• kath on March 04, 2013

  I really like the Chicken Broth recipe. It's so simple. I freeze it in in zip-loc bags, 1 3/4 cups in each bag - about the same amount as a can of chicken broth.

• kiwimary on October 29, 2012

  I've made several of the chicken stews and braises, and some beef stews and they have been really good. The vegetarian stews have not been so good. Unfortunately I quite often find this with Test Kitchen recipes.

• sck on December 11, 2011

  The chills were terrific but everything else has been terrible.

Notes about Recipes in this book

• Tortilla soup

  • anya_sf on November 26, 2017

    I added a few small zucchinis, diced, along with the onions. i also added some frozen corn right at the end. Delicious soup. Easy to make, although it does require a little bit of prep work on the stove.

  • TrishaCP on December 16, 2017

    We really liked this soup too. We did take the extra step of de-fattening the broth, because the chicken thighs did ramp up the grease factor a bit. We also added corn and it was a good addition, along with lime juice at the end to brighten the flavors.

• Thai-style chicken soup

  • Shewi128 on January 06, 2022

    We added rice to our soup portions. I liked it, but didn't love it.

• Turkey and wild rice soup

  • Cheri on November 20, 2011

    This was very good and easy. Using the microwave to soften the veggies worked well. Turkey thighs held up nicely. Added chopped parsnip, used wild rice blend.

  • jenmacgregor18 on March 10, 2015

    a keeper. soup freezes well without the rice.

  • ixoye2u on June 09, 2017

    Worth repeating - very flavorful and easy to make

  • wkhull on December 21, 2022

    Super easy. I skipped the microwave instructions and pan sauteed the onion mix before adding to the slow cooker. I cooked at low for a total of 6 hours and the turkey meat fell off the bone. The only adjustment I would make is to add more vegetables next time.

  • thefoodlady73 on January 29, 2025

    Delicious recipe!

• Chinese chicken and ramen soup

  • wkhull on February 09, 2023

    This was a winter delight, however was not very ramen-y. I used a half chicken instead of thighs and it came out beautifully tender. I did the initial microwave bit on the stove top, then transferred to a slow cooker for 5 1/2 hours on high. Then back to the stove top for the final bits with the cabbage and ramen. I rated this about 3 1/2 stars on its own. However, I highly recommend making Cook's Illustrated "Tender Greens with Asian Flavorings” (1994 Sept/Oct, p 21) and adding that on top. Gave it the Asian flavor it really needed. (Plus healthy, so win-win.) The ramen gets a little over done the next day reheated as left overs, so consider adding the ramen as you go or using rice instead.

• Creamy tomato soup

  • EN1 on December 29, 2018

    My favorite tomato soup

  • dbuhler on June 13, 2024

    A delicious tomato soup that I've been making for years!

• Portuguese-style potato and kale soup

  • ixoye2u on July 31, 2017

    This is a staple during the cold months

• French onion soup

  • JamesFlavell on March 19, 2023

    https://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/5893-slow-cooker-french-onion-soup

• Loaded baked potato soup

  • heyksquared on January 20, 2026

    Very good, though I didn’t use a slow cooker because I hate dragging mine out. Baked potatoes for 45 minutes, then scooped out flesh and added to the base. Added a little milk plus extra cream.

• Garden minestrone

  • Aggie92 on December 08, 2017

    I'm not sure how fair it is for me to rate this recipe based on ingredients since I used it more as a clean-out-the-veggie-bin guideline. The technique is solid and produces a mighty fine soup. For extra flavor throw a Parmesan rind into the slow cooker and add some canned diced tomatoes. My other changes were to add a red bell pepper, a couple of stalks of celery, skipped the zucchini, and I used kale instead of Swiss chard.

  • Christine on February 26, 2020

    Delicious! Subbed vegetable broth for chicken broth to make vegetarian. I did the quick-soak method for the beans, but want to try the overnight method next time since I think that contributed to a lot of the beans splitting and therefore making the broth a bit grainy/starchy. Still tasted great though — my husband noticed the texture thing much more than I did.

  • Clarityandstatic on April 01, 2026

    Pretty good minestrone recipe. I subbed kale for chard and added a Parmesan rind. I also skipped the basil and added a spoonful of pesto to each serving instead. The soup needed a lot of salt added at the end.

• Black bean soup

  • JamesFlavell on April 19, 2020

    Cooked too fast, should've done on low, checked sooner. Used not-low-salt chicken broth., Wasn't too salty.

