When the summer sun is blazing, the mere idea of turning on the oven — even for the most wonderful dish — is revolting. Sure, you may have air conditioning, but why heat up the kitchen if you don’t have to? (You came inside to escape the stickiness and sweat!) You could artfully compose a salad or assemble a no-cook meal, but eventually, you’re going to want a warm meal. Enter the slow cooker.
Some of these recipes are the fix-it-and-forget-it sort, while others require a little bit of prep. Once that’s done, let them simmer away while you head out to the beach or to work, or just curl up with a good book in front of the air-conditioner. Several hours later, dinner is ready.
1. Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup
Soups are not just for winter. Seriously! Take this lively lentil soup with both fresh and cooked tomatoes and basil from Sarah DiGregorio. (Adding fresh tomatoes at both the beginning and end of cooking means you get their mellow, sweet side as well as their fresh, zingy side.) The lentils almost melt away, leaving you with a comforting dish that’s reminiscent of vodka sauce.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy Tomato Lentil Soup
2. Slow Cooker Gochujang Chicken and Tomatoes
The magic of Ali Slagle’s simple recipe, inspired by dakdori tang, comes from the conversation between the sweet, tart cherry tomatoes and the spicy, fermented gochujang. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are braised with those star ingredients — along with ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and honey — until tender. Serve over rice, noodles, grits or anything to soak up the delicious sauce.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Gochujang Chicken and Tomatoes
3. Slow Cooker Senate Bean Soup
While it’s been on the menu at the U.S. Senate Dining Room for over a century, this ultrasimple soup has remained basically the same: navy beans simmered until creamy and melt-in-your-mouth tender, with ham hocks, butter and onion. Sarah DiGregorio’s updated version includes carrots, smoked paprika and a single potato that gets mashed at the end of cooking to thicken the soup.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Senate Bean Soup
4. Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew With Lemon and Coconut
Soothing yet bright, this five-ingredient vegetarian soup from Ali Slagle tastes like something that took a great deal of effort, but didn’t at all. Dried chickpeas and cauliflower soften as the coconut milk, seasoned with lemon peel and turmeric, thickens. This dish can be eaten over rice, but it can just as well stand alone.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chickpea Stew With Lemon and Coconut
5. Slow Cooker Chicken and Creamed Corn
This lightly creamy stew from Sarah DiGregorio is full of summery flavor thanks to corn doing double duty: The cobs are placed at the bottom of the pot to infuse the broth, and the kernels are added just before serving for a sweet pop. This easy recipe doesn’t call for any liquid; the chicken and vegetables give up theirs, making it essentially self-saucing.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Creamed Corn
6. Slow Cooker Chicken Vesuvio Soup
Carolina Gelen gives the beloved Chicago dish a brothy makeover. Boneless chicken breasts, potatoes, garlic, thyme, oregano, stock, white wine and lemon juice spend 4 to 5 hours getting to know one another in the pot. Once the chicken breast is easy to pull apart, frozen peas are added to the mix alongside fresh parsley. The result is an herby, lemony and garlicky chicken soup that’s great year-round.
Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chicken Vesuvio Soup
7. Slow Cooker Chicken Jook (Rice Porridge)
Inspired by the Cantonese tradition of eating jook for breakfast, this savory rice porridge (also known as congee) can be thrown together at night so you have a silky bowl of comfort ready by morning. (It also makes a soul-warming dinner.) Cybelle Tondu’s hands-off version features ginger and chicken, but feel free to experiment with pork or fish; or go vegetarian by using water or vegetable broth.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Jook (Rice Porridge)
8. Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Sloppy Joes
Carolina Gelen’s recipe gives this school cafeteria classic an exciting flavor upgrade, and it only requires 10 minutes of prep. She substitutes ground chicken for the traditional ground beef, and adds canned chipotles in adobo for a smoky, fiery kick. The spice level can easily be adapted to any palate by simply using less chipotle. Enjoy tucked into warm burger buns.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Sloppy Joes
9. Slow Cooker Lamb Stew With Chickpeas
Cybelle Tondu uses dried chickpeas as a hearty base for lamb shanks, which don’t require any soaking or searing, in this rustic dinner party dish. Lemon complements the warm flavors so well here: Wide strips of zest are added to the slow cooker at the start, and lemon juice is squeezed over the stew at the end to brighten it all up.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Lamb Stew With Chickpeas
10. Slow Cooker Kofte in Tomato-Lime Broth
Ali Slagle offers the perfect summer comfort meal with this dish of spiced meatballs simmered with cherry tomatoes and lime. Prepared in the style of kofte, the ground meat is combined with fresh herbs, turmeric and yogurt, which helps bind the meat and provides a lovely tang. Feel free to use lamb, beef, turkey or a combination. (One reader used alternative meat with happy results.) Serve over a pile of buttered orzo and sprinkle with fresh herbs.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Kofte in Tomato-Lime Broth
11. Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
Make glorious use of that farmers’ market corn with this gorgeous corn chowder from Sarah DiGregorio. She makes a simple stock from the shorn cobs, so the soup is rich with milky-sweet corn flavor all the way through.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Corn Chowder
12. Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
