3 - 4 hours | 6 - 10 hours |
| 50 minutes - 3 hours | 4 - 6 hours | 8 - 16 hours |
Cooking Times
Times listed with the recipes are guidelines - actual cooking times may vary based on the brand of crock pot, size, amount of liquid or food, how full your crock pot is, how dense the ingredients are, and the temperature of the foods when you add them.
Taco Sauce
Chop Suey
A combination of beef and pork is slow cooked with onion, celery, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, mushrooms, and bamboo shoots. Serve over rice or your favorite Asian-style noodles.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Old Fashioned Veal Stew
Even the mere words veal stew could warm you up on a cold night. This stew is sensational, with browned veal, baby carrots, and chopped onion all slow-cooked in a rich tomato...
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
The delicious flavors of a loaded baked potato slow cooked into a soup. This recipe is made with potatoes, onion, chicken broth, cream, Cheddar cheese, and sour cream
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Mushroom Pork Tenderloin
Simple pork tenderloin that's perfect for company. Rich soups slow cooked with pork give you a terrific tenderloin and a delicious sauce to go with it.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
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Southern Black Eyed Peas
Black eyed peas are slow cooked in the traditional southern style with ham hocks (or salt pork) and onion and celery.
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Fish Au Gratin
You can use any white fish in this recipe such as cod, flounder, or tilapia. Serve the fish and cheese sauce over rice for an easy crock pot meal.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 1-2 hours
Perfect Rice Pudding
An easy way to make rice pudding. It calls for white rice, sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla extract, salt, nutmeg or cinnamon.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Hot Cocoa (Large Batch)
A great way to warm up a large group or crowd. This from-scratch hot cocoa recipe can easily be doubled for even larger groups. Keep it warm in a crock pot and let your guests...
Method: stovetop
Time: under 30 minutes
Brett Favre's Creole Style Chili
This creole style crockpot batch loaded with beef, kidney beans, and tomatoes is a keeper. Perfect for cold Sundays at the end of the NFL season.
Method: stovetop, crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Oyster Stew
A slow cooker version of traditional oyster stew made with milk, butter, and oysters. Oyster stew can be enjoyed any time of year but is especially warming in the colder months.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Chicken Chow Mein With Water Chestnuts And Bean Sprouts
A tasty slow cooked chow mein made with chicken, carrots, green onion, celery, water chestnuts, and bean sprouts.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Easiest Pork And Sauerkraut Ever
If you're looking to put dinner on autopilot, this pork and sauerkraut recipe is what you need. Just a couple of ingredients combine to create a genuinely satisfying...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Easy Swiss Steak
Easy and scrumptious steak that's pretty impossible to mess up. Round steak in the crockpot with a savory sauce that goes great with roasted potatoes.
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Tuna Noodle Casserole
Everything a good casserole should be: creamy, comforting, and (most importantly) low-effort.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Sweet & Sour Pork Tenderloin
If you feel like the takeout boxes of sweet and sour pork are never enough, make a big batch of this in your crockpot.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Slow Cooked T-Bone Steak
A tender T-bone steak made in the crock pot along with potatoes and a fresh mushroom sauce
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Corn Chowder With Hash Browns And Ham
Made with salt and pepper, dried parsley, butter or margarine, milk, cream-style corn, cream of mushroom soup, frozen corn, frozen shredded hash brown potatoes...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Beef Heart Stew
Don't be scared off by cooking beef heart. It's actually an incredibly flavorful piece of beef. This slow cooker method makes it very tender and the other ingredients make for a well...
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
Frozen Bread Dough in the Crockpot
As if a loaf of frozen bread dough wasn't already a simple way to make fresh bread, the crock pot helps make it even easier.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Eggplant Parmesan
Eggplant, breadcrumbs, and parmesan in the slow cooker along with pasta sauce and mozzarella makes for a vegetarian dish that leaves even carnivores satisfied. Leftover eggplant parm...
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Boston Butt With Sauerkraut
Starting with a cut like Boston Butt is a great start to a delicious roast, and cooking it in this sweet and tangy mixture of sauerkraut and brown sugar is an excellent next...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Country Pork Stew
This slow-cooker stew is one of those recipes that's pretty darn tough to mess up. As long as your pork and veggies have all day to cook 'til tender, you'll be alright.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Broccoli Cheese Noodle Soup
Broccoli soup, simplified! Frozen broccoli, cooked noodles, and cheese are cooked in the crockpot for a few hours to make a rich, and tasty soup.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Clam Chowder
A slow cooked version of traditional clam chowder. It's made with canned clams, potatoes, bacon, onion, and half and half.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Savory Lamb Shanks With Rosemary And Mushrooms
Lamb shanks must be slowly cooked to become tender and the crock pot is a perfect way to accomplish that.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
Hasenpfeffer (German Rabbit)
The recipe involves marinating the rabbit overnight in a red wine marinade. The next day, the rabbit is cooked slowly in the crock pot until it is fall-off-the-bone tender....