  • aeader on November 17, 2024

    This was a great black bean soup, so convenient to make it in the slow cooker. My beans were about 3 years old and ended up needing 9-10 hours on high (didn't soak them first). I mashed up some of the beans right in the pot with a potato masher while the ham hock was cooling. Needed to add quite a bit of salt and pepper at the end (I did use low salt chicken broth). Would definitely make this again.

• Split pea soup

  • eve_kloepper on April 22, 2013

    add 1 tsp. dried marjoram. I used ham bone from Smithfield ham. Fantastic.

  • zorra on April 15, 2014

    Since some familiar stove-top dishes disappoint when done in a slow cooker, decided to follow this recipe, & so glad I did. Substituted a less-salty smoked turkey wing for the ham hock. Good flavor & it makes a reasonable amount rather than a huge pot.

  • ixoye2u on March 22, 2017

    Very tasty and easy prep. Used 2 packets of Goya Ham Flavored Concentrate seasoning instead of the ham hock.

• Homey chicken stew

  • ashallen on October 24, 2019

    My husband really likes the tender chicken and vegetables and comforting flavors in this dish. There's also lots of sauce! A definite comfort food-type dish. I find the flavors to be on the too-mild side for me and have to resist the urge to spice it up :). I've modified the cooking technique over time. I've found that using a strongly flavored, dark, homemade chicken stock (and my husband's preferences) allow me to skip browning the chicken. He also likes the chicken very tender so I skip microwaving the veggies - they soften well in the slow cooker. I had some issues with the flour not thickening the sauce properly, so I now use some additional flour and cook it on the stovetop with a larger portion of the stock for 10-20 minutes so it can gelatinize better before mixing it into the other ingredients. Freezes well.

  • aeader on January 23, 2024

    Great to have in the freezer, especially if someone in the house gets sick. Very tasty and will make again. I find it needs more salt and pepper added at the end than you would guess - probably because of the low-salt chicken broth.

• Spicy Thai-style chicken stew

  • Aggie92 on April 28, 2016

    It was too late in the day to use the slow cooker so I made this stove-top. Since I didn't use the slow cooker, I omitted the tapioca. The only substitutions I made were chicken breasts for thighs and broccoli for snow peas. Most ATK recipes are afraid to offend anyone with too much flavor and spice and this was no different. After the stew has cooked I tasted it for final seasoning and is was rather bland. So I doubled the brown sugar, fish sauce, and green curry paste. This produced a much better tasting stew, although it still wasn't very spicy. Served with Thai basil, sambal olek, and jasmine rice.

  • Delys77 on May 29, 2016

    Much like the other reviewer I thought this recipe needed more flavour. I doubled the fish sauce, lime juice, and tripled the curry paste and it was quite good after that. I cooked on low for 4 hours and 45 minutes and that was just right for our cooker. Also went with Snap peas which I microwaved for about about 12 minutes. Would definitely repeat as once it is jazzed up it is quite good.

• Bachelor beef stew

  • amandabeck on August 09, 2024

    A bit bland. Interesting technique to use a bunch of frozen ingredients, but the microwaving and fat skimming etc is a bit fiddly for the result.

• Hearty beef stew

  • TrishaCP on December 05, 2012

    Pretty flavorful. Did involve some prep work to sautée down the onions and garlic, but I loved not having to brown the beef. The foil packet to protect the potatoes and carrots from disintegrating into the stew worked perfectly.

  • hughb on November 24, 2014

    Good, basic stew. Followed recipe exactly and it came out very nicely.

  • ashallen on October 12, 2019

    Very good stew - given the basic nature of the recipe, I was actually surprised that I liked it as much as I did! Both the meat and the vegetables come out very nicely tender. Not as sumptuously flavored as one of Julia Child's beef stew recipes, but like TrishaCP, I love that it skips the messy meat-browning step. Easy to pull together overall - trimming the meat of excess fat/membrane was the most fiddly part. Freezes well.

• Beef Burgundy

  • ixoye2u on May 30, 2017

    Rich and delicious - more prep at beginning and end than the usual recipes here. Good recipe for special occasion over the weekend.

• Beef Stroganoff

  • Acarroll on January 21, 2023

    This was really tasty. I only used about 1 lb of beef, but that was enough. I did start to get tired of leftovers after round 3.

  • KatGeorge on September 20, 2025

    I’ve made this more than once - always delicious! A favorite especially in the cold weather when we want some good comfort food!

• Beef goulash

  • kiwimary on November 04, 2012

    I've made this a couple of times. Both times I reduced the amount of soya sauce and paprika by about half and it was excellent.