This meal-in-a-bowl chicken stew from Sarah DiGregorio is excellent over rice or other grains, but you can also repurpose it into enchiladas or nachos. It comes together with just boneless chicken thighs, a jar of salsa verde, garlic and a few pantry spices. Add fresh or frozen corn and a can of drained black or white beans to stretch it even further.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken
13. Slow Cooker Beans
Ali Slagle provides a simple template for the perfect pot of beans: Skip the soaking (unless you’re using red kidney beans, in which case, soak them first); use herbs, spices and vegetables to season the beans and cooking liquid according to taste; and salt before and after cooking. Cook time will vary depending on the age and type of bean, so start checking for doneness at the six-hour mark.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Beans
14. Slow Cooker Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches
This recipe from Sarah DiGregorio makes it possible for you to enjoy barbecue chicken sandwiches without having to go near a searing hot grill. You’ll notice that you don’t have to add any liquid to the pot, but don’t let that stress you out: The chicken will release plenty of flavorful juices as it cooks.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches
15. Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
You can add practically any summer vegetable to Sarah DiGregorio’s version of the classic Italian soup. (Just be sure to add heartier ones, like broccoli, well before you add tender ones, like zucchini.) If you’re starting with canned beans, substitute two 14-ounce cans.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli
16. Slow Cooker Shrimp in Purgatory
Shrimp are not typically thought of as slow cooker material, but gosh, this recipe is so good. Inspired by eggs in purgatory, a Southern Italian dish in which eggs simmer in a spicy, caper-laden tomato sauce, the shrimp are dropped into the sauce in the last few minutes of cooking. Use fresh or frozen shrimp, but thaw frozen first.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Shrimp in Purgatory
17. Slow Cooker Honey Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger
Sticky-sweet with just a hint of tang, this fall-apart pork from Sarah DiGregorio is excellent over rice or rice noodles, and it takes only about five minutes to throw together in the morning.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Honey Soy Braised Pork With Lime and Ginger
18. Slow Cooker Chickpea, Red Pepper and Tomato Stew
This easy vegan stew from Sarah DiGregorio is inspired by romesco, the Spanish sauce made from roasted red peppers, tomatoes, almonds, garlic, olive oil and vinegar. You don’t need any stock for this recipe, just the thick liquid from the canned chickpeas. Don’t skip the smoked almonds, which add a much-needed, and delightful, crunch.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chickpea Red Pepper and Tomato Stew
19. Slow Cooker BBQ Pork and Beans
Enjoy picnic-worthy BBQ pork and beans without the smelly smoke and sticky heat with Ali Slagle’s smart slow cooker version. Eat it on its own or tucked into squishy buns with a spoonful of spicy coleslaw.
Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Pork and Beans
20. Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos
The complexity of this chicken taco filling from Sarah DiGregorio belies the simplicity of its prep in the best way possible. Canned chipotles and honey are the magical ingredients; they caramelize and meld into a glossy, nuanced sauce. Start with one chipotle — or even half if you have kids or don’t like things spicy — and go from there.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chipotle-Honey Chicken Tacos
21. Slow Cooker Chicken Ragù With Herbed Ricotta
“Shockingly delicious, maybe the best Crock-Pot dish I have ever made,” wrote one reader. Almost like a deconstructed lasagna, spicy chicken-and-tomato ragù mixes with herby ricotta in this cozy dish from Sarah DiGregorio. If you think you’ll have leftovers, don’t toss the pasta with the ragù in the crock to avoid gummy, overcooked noodles.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Ragù With Herbed Ricotta
22. Slow Cooker Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
You won’t see many recipes for creamy soups made in a slow cooker because it’s not possible to simmer them with the top off and reduce the liquid. But, for this vegetarian mushroom soup, Sarah DiGregorio has come up with a clever trick: Use a roux, a mix of flour and butter, heat it in the microwave (or on the stovetop), then whisk it into the stock in the slow cooker.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
23. Slow Cooker Tomato Compote
If you’re lucky enough to have a bumper crop of cherry tomatoes this year (or if you simply overbought them at the farmers’ market), this easy compote from Sarah DiGregorio will put them to worthy use. Just pile two pounds’ worth into the crock and combine with olive oil, garlic, honey, balsamic vinegar, a handful of fresh herbs, and salt and pepper. Let them simmer on low for six hours. Plop the compote on top of ricotta or avocado toast, tuck it into a sandwich or toss it with pasta, then use the oil and juices in salad dressings.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Tomato Compote
24. Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
This wildly simple pulled pork was adapted from a popular recipe found on Pinterest that called for just pork shoulder, barbecue sauce and, wait for it, Dr Pepper. We were more than a little dubious, but after a few tweaks and additions, landed on a version that is almost as simple as the original, but with pleasing layers of flavor.
Recipe: Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
25. Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
The secret to this clever dish from Sarah DiGregorio is to use a combination of uncased turkey sausage and ground beef, then form oversize meatballs that fit into the slow cooker in one layer, so they don’t dry out in the lengthy cook time. Leftover meatballs make a wonderful sandwich filling.
Recipe: Slow Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs
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Margaux Laskey is an associate editor of recipe development for NYT Cooking.
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