50 Slow Cooker Recipes For Easy, Make-Ahead Meals | Canadian Living (2024)

Yes, you can make tangine without the tangine! Here's how.

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Don't save turkey for holiday meals. This recipe makes it easy for any night of the week.

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There’s no better way to warm up during the dark and cold days of Canadian winters than with this hearty soup chock full of smoked turkey and good-for-you lentils.

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Grab a spoon and enjoy this satisfying rice porridge with plenty of chicken, topped with green onions, roasted peanuts and chill oil for a hint of heat or spice.

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The whole family will love this tender, slow-cooked pulled pork. See our tip below for how to make these crispy carnitas tacos.

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This soup is reminiscent of an East Coast Jiggs dinner, or boiled dinner, which is traditionally made with salted meat, like corned beef. Enjoy a bowl with a piece of rustic bread for dipping.

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Our Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork shines in this absolutely scrumptious sandwich that's perfect for satisfying hungry tummies after particularly long days.

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Serve with cooked rice, shredded lettuce, sour cream and chopped fresh cilantro, if desired.

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These ribs are packed with flavour but if you're looking to reduce your sugar intake, substitute a cup of strained tomatoes for the ketchup.

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The cup of cooking liquid is reserved to adjust the sauciness of the beef. The meat will absorb some of the liquid; how much will depend on the cut used.

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Prepare this comforting meal in the morning and enjoy its aroma all day long. We guarantee, your mouth will be watering by dinnertime.

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Soaking dried beans before boiling them speeds up their cooking time and prevents them from splitting. Simply place the beans in a large bowl, cover with about three inches of water and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. If you don't have dried beans, substitute with eight cups of canned no-salt-added navy beans, and skip the first paragraph.

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There's no need to heat up your oven to make this cheesy herbed corn bread. Parchment paper protects the bread from overbrowning and allows you to lift the loaf out of the slow cooker with ease.

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Bright, citrusy lemongrass, heady star anise and fresh ginger add flair to store-bought beef broth in this Asian-inspired twist on chicken noodle soup. Different brands of udon noodles vary greatly in sodium content. Look for noodles that have about 400 milligrams of sodium per 200-gram package.

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This crowd-pleaser makes a great taco filling. Or, serve it over rice with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh herbs. Well-marbled beef will have white lines of fat throughout; as the marbling melts during cooking, it keeps the meat moist and tender and infuses the beef with flavour.

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This big-batch chili is perfect for feeding a large crowd. Stewing beef is often too lean for slow cooking, so we used a well-marbled whole roast and cut it into cubes. Because there's no evaporation when you use a slow cooker, you need to drain the tomatoes before getting started to keep the chili nice and thick.

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This richly spiced apple butter makes more than you'll need for a single loaf of bread, but it'll keep in your fridge for a week or in your freezer for up to two months. Spread it onto warm bread and rolls, or stir it into cake batters in place of applesauce.

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Green lentils hold their shape after hours of cooking, so they're ideal for slow cooker recipes. Partially blending this classic vegetarian curry creates the same thick, velvety texture you'd find a restaurant. Serve with roti or rice.

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Brisket is a hearty main often favoured for Sunday dinners. Here, it's a fuss-free weeknight option—just throw the ingredients together in the morning and come home to fall-apart-tender meat. Serve with mashed potatoes and tender-crisp sautéed green beans to round out the meal.

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Weeknight entertaining is a breeze when you put your slow cooker to work! Adding a bit of flour to the sauce at the end of cooking turns it into a rich gravy to serve alongside the roast. Green peas and mashed sweet potatoes make great accompaniments to this hearty cold-weather dish.

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You can thaw and peel the shrimp while the soup is cooking, but to quickly get dinner on the table after work, prep the shrimp the night before. That way, you'll be able to throw them into the slow cooker when you get home and then sit down to a warm, soothing meal in less than 15 minutes.

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Slow cooking is a foolproof way to achieve melt-in-your-mouth ribs that are tender and moist. Cooking down the leftover juices intensifies the flavours and results in a glossy, sticky glaze.

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Also known as glogg, this warming bevvie is an essential part of Christmas in Sweden. Have this mulled wine handy at your next holiday party so guests can sip on and enjoy the season of hygge.

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Slow-simmering this sauce all day creates a flavourful base for cooking the mussels. The high setting on your slow cooker is great for steaming mussels without running the risk of overcooking them. This dish makes a great main for two or a starter for four. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.