  • lkgrover on April 05, 2015

    I substituted pearl tapioca for the minute tapioca. It turned out well; a very thick sauce. And it smelled amazing all afternoon (probably because of the caraway seeds), and tasted good.

  • Delys77 on March 14, 2016

    The sauce for this stew is excellent. I thought the balance of flavours was great, but I would suggest brisket or short ribs as the beef was a bit dry by the end of the long cooking. Mind you, I did use pre cut stew meat so I am not sure if it actually came from a chuck roast.

  • mamacrumbcake on September 17, 2017

    It is so nice to have a slow cooker meal turn out as if it had been gently simmered on the stove! This was excellent: the beef was tender, the sauce was full-bodied and flavorful. I used the amounts specified in the recipe. Soy sauce may be an unusual ingredient here, but it gives an umami boost without leaving a suggestion of an Asian flavor in this dish. I cooked it on high for 5.5 hours. Update June 2024: made this in oven at 280 degrees and cooked for 4.5 hours. The meat was cooked perfectly and the sauce was sublime.

• Aloha pork chops

  • eselque on July 09, 2011

    Very good--great level of spice/heat.

  • Paojava on June 25, 2012

    This was ok...got a bit dry.

• Moroccan beef chili with chickpeas and raisins

  • nikkichic on August 21, 2011

    Wonderful! A definite 'keeper'. Took me about an hour from entering the kitchen to putting it all in the crock pot and washing up the prep mess, though.

  • eselque on October 09, 2011

    Delicious! Out of tomato paste, but it didn't seem to suffer. The couscous was a great complement.

  • sck on November 04, 2018

    Wonderful! Served with the couscous and it was perfect.

  • cucinahalcon on January 04, 2019

    Really tasty. I omitted the raisins for texture reasons.

  • jhallen on October 13, 2021

    This was very good, easy execution. Made with ingredients most people have on hand. Will definitely make again.

  • sarah_gsvptu on February 17, 2026

    The lemon is a nice addition. I enjoyed it. Just know you also need milk which isn't listed here in the ingredients.

• Sweet and cakey cornbread

  • eselque on September 25, 2011

    Made with Bob's Red Mill polenta--a little crunchier, but very good. Also, subbed baking soda/cream of tartar for baking powder and used thawed frozen buttermilk, and it was fine.

• Italian-style pot roast

  • ccav on December 24, 2011

    good, would make again but add more oregano and garlic

  • aeader on October 15, 2022

    Very good, would make again. Prep was easy but takes a little time. I only used one roast but the full amount of other ingredients. Served the first round over mashed potatoes, then shredded the rest and mixed with sauce to serve over pasta as another reviewer suggested. Cooked 6 hours on high and it came out perfectly, made the house smell great while cooking.

  • vbbaker on June 04, 2020

    Leftover makes a great pasta sauce: just shred the meat and add a little tomato sauce if it’s too thick. Delicious with rigatoni.

• Italian vegetable stew

  • ccav on December 24, 2011

    Best vegetable soup I've made in the slow cooker! For leftover soup, add mini meatballs, or cooked chicken for variations.

• Braised brisket and onions

  • bernalgirl on January 12, 2012

    Came out fall-apart tender after 9 hours on low. Delicious! Added an extra 1/2 cup liquid because it was going to be left unattended, it came out with the right amount of sauce.

  • Kojak on December 05, 2016

    This was a really good slow cooker recipe that can cook on low all day. Served with mashed potatoes. Would make again.

  • anya_sf on September 04, 2020

    Despite receiving the wrong cut of brisket (thicker with huge veins of fat) from grocery delivery (#covidcooking), this still turned out pretty well. There was just a ton of fat in the liquid, which I did my best to remove, but would have been much easier if made ahead and chilled. The meat on its own was kind of bland, but pretty tasty with the onion sauce, which did need extra seasoning at the end.

• Roasted maple-butter carrots

  • audryn on January 20, 2012

    Not in book's index. Found on page 191 with Classic Meatloaf recipe. Not a slow-cooker recipe, but oven roasted with simple glaze.

  • spraklpe_pea on May 12, 2019

    Recipe is on page 79 of my edition (magazine version).

• Sweet and sour cocktail meatballs

  • TrishaCP on February 03, 2012

    These weren't terrible, but they weren't great either. I thought they were a bit too one-note with the sweetness- maybe a bit more salt would have helped. The meatballs themselves were pretty tender, so I think it is worth checking out the other meatball recipes in this book.

