Slow Cooker Comfort Food Meals That Go From Prep to Pot in Minutes

Slow Cooker Chicken and Salsa

This three-ingredient recipe sounds way too simple to be good, but reviewers can't stop raving about it. Ponawanda says she got two great meals out of it for her family of four.

Slow Cooker Carnitas

Rub a boneless pork shoulder with a handful of spices you probably already have in your pantry to get a big pot of mouthwatering Mexican-style meat you can stuff into tacos, enchiladas, and burritos. Cooked in this quantity, it's a perfect candidate for make-and-freeze meals to stash away for your busiest nights.

Chicken Cacciatore in a Slow Cooker

Feel free to use chicken thighs instead of skinless boneless chicken breasts in this saucy recipe because they really do stand up better to hours of slow cooking. Try it both ways and see which one you prefer.

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Pork

You can use a pork loin roast instead of the pork chops called for in the recipe. It's especially delicious served over fragrant coconut rice.

Hungarian Goulash II

You can cut up the beef chuck roast the night before you plan to make this, whisk the sauce together, and stash everything in the fridge. Then pop it all into the slow cooker in the morning, turn it on, and get on with your day. Could it be any easier?

Mother's Pot Roast

The basic recipe calls for five simple ingredients, but you can easily add carrots and potatoes to make this a complete meal. Talk about one-pot convenience.

Frank's Favorite Slow-Cooker Thai Chicken

Many reviewers said they were skeptical about combining salsa and peanut butter to make this recipe, but in the end, they were won over by the flavor. "Amazing! Usually, my attempts at slow cooking are bland failures, but this turned out incredible." — Deschions

Flaming Slow Cooker Pork

"Love this recipe! I make this frequently on the weekends then freeze it for easy meals during the week. I usually make 2 separate freezer meals from this. So delicious and easy!" — laurenherlache

Honey-Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

"Delicious! These were cooked perfectly. I used 6 bl/sl thighs, but kept the sauce ingredients the same. After the thighs were cooked, I took them out of the slow cooker and stirred in a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce, which worked out great." — Christina

Slow Cooker Turkey Chili

"The cayenne and the hot pepper sauce is what determines how spicy it gets," says lala, who submitted the recipe. "So start with the little that I recommended and then you can always add more."

Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

"Throw the chicken breasts in frozen, and serve with baked potatoes," recipe creator Zanne says.

Salsa Verde Pork

"This turned out wonderful. It can't get any easier. Loin roasts tend to be dry, this wasn't. Slow cooker pork barbeques tend to be soggy, this wasn't. It's a leaner cut, so it's lower fat. The salsa verde is a nice change from the typical Carolina style," Howard Wimbrow says.

Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

"This is the perfect answer to Indian take out. Usually, we order Indian about once a week and this was just as good," writes SHIRLEY122. "The lemon at the end really makes it balance perfectly. I made some basmati rice, salad, and naan to round out the meal. Delicious! Will definitely make again."

• 10 Best Slow Cooker Indian Recipes

Hamburger Soup II

"My daughter and I prepared the ingredients the night before and assembled in the crockpot. In the morning I put it on for an hour to remove the chill from the pot and then cooked on low for about 12 hours. It was wonderful." — DIANNEM527

Creamy Hatch Chile and Mushroom Chicken Breasts

"I shredded my chicken breast and mixed it in with the rice," recipe creator Yoly says. "We're going through a stay-at-home order due to the Coronavirus pandemic, and this was a great meal to make with items that I already had."