Our Best 10-Ingredient (or Less!) Slow Cooker Recipes for Fall
With days getting shorter, nights getting cooler, and school back in session, fall is the perfect time to put the cover on the grill and get reacquainted with your trusty slow cooker. These tasty recipes all call for 10 ingredients or less (excluding water, cooking spray, salt, and pepper) and make for hearty, soul-warming suppers that are sure to satisfy on chilly autumn nights. From soups and stews to dips and desserts, the slow cooker is a hardworking and humble kitchen appliance that makes cooking at home easier than ever.
Slow-Cooker Green Chile Pork
Slow-Cooker Green Chile Pork Recipe
The south-of-the-border-inspired pulled pork is a delicious (and easy) way to celebrate Taco Tuesday. The roasted chiles can be prepped ahead of time and frozen until you're ready to cook. Stuff flour or corn tortillas with the shredded meat and top with your favorite garnishes. This pork can also be served alongside black beans and rice.
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Slow-Cooker Eggplant Parmesan
Slow-Cooker Eggplant Parmesan Recipe
Six ingredients—eggplant, jarred marinara sauce, eggs, seasoned bread crumbs, shredded mozzarella, and fresh basil—are all you need for this slow-cooked twist on a meatless Italian classic. The cheesy, saucy goodness is wonderful to come home to on chilly autumn nights. Serve with a simple green salad and crusty buttered bread.
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Sausage-and-Collard Greens Stew
Sausage-and-Collard Greens Stew Recipe
This hearty, simple stew features flavorful sausage links and nutritious collard greens. This one-two punch of tummy-filling protein and vitamin-rich greens will makes this stew a true stick-to-your-ribs dish. Stirring in a little heavy cream before serving adds a hint of rich indulgence.
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Honey-Apricot-Glazed Chicken
Honey-Apricot-Glazed Chicken Recipe
This saucy slow cooker chicken lives at the flavorful intersection where sweet and savory meet. Never cooked with apricot brandy? It lends a unique fruity richness to this dish and can be found in most liquor stores, shelved with other flavored liqueurs.
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Chile con Queso
Few things go better with fall weekends than football and cheese dip. Take your usual Velveeta-and-Rotel routine up a notch with this slow-cooker dip that gets extra richness and flavor from adding pimientos, onions, cottage cheese, and evaporated milk. Serve with your favorite tortilla chips.
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Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup
Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup Recipe
This creamy slow-cooker recipe features leeks and parsnips, two nutritious root vegetables that lend a subtly spicy, earthy flavor to this meatless soup. Parsnips are similar to potatoes, but much healthier: They are good sources of folate, vitamin C, and fiber. Leeks are low in calories but rich in magnesium and vitamins A,C, and K.
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Slow-Cooker Barbecue Chicken
Slow-Cooker Barbecue Chicken Recipe
Get all the flavorful goodness of barbecue chicken without all the fuss by putting your slow cooker to work. Simply layer chicken breasts with barbecue sauce, Italian dressing, and Worcestershire sauce and cook on low for 5 hours. You'll be rewarded with juicy, tangy barbecue chicken that shreds easily and is delicious paired with your favorite hamburger bun and fresh, briny pickles. Serve with chips for an easy family-friendly supper.
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Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup
Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup Recipe
This split pea and ham soup turns out creamy and delicious every time, all thanks to your slow cooker. Salty ham balances out the peas' light, earthy flavor, while the potatoes slowly release their starches to create the perfect silky texture. After 8 hours of hands-off, crockpot cooking, this split pea and ham soup is ready to devour (although leftovers fare well in the freezer, too). An easy, excellent recipe to add to your fall/winter rotation, this filling and flavorful split pea and ham soup is sure to become a new favorite in your house. Top with freshly cracked pepper and serve with a side of crusty bread.
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Slow-Cooker Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Italian Sausage
Slow-Cooker Four-Cheese Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Recipe
Switch up your go-to slow-cooker meals and go for a cheesy pasta dish that's loaded with hearty sausage. It's a great option for the entire family, and you can take the leftovers for lunch the next day.
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Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup
Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup Recipe
The potatoes absorb the rich, smoky flavor of the ham hocks in this one-pot soup. Serve with crusty bread, a salad, and hot sauce on the side for an easy meal both kids and adults will love.
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Blue Cheese-Artichoke Dip
Blue Cheese-Artichoke Dip Recipe
Blue cheese amps up the flavor for a little twist on the traditional artichoke appetizer. The dip holds up well for about two hours after the cook time. Serve with pita chips or toasted baguette slices.
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Crock-Pot BBQ Ribs
If you’re skeptical about ribs in a slow cooker, prepare to be amazed by the tender and delicious results. Cooking ribs doesn’t get easier than this two-step method. Start by selecting the style you like: baby back ribs, spare ribs, St. Louis style ribs, or country style pork ribs. Combine with your favorite sweet and smoky BBQ sauce and let your Crock-Pot take it from there. These easy slow cooker ribs are fall-off-the-bone tasty.
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Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup Recipe
This slow cooker french onion soup is so easy and delicious, you’ll never return to your stovetop ways. The slow cooker completely eliminates the stirring element of caramelizing onions. After hours in the low heat, the sliced onions will become soft and jammy with a rich, dark brown coloring—no attention necessary. Although you’ll need to start this soup the morning of, you’ll gain nine hours of enticing aromas that will warm your kitchen on a chilly winter day. If you don’t plan to eat it all, freeze the bag of soup in a bowl rather than laying it flat, so it will fit in the saucepan when it's time to thaw. Get ready for this slow cooker french onion soup to be the most requested dish in your house.
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Buffalo-Style Drummettes with Blue Cheese Dip
Buffalo-Style Drummettes with Blue Cheese Dip Recipe
These drummettes are game-day delicious and couldn't be easier to make. Browning them in the oven first takes mere minutes but yields big-time flavor. After browning, simply cook in the slow cooker on low with our homemade buffalo sauce until the chicken is tender. If you want to cut down on prep time, feel free to skip the homemade blue cheese and opt for bottled instead.
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Slow Cooker Cheesy Cottage Potatoes
Slow Cooker Cheesy Cottage Potatoes Recipe
Cottage potatoes can be both a side dish and a main dish—especially at breakfast. Either way, they’re always popular. The ingredients are pantry staples, and if you don’t have a bell pepper on hand then just leave it out. Serve this with a good cranberry sauce.
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Texas 2-Step Apple Crisp
Texas 2-Step Apple Crisp Recipe
The slow cooker tenderizes these apples while creating a perfectly crisp topping...resulting in a grand finale for any meal.
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Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs
Chipotle-Barbecue Meatballs Recipe
Start with a package of frozen meatballs and cook with bottled barbecue sauce and cherry preserves for this easy 5-ingredient appetizer. Don't have cherry preserves on hand? Grape jelly works well too.
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Pulled-Pork Tacos
Pair these easy pulled-pork tacos with refried beans, Mexican-style rice, and your favorite margarita for a south-of-the-border-inspired dinner that's simple, hearty, and satisfying.
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Slow Cooker Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic
Slow Cooker Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic Recipe
White meat can dry out after a long haul in the slow cooker, so we opt for bone-in thighs to guarantee optimal flavor and succulence. Make prep easier with prepeeled garlic, and pretty-up the platter with lemon slices and thyme sprigs.