  • ashallen on March 01, 2020

    Good - very tender meatballs in a flavorful sauce. Taking a cue from TrishaCP's note, I substituted a puree of dried apricots (dark unsulfured ones) for the apricot jam to reduce sugar in the sauce. I also used ~3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1.5 tbsp mustard, and 1 tsp ancho chili flakes to boost the savory flavors a bit. Sugar level in final sauce was good, but I thought it still needed some tinkering. Additional salt was definitely helpful (I'll add salt and/or soy sauce to the sauce at the start of cooking next time) as was some cider vinegar for sharpening the flavor. Once cooking was done, I stirred meatballs before degreasing and all the fat disappeared into the sauce - oops. I'll be sure to degrease first next time!

  • jenny_goyjur on April 09, 2026

    Sauce was watery. I ended up sticking it in a saucepan (without the meatballs) and cooking it down by half.

• Beginner's pulled pork

  • eve_kloepper on February 06, 2012

    perfect and super easy. and yes, the Bull's Eye BBQ sauce is quite good.

  • ixoye2u on July 26, 2017

    Easy prep with very good flavoring. I may try a different bbq sauce next time. Serves a lot.

  • Shewi128 on July 17, 2023

    This is so easy and perfect to feed a crowd. We even goofed and made it with bone-in pork shoulder, and it still turned out great. The meat came right off the bone. Highly recommend.

• Spicy ground beef taco filling

  • eve_kloepper on February 06, 2012

    made this with ground elk, and it was great.

  • Shewi128 on February 02, 2026

    A decent slow cooker recipe. It was easy to throw together. However, i didn't like it as much as a fresh batch made on the stove top.

• Balsamic-braised chicken with Swiss chard

  • purpleshiny on May 28, 2013

    Really good and really easy. Goes very, very well with the polenta. I skipped skimming the fat at the end (totally forgot) but didn't find it greasy at all.

  • aeader on November 26, 2014

    Delicious and easy. Used boneless skinless thighs and a bit of anchovy paste instead of the canned anchovies. Served over mashed potatoes. I actually made it in a cast iron dutch oven in the oven - took 1 hour at 350 degrees.

  • mamacrumbcake on August 26, 2019

    I thought that the sauce was a bit too sour so I added ? teaspoon of sugar before the chard. In the future I might use a little less vinegar or increase the chicken broth. Also, I think I prefer a meatier flavor rather than sour. With that in mind, I would up the umami—maybe with mushrooms, soy sauce, or more anchovies.

  • amandabeck on September 05, 2024

    Made with polenta. Sauce was a bit watery; I also didn't need to skim fat but had made sure the thighs were trimmed pretty well beforehand. Could probably saute onion etc in the slow cooker instead of dirtying another pan. Would use more meat next time. Decent slow cooker recipe, not too hard, and made nice leftovers with the polenta too.

  • wkhull on November 05, 2024

    This dish came out good to great except for a mild cloying sweet-acid taste. I used a very high quality vinegar (very thick and syrupy) and regret not reducing the volume. The chard stems could easily have been chopped and added to the cooker. Sauce came out too thin, but ended up being a very good thing when serving with polenta (and roasted sweet potato rounds). The highlight, and the reason I think this dish is definitely worth trying, is the chicken. It came out absolutely perfect, falling off the bone. I did 3 hours on low (with 6 thighs) and because of a time crunch, another hour with cooker on high. I too did not skim any fat and did not find that step necessary. During prep, I found I had to add some of the stock into the pan almost immediately after adding the vinegar in order to be able to cook for the full 3 minutes and not having it stick to the bottom of the skillet (it was thick!). Will adapt this for future dishes, minus the vinegar.

• Mole chicken chili

  • TrishaCP on June 30, 2013

    This isn't a mole- it is a chicken chili with the flavors of mole. Not as good as real mole, but a delicious make-ahead option nonetheless. I sautéed my aromatics rather than microwaving them, used my own judgment on chipotles (less), and didn't bother with shredding the chicken. (I used an extra pound of chicken, and I still had tons of sauce.) I served with cornbread, but the suggested rice side is really a must because the flavors are very rich.

  • cedarmakesthings on September 12, 2014

    This was very good, and nice and simple. I served it over rice with mashed sweet potato on the side, which I mixed all together and made it even better!

  • ashallen on October 24, 2019

    This was easy to pull together and my husband, who's a fan of mole/mole-style flavors in general, *loved* it. I thought it was fine, but the flavors didn't grab me as much as they did my husband - they seemed muddled relative to some other mole-style dishes I've made. Like TrishaCP, I didn't bother shredding the chicken - it was easy to break up inside the slow cooker pot.

• Weeknight meat sauce

  • jenmacgregor18 on October 05, 2014

    I cooked it at the low setting for the least amount of time. the meat was chalky & dried out. I threw out the whole batch. maybe the meat was too lean?

• Spicy sausage ragu with red peppers

  • aeader on November 02, 2014

    This was a great sauce - very flavorful and nicely spicy. I cooked on high for 5 hours and took the lid off the last 30 min to let it thicken up. The prep was quick and easy. It made the house smell delicious while it was cooking. I cut the recipe in half since I have a small slow cooker, and there were only 2 of us. I actually forgot to add the red peppers at the end. Served with rotini pasta and salad. I used homemade tomato sauce and skimmed the fat before serving.

  • Partyof7 on March 21, 2018

    Excellent flavor. Do skim the fat at the end. yum.

• Pork chops with dried fruit compote

  • kleins99 on April 01, 2020

    I seared the 4 boneless pork chops on each side first because it seems to be the thing to do. I also used 1 whole onion instead of shallots. I also added fresh ginger and fresh thyme. I didn't have dried cherries, so used 11 oz. dried apricot instead of the suggested 8 oz.

  • Christine on June 18, 2015

    Made mostly as directed, but skipped the parsley and used 4 boneless pork chops. Fit well in my 3.5 quart slow cooker. They were moist and tender and the compote perfectly complements the pork. A new favorite recipe that is extremely easy to make -- it's one of those recipes where there is no extra prep work other than chopping two ingredients and combining everything in the slow cooker before walking away -- my favorite kind of slow cooker recipe!

• Macaroni and cheese

  • Cheri on December 10, 2011

    This is thick and rich. Added some diced ham. Makes alot. Next time, I would halve the recipe. Keep in mind there is about a 20 min prep before it goes into the crockpot. It is heavy and creamy. Flavor is good, but not Excellent....

  • hbakke on November 26, 2021

    This was an easy mac and cheese. It looked kind of gross and separated at the end of cooking before stirring it. It came together well, but gets more mushy and congealed the longer it sits in the slow cooker. The kids all liked it.

  • organizedmomof7 on May 16, 2025

    This is our favorite Mac n cheese recipe. I usually have to add up to 1 cup of hot water at the end of cooking time. I only use Barilla pasta. Delicious and always a hot when I bring it for potlucks

• Tequila and lime turkey chili

  • sck on November 04, 2018

    This is our go to chili, and we always get asked for the recipe. We make it just as written.

  • Aggie92 on April 17, 2016

    This is a good chili, but the tequila and lime flavors do not come through unless you add them right before serving. Reheating the leftovers the next day killed those flavors. So have plenty of limes and cheap tequila on hand. Omitted the honey (I know it is only a tablespoon, but come on, honey in chili?!?!). Also omitted the bread and milk mixture. My ground turkey was perfectly moist after 4 hours in the slow cooker. The chili needed a little more flavor after cooking, so I added some extra ground cumin (2 heaping teaspoons) to tamp down the tomato flavor of the chili. Overall a good recipe.

• New Mexican red pork chili

  • sck on November 04, 2018

    We love this one and make it every year.

  • TrishaCP on February 09, 2019

    This was tasty. It is a slow cooker recipe that requires some of your time beforehand (sautéing veg, etc), but then cooks long enough (9-10 hours) that you can make it on a day you are at work. (I just prepped the night before.) There is no degreasing step, but we found it was needed.

  • ashallen on October 29, 2019

    I really, really like this recipe - very flavorful!! Pork also gets really nicely tender. I use a bit more onion than called for in the recipe (2-3 cups). I prefer the raisins to be well cooked and for their sweetness to permeate the sauce so I chop them up well and stir them in half-way through cooking instead of adding them whole at the end. Like TrishaCP, I've found that a degreasing step can be helpful - whether or not I need to degrease seems to depend on how much care I take to trim fat from the pork before placing it in the slow cooker. [Cross-post for Slow Cooker Revolution/Complete Slow Cooker.]