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This recipe incorporates all the flavours of a charcuterie platter into a single dish. It can be difficult to cut this tender roast into thin slices, so separate the meat into chunks before serving. It will be much easier—and just as tasty! For a hearty meal, serve with mashed potatoes and our Quick Braised Red Cabbage.

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If you don't mind messy tacos, pour a little extra sauce from your slow cooker over top. Reserve whatever sauce is left over—it makes a great base for chili. Customize the tacos with your favourite toppings, such as thinly sliced radishes, shredded cabbage or lettuce, diced avocado, shredded cheese, sour cream and lime juice.

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Our set-and-forget version of this classic Easter dish is a win-win: Your oven is free to make the holiday ham and the slow cooker's gentle heat creates incredibly tender and creamy potatoes. You'll need at least a six-quart slow cooker for this recipe.

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Fragrant orange and lemon give this simple glazed cake delicate flavour. An oval slow cooker will create the best height and shape.

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Chicken, squash and all of the flavours of a restaurant-style Thai curry mingle in this scrumptious slow cooker main. Serve over steamed jasmine rice and garnish with lemon or lime wedges to squeeze over top.

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Cinnamon, cardamom and cloves lend a fragrant Massaman Thai curry its complex mild flavour. A mortar and pestle are traditionally used to make curry paste, but we've eased the process by using a food processor to blend the ingredients into a smooth base for the dish.

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This lamb dish gets its kick from a fiery Scotch bonnet pepper. They're one of the hottest peppers you'll find in grocery stores, so reduce the amount used if you don't like your curry overly spicy. Serve with roti or rice, and garnish with fresh thyme leaves, if you like.

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In Japan, cooks often make curry using a packaged mix, serving it over steamed rice and topping it with a fried pork cutlet. Here, we've ditched the store bought mix for a beefy homemade rendition of this gravy-rich stew. Choose a spicy curry powder instead if you prefer a dish with extra kick.

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This eggplant curry is a filling vegetarian main when served with rice, naan and a dollop of yogurt. It also makes a tasty side dish when served as part of a larger Indian feast. Cream gives the sauce smoothness and helps mellow out the acidity of the tomatoes.

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Nothing beats a classic carrot cake with cream cheese icing. When tracing the parchment paper outline, add an extra 2 inches (5 cm) to the circumference of the slow cooker; this extra buffer will help you lift the cake out of the insert with ease.

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As this cake bakes, it fills the air with the heavenly scent of spiced apples. The rich nutty flavour of brown butter icing transforms this everyday treat into a company-worthy dessert.

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This simple method for cooking cheesecake means a less-fussy water bath and no cracked tops. Lining the underside of the slow cooker lid with paper towels keeps the moist heat in while also preventing condensation from dripping onto the cakes. If you use canning jars, these individual cakes are easy to take to a dinner party; just screw on the lids, tote them in a cooler and garnish before serving.

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Ideal for a fun dinner with friends or a cozy night at home, this fudgey cake is best served straight out of the slow cooker while still warm. For an extra treat, dust cocoa powder over top of the spiced whipped cream.

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Traditionally called Bo Ssam - these ginger-packed lettuce wraps make a light, satisfying meal. Serve with Korean-style pickled vegetables or kimchi, the intensely flavourful Ginger Green Onions Sauce and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds for an authentic flair.

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Madras curry powder, a mix of spices including fenugreek, coriander, cumin and turmeric, is often hotter than other curry powders. Slow cooking mellows out the heat leaving an intensely flavourful curry. Look for Madras curry powder in the spice or ethnic food aisles. Serve wrapped up in a warm roti or with rice.

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Inspired by the traditional Mexican tacos served with spicy thin pork slices and pineapple, this slow cooker version features pork shoulder broken into tender bite size chunks. If you don't want to serve these as tacos, try serving the pork on top of steamed white rice instead.

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Make this restaurant classic at home on a weeknight with our slow cooker version. Super thin steaks and sliced onions make a tender and flavourful sandwich. Serve au jus (with juice) on the side for dipping each bite.

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Reducing the sauce at the end of the cooking is an essential step to achieveing sweet-and-sour short rib nirvana. Serve over white rice and with a drizzle of sriracha if you can stand a little heat. For best results, look for thick, meaty short ribs.

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This mild, sweet curry has all the comforting flavours of a curry without too much spice, making it a great choice for the entire family. Serve over steamed rice or with warmed naan bread.

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