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Dried Bean Curd Soup With Shiitake Mushrooms
Chinese bean curd soup with shiitakes, preserved turnip, and slow-cooked chicken and pork will be an authentic adventure for your taste buds.
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Seafood Chowder
Rich and creamy and packed full of seafood. This chowder boasts a blend of clams, shrimp, and crab in a cream-based soup.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Ginger Ale Pot Roast
A valuable shortcut or two can turn cooking from a chore into a breeze. Ginger ale adds sweetness and a bit of bite to a meaty crockpot roast, and a couple quick mixes takes care...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Chicken Livers
Try these chicken livers chopped and sauteed with bacon and mushrooms, slow cooked with white wine and golden mushroom soup.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Easy Beef Shanks
There's something magical about a slow-cooked meal after a long day, and these easy beef shanks do exactly that, transforming meat and some pantry staples into a comforting creation.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
German Sauerbraten Without Gingersnaps
This slow cooker version of sauerbraten skips the gingersnap cookies and uses ground ginger instead to flavor the gravy.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
Menudo
Learn how to make Mexican menudo in your crock pot. This traditional recipe features tripe, calf's foot, and posole, slow-cooked with onion, garlic, and mild red chile for a hearty and flavorful...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Chinese Rice Porridge (Congee Jook)
Rice and water (yes, that's it) in the crockpot make a rice porridge base that you can turn into a simple snack with eggs and soy sauce, or something a bit fancier ...
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Don't Be a Jerk Chicken
Throw chicken, onion, garlic, and a habanero pepper with a host of spices in the slow cooker. This is one jerk everyone will love.
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Stuffed Grape Leaves
Toss the spiced rice-stuffed leaves in slow cooker with water and lemon juice and you've got the perfect Mediterranean appetizer or snack. Great hot or cold!
Method: stovetop, crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Basic Meatloaf
The low heat of the slowcooker is the key to keeping this ultra-simple meatloaf ultra-moist. Ketchup is the classic topping, but it's easy to add in a couple dashes of hot sauce for a...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Firehouse Chili
Chili night just got an upgrade, courtesy of the firehouse. It's the kind of meal that says, "I'm here to extinguish your hunger."
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Fontina And Gruyere Cheese Fondue
Don't miss out on the magic (and romance) of fondue just because you don't have a fondue pot. A good old crockpot works like a charm for making this melty mixture of...
Method: crock pot
Time: 30-60 minutes
Swedish Meatballs
Tender meatballs made from a combination of pork and beef and served in a traditional-style sauce.
Method: crock pot, oven
Time: 2-5 hours
Rabbit (or Pheasant) Stew
Looking for something new in your stew? Lean rabbit meat is a delightful choice in this creamy crockpot stew, which would go great with some roasted carrots and potatoes on...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Hoppin' John
Hoppin' John: the answer to the age-old question, "How do you make black-eyed peas exciting?" Hint: add ham, a slow cooker, and a little Southern swagger.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Perogies
Dress up frozen perogies to taste like they were made from scratch by simply slow cooking them with chopped onions and bacon.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: 2-5 hours
Root Beer Pot Roast
Made with garlic, chili sauce, eye of round or chuck roast, salt, black pepper, vegetable oil, onion, root beer
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
Tender Tenderloin Tips
Only three ingredients, but thanks to the clever addition of onion soup mix this recipe doesn't shy away from savory flavor. Whether over egg noodles or rice, this savory, saucy...
Method: crock pot
Time: over 5 hours
Cabbage Chili Soup
A hearty slow cooked soup that is delicious any time of year. Made with cabbage and kidney beans in a chili-flavored tomato-based broth.
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Beef Tips And Gravy With Rice
Tender, slow cooked beef tips in a rich, creamy gravy served over cooked rice. What's not to love?
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
Creamy Cheddar Cheese Grits
These rich and cheesy grits are made extra creamy by being slowly simmered in half and half with cream cheese stirred in.
Method: crock pot, stovetop
Time: over 5 hours
Easy Peach Cobbler With Crunchy Oat Topping
Everyone will love this easy peach cobbler dessert with its crunchy oat topping
Method: crock pot
Time: 2-5 hours
The name, vodka, comes from the Russian phrase zhiznennaia voda, or "water of life". It can be made from everything from potatoes to beets. It's considered to be fairly flavorless which makes it a great liquor for mixed drinks.
Ah, the unassuming envelope of onion soup mix. It's more than just for onion soup (or dip). It adds tremendous flavor (and convenience) in all these recipes.
Keeping a can of frozen orange juice concentrate in the freezer means you can make more than just orange juice. Try it in a variety of orange-flavored recipes.