• Green bean casserole

  • Aggie92 on November 29, 2014

    What a tasty time saver for a very busy Thanksgiving cook! I have finally found a green bean casserole recipe that is worth making. Even the die-hard lovers of the canned version were impressed with this. The day before, I made the sauce and mixed it up with the green beans and then refrigerated overnight. On Thanksgiving day all I had to do was turn the slow cooker on and forget about it for 6 hours. I did make a few small changes, increased the mushrooms to 1 pound and added a cup of thinly sliced shallots to up the sweet oniony goodness. Also skipped the breadcrumb topping and instead I added the rest of the can of fried onions to a hot skillet and quickly toasted them. After dishing the casserole I put the toasted onions on top. The mushroom sauce was so good I was licking the spoon and wishing I could bathe in it ;-)

• Dixie collard greens

  • Aggie92 on January 03, 2017

    Used 2 (12-oz.) bags of frozen collard greens. Since I did not have a ham hock I substituted 4 tsp Better Than Bouillon ham base in 4 cups of water (omitted chicken broth). I really like this, it's so easy and makes a great pot of greens. Cut the cooking time back to 6 hours on LOW.

  • ixoye2u on July 31, 2017

    Very good. I use Goya ham seasoning instead of ham hock

• Old-fashioned tamale pie

  • Aggie92 on February 02, 2017

    Yum! Perfect for a cold, snowy winter day. I only had half the amount of chicken called for and it was enough for a hearty casserole. Since the weather was crummy and I don't have instant polenta in the pantry, I substituted self-rising cornmeal and made a half batch of the cornbread recipe on the back of the Martha White package. So the topping was 1 1/2 cups self-rising cornmeal, 1 egg, and 1 1/8 cup buttermilk. Cooked on low for 6 hours.

• Mashed potatoes

  • Aggie92 on November 26, 2022

    The convenience of cooking the potatoes in the slow cooker was really nice on Thanksgiving. However, the outcome wasn't so great. The potatoes that sat in the water cooked through, but the ones above the water were still a bit crunchy. When I tried to stir them in, the soft bottom potatoes starting breaking up and absorbing the water. So I wound up with watery mashed potatoes. Sigh.

• White chicken chili

  • hughb on November 24, 2014

    Very tasty and not difficult. The hominy is a brilliant idea - it infused the stew with a deep corn flavor.

• Fancy pork stew with fennel and prunes

  • Delys77 on March 22, 2016

    Not a bad idea and smelled delicious while it was cooking but I think the result is far too sweet. The fennel, prunes, and brandy all add a note of sweetness that when taken to gather is a bit overwhelming. I might consider cutting the prunes entirely.

• Easy taco chili

  • aeader on December 29, 2024

    Very good - a nice variation from our regular chili. We topped it with grated pepper jack cheese and crumbled tortilla chips. Freezes well.

• Weeknight beef chili

  • aeader on November 24, 2022

    We liked this a lot and really appreciated the convenience of making it in the slow cooker. Will definitely make again. I used black beans instead of kidney beans. The texture of the chili is better when freshly made than after being frozen.

  • ashallen on November 21, 2021

    The flavors in this chili were fine but washed-out in comparison to those in my usual stovetop ground beef-and-bean chili. Not very spicy even though my chipotles were extra-hot and I kept their seeds. Adding some vinegary hot sauce after the cooking is done helps to brighten this up. I substituted black beans for kidney beans and they stayed intact for the long cook. I like the convenience of putting everything in the slow cooker and walking away, but given the flavor differences I'll continue to use my stovetop recipe.

• Smoky sausage and bean chili

  • aeader on December 18, 2022

    This may be our new favorite chili. I cooked it for 5 hours on high and it was perfect. Used Rancho Gordo's Alubia Blanco beans (very small, no soak) and just mashed some of them up right in the pot when it was finished. Left out the liquid smoke and didn't miss it - there was plenty of smoky flavor from the sausages. A definite repeat.

  • PanNan on January 28, 2021

    I made this recipe without the liquid smoke but found that the smoky andouille, smoked sausage, chipotle and chilli powder provided plenty of smoke flavor. I cooked it on high for 6 hours and kept it warm for a bit longer. The beans were fall apart tender and I didn't need to mash any of them to thicken it up. The end result was very flavorful and delicious, and was mildly spicy.

• Irish oatmeal

  • aeader on January 01, 2021

    The oatmeal had a nice toasted, nutty flavor. I liked being able to make a large batch at once for breakfasts throughout the week, and not having to watch/stir constantly as I do when making oatmeal on the stovetop. I will be making this frequently and will try the other variations suggested with fruit, nuts, etc. I cooked on low for 4 hours. Edited to say that 8 cups water was actually not too much, as it thickened up more after being refrigerated. You can also freeze the prepared oatmeal without much effect on the texture.

