Football season is finally here — which means Sundays are once again all about touchdowns, trash talk, and a very serious spread of game-day snacks.
Whether you’re locked in on the game or mainly showing up for Buffalo Chicken dip, ribs, and hot wings, you don’t have to spend the entire day hovering over a hot stove to feed a crowd.
Business Insider spoke with cookbook authors Sarah Olson, who wrote “The Magical Slow Cooker,” and Kim Laidlaw, author of “Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals,” for ideas for easy game-day recipes.
These recipes can all be made in a slow cooker, allowing you to throw everything into your Crock-Pot and get back to the game.
Meatballs are a filling game-day appetizer you can make in a slow cooker.
Olson recommends her slow-cooker meatballs recipe for game day.
“I love grape-jelly meatballs, which only have three ingredients,” she said. “They’re so good, everyone will ask you for the recipe.”
Another recipe from Spend With Pennies suggests placing your seasoned, raw meatballs in the slow cooker, topping them with sauce, and letting it finish them off.
Beer brats can also be made in a slow cooker.
Brats with onions, peppers, and garlic, simmered in the slow cooker with beer, are another of Olson’s favorite game-day recipes.
“When the guests arrive, they get to choose when they want to eat since the slow cooker keeps these brats nice and warm during the game,” she wrote on her website, The Magical Slow Cooker.
Plus, you can even choose peppers to reflect the colors of your favorite team.
Brisket is perfect for feeding a larger family.
“Brisket is a natural partner for the slow cooker, as a gentle braise renders it meltingly tender,” Kim Laidlaw wrote in “Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals.”
Laidlaw’s recipe for slow-cooked braised brisket features garlic, onion, dry red wine, carrots, and either chicken or beef stock, accompanied by a chimichurri sauce.
Pork shoulder is a slow-cooker staple you can use to make game-day sliders.
“One dish I think is so versatile is pork shoulder in a slow cooker with broth and a little salt and pepper,” Laidlaw said. “I just braise that, and then you can turn it into so many different things.”
One of the best ways to use slow-cooked pork shoulder is to make pulled-pork sliders with all that tender meat. Then, top with barbecue sauce and slaw.
You can even make Buffalo chicken wings using a slow cooker.
Olson’s recipe for slow-cooked Buffalo chicken wings calls for thawed chicken wings, hot sauce, and unsalted butter. To get the wings super crispy, remove them from the sauce after 2.5 hours of cooking, then broil them in the oven before adding them back to the slow cooker.
Pulled chicken with barbecue or Buffalo sauce is another great way to use your Crock-Pot.
One of the benefits of using a slow cooker is that you can start with a basic protein and jazz it up.
From Mexican-food-inspired spices to Indian simmer sauces, there are many ways to transform shredded chicken into something show-stopping by adding it to tacos, sandwiches, or salads.
Mac and cheese can also easily be made in a slow cooker.
If you want to add some carbs to your game-day menu, look no further than a piping hot pot of mac and cheese. Olson’s recipe uses cream cheese, milk, sharp cheddar, and white sharp cheddar.
Martha Stewart’s recipe for slow-cooker mac and cheese is also easy to make.
“It is important to use pungent cheeses, such as sharp cheddar, mixed with a little Gruyere or pecorino Romano for extra bite, since the white sauce and pasta will absorb a lot of flavor,” Stewart writes.
Buffalo-chicken dip is another quick and easy favorite.
One of the benefits of making a slow-cooker Buffalo chicken dip — or any other slow-cooker side dish — is that the recipe can be prepared well in advance and reheated when you’re ready to eat.
“There are so many different dips that can be made in the slow cooker, you can make Buffalo-chicken dip, bacon-cheeseburger dip, cheesy bean dip, Rotel and Velveeta Dip, and even artichoke dip,” Olson said. “I like to serve all these dips with tortilla chips. Can’t choose one dip? Make two or more for a variety for your guests.”
Spinach-and-artichoke dip is another game-day favorite you can make in a slow cooker.
Spinach-artichoke dip is a game-day classic, and making it in a slow cooker keeps it extra warm, creamy, and scoopable from kickoff to the final whistle.
This recipe from Delish is made with full-fat cream cheese, shredded cheese, and mayonnaise,
Queso is a go-to game-day food that can be easily prepared in a Crock-Pot.
“I often make a queso verde dip in my slow cooker for game days,” Olson told Business Insider.
Her recipe for queso verde uses white Velveeta cheese, salsa verde, milk, and sour cream.
Chili is another popular recipe to make on game days.
Spicy chili and chipotle turkey chili are ideal game-day recipes because they can simmer in a slow cooker for hours, letting the flavors deepen while you watch the game.
Serve with warm cornbread for a cozy, filling meal.
Slow cookers work perfectly to create an impressive — and tasty – nacho bar.
A DIY nacho bar is an easy way to feed a crowd while letting everyone build their perfect plate. It also puts those smaller slow cookers to work, keeping every topping warm and ready to scoop.
“I use three slow cookers for a nacho bar, which is a great way to use those smaller slow cookers,” Olson said. “I use one slow cooker for nacho cheese (store-bought), one for seasoned ground beef, and one for refried beans. I also make a toppings bar that has salsa, sour cream, guac, olives, onions, and tomatoes.”
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