70 Crockpot Recipes That Practically Cook Themselves

If you can’t afford a live-in chef, delicious and easy Crockpot recipes are basically your next best option. Sure, they may involve a bit of advance prep and patience, but the rest of the process is almost always hands-off and easy as can be—something a little like having a live-in chef, we imagine.

The beauty with a lot of slow-cooker recipes is the simplicity. Often, all you really have to do is add ingredients to a Crockpot before hitting the road (or the home office five feet away) so that the dish can simmer by itself while you go about your business. You can even adjust the settings to enable your machine to cook faster or slower, depending on the amount of hands-off time you need. That way, when you do finally get home (or finish work for the day), you’ll have piping hot food ready in the nick of time.

This general slow-cooking method can apply to just about every dish you can imagine. We’re talking takeout-inspired savory mains (like noodles or curries), delectable snacks and sides (like nuts or veggies), homey scratch-made meals (like casseroles or pot roasts), wholesome breakfasts (like oatmeal or egg dishes), and gooey sweets (like fruit crisps or chocolatey delights). And, let’s not forget the signature Crockpot meals: hearty soups and stews galore.

Some recipes, like those desserts, may have you take a few extra steps, like buttering the slow cooker or lining it with baking paper so that nothing sticks. And some soups may also require a bit of searing and sautéing, for instance, before you let the Crockpot take over cooking duties and do its thing. But even in that case, you wind up cutting down on your hands-on time tremendously.

From breakfast to dinner (and dessert) these 70 slow-cooker recipes will have you feasting like a royal. Once you’ve done your work, you can sit back, relax, and let the slow cooker do the chef’s work for you.