• Sweet and sour braised red cabbage

  • aeader on December 02, 2014

    Made this to use up a head of red cabbage from the CSA. Left it in the slow cooker for the full 6 hours on low, although it probably would have been fine at 4 hours. The seasoning was good, I would possibly cut back the sugar (maybe not add any at the end?) next time as I would like it a little less sweet.

• Mexican lasagna

  • aeader on January 11, 2026

    Made this using the ground turkey and chipotle taco filling from this book and pinto beans that I cooked from dried and it was fantastic. I made the taco filling and the beans on the weekend, which made this quick and easy to assemble on a weeknight. Will be a definite repeat for us.

• Sticky wings

  • JamesFlavell on April 07, 2024

    4lb wings 1/4c tomato paste 3/4c dark brown sugar 2TBS minced/grated fresh ginger

• Chicken Provençal

  • lpaynter on May 17, 2026

    The onions they used must be tiny because the 1.5 Visalia’s I used were waaaaay too many. I subbed Provence blend for the oregano and a pound of cherry tomatoes for the canned. Big crowd pleaser and easy. Served with rice and side salad with Dijon and tarragon. ??

• Italian Sunday gravy

  • thewheatons on November 04, 2015

    Delicious. Makes a huge batch and is quick to pull together as, aside from the aromatics, there is no browning before combining everything in the slow cooker.

  • mamacrumbcake on December 29, 2015

    This was good, but not to die for. Since there are other sauces my family likes a lot more we probably won't be making this again.

• Shepherd's pie

  • sarahawker on November 27, 2018

    Quite good, the prep was longer than expected for a slow cooker meal, but not difficult. I chopped the mushrooms small and would go even smaller so my kids didn't notice. Flavor was very good. I did not add the carrots to the onions very early. I still want some texture to my carrots, not mush. Would make again.

  • lesliewolfhard on March 17, 2016

    Good flavor, but another slow cooker recipe that requires nearly as much prep time as it does cook time. I would make it again.

  • dbuhler on January 29, 2024

    This is a family favorite that I've been making for years. I stick to the recipe exactly as written with the exception of the frozen peas, I omit those and substitute green beans. It is a delicious version of shepherd's, and all the prep and cooking before it makes it to the slow cooker is well worth it.

• Cranberry-pear sauce with ginger

  • lkgrover on November 28, 2023

    Okay cranberry sauce, but I prefer other versions. I cooked on low for 8 hours in the slow cooker. Used Bosc pears.

• Smothered pork chops with onions and bacon

  • lkgrover on January 31, 2022

    Loved this slow-cooked pork recipe -- in between a pork stew & pork with onion & bacon sauce.

• Texas chili

  • lkgrover on November 17, 2025

    Excellent chili (stew), perfect cold weather comfort food.

  • Fishboy9123 on January 12, 2022

    My go to easy chili recipe. Always turns out well.

• Irish oatmeal with apples and raisins

  • clawsgirl on February 06, 2017

    Absolutely delicious. Reheats very well, especially in the microwave covered for a couple minutes, and lasts longer than the 4 days it lists. I've been eating this everyday for almost a month now and I'm still not tired of it. Says something.

• Swiss steaks with onions and mushrooms

  • Kojak on December 05, 2016

    Would make again. Don't be scared by the amount of onions.

• Meatballs and marinara

  • Kojak on December 05, 2016

    Meh. Nothing great. Bland.

• Smoky shredded chipotle beef filling

  • Kojak on December 05, 2016

    Meh. Not as much flavor as I was expecting.

• One-minute salsa

  • Kojak on December 05, 2016

    Easy sauce--like the chipotles.

• Easy barbecued ribs

  • Sandy.Toes on October 20, 2017

    About as easy as can be. The rub has surprisingly good flavor for having so few ingredients. I like the meat to almost fall off the bone, with no gnawing on bones required. After 6 hours, the ribs were still pretty firm, at 7 hours the meat was coming off the bone, which made transferring them to a baking sheet challenging. Flavor after broiling was good, but the sauce was one-note (used ATK's No-Cook Pantry Barbecue Sauce). The ribs were too dry, clearly overcooked. 6 hours is about right. There's no need for 3 cups sauce with these, better to save at least half and use it at the end (I used about 2 cups in the slow cooker). There was so much liquid, it took almost 30 minutes to reduce. Will make them again using my homemade BBQ sauce, and paint some on before cooking, perhaps leaving half the ribs with only the rubs, just to see how that works. This is an easy way to cook ribs that invites tweaking to personal taste.

  • ixoye2u on February 05, 2018

    I agree with Sandy Toes. Very good flavoring for the amount of ingredients and easy to make. I had a lot of BBQ sauce left over so less of that for next time. Superbowl hit!

• Barbecued beans

  • Sandy.Toes on October 20, 2017

    Easy prep and great flavor, although a bit on the bitter side. I used light brown sugar with a little molasses, to mimic dark brown sugar. The coffee could easily be eliminated to make them more kid-friendly, or keep it and add 2 tablespoons honey to temper the bitterness. I added 1 tablespoon honey to about 3 cups of leftovers and kids and adults loved them. They weren't anywhere near as sweet as B&M or Bush's. My navy beans took a long, long time to soften. Will make again using great northern beans because they turn over so quickly in the supermarket.

• Fresh strawberry jam

  • ixoye2u on October 24, 2017

    Made again and it turned out better than the first go around. Made full recipe and properly canned them to give as gifts.

  • ixoye2u on July 31, 2017

    My first time making strawberry jam and it was a hit! I halved the recipe since it's me and my hubby. Easy prep - definitely great first time recipe.

• Sausage lasagne

  • ixoye2u on March 15, 2018

    Easy way to make lasagna. I prepped it the night before and had a family member cook it in the crock pot around noon and everything was ready when we got home. I personally prefer a little more sauce in my lasagna and will use more next time. Definitely worth repeating.

• Macaroni salad

  • ixoye2u on February 05, 2018

    This was ok, nothing to write home about. I'll be on the lookout for a different recipe.

• Honey-mustard drumsticks

  • ixoye2u on February 05, 2018

    This was a hit in our house. Yummy!

  • BrendaD1962 on December 15, 2024

    Loved this. Delicious!

• Brazilian black bean and pork stew

  • ixoye2u on June 20, 2017

    Very tasty. However, this recipe makes a LOT of food. I might consider cutting it down in half next time.

• Honey-glazed carrots for a crowd

  • Jviney on April 14, 2025

    This was a fantastic way to cook carrots for an early Easter dinner with friends. I doubled the recipe, except for the honey and it was perfect. Five hours on low was just right.

• Tomato macaroni and cheese

  • hbakke on May 20, 2019

    So good! Used panko with butter, garlic, and parsley for the breadcrumb topping.

• Creamy cauliflower with bacon

  • cucinahalcon on November 24, 2018

    I thought this was a pretty tasty rather healthy soup. It definitely needs to be served with some crusty bread. It would even be good garnished with cheese… and/or bacon. The buttery cauliflower garnish is super tasty but in a pinch it would still be good without. This makes lots of leftovers (and we used the fried cauliflower in pretty much the first servings). I did not peel the potatoes, and I think I used more than a pound.

• Tex-Mex stuffed bell peppers

  • jay.moe on February 24, 2022

    The peppers themselves were softer than I like, next time I will cook them a shorter amount of time than the recipe suggests. Although the stuffed peppers had some spice, I felt it needed some tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes to balance out the flavor.

• Barbecued beef brisket

  • ashallen on April 19, 2022

    This was great, particularly for a slow cooker recipe. I used a piece of brisket that was 1 pound smaller than called for in the recipe - worked fine. Very tender. As usual for slow-cooked brisket, it sliced more cleanly after resting overnight. Recipe makes lots of flavorful sauce. At first it seemed like it might be spicier than we prefer, even though I'd cut back on the chipotle by 1 tbsp, but a lot of heat disappeared with the fat skimmed from the sauce's surface at the end of cooking. I skipped the liquid smoke but it would have been a nice addition.

• Turkey breast and gravy

  • Ohrenschall on September 22, 2020

    Delicious gravy. Easy weeknight recipe

  • senzler on February 04, 2025

    Very moist. Would make again but no bay leaves. Sage instead

• Red beans and rice stew

  • Shewi128 on March 18, 2021

    I forgot to put in chicken stock, and just did water, so the result was fairly bland (which is my fault completely). However, when you add more salt, it had a good result. The stew isn't fussy, and tasted decent. Nothing too special, but worth another try if I need a quick slow-cooker meal. Also, I soaked the beans overnight (which they don't instruct you to do). I've learned I don't like slow cooked beans that haven't been soaked. Edited to add: they do say to salt-soak the beans. Not sure how I missed that. I made these a second time, and they were much better with the chicken stock. I prefer thicker red beans, but it was a decent weeknight meal.

• Red lentil stew

  • Shewi128 on July 11, 2022

    When I was making this stew, I thought to myself that the spice quantity was inadequate as slow cookers decrease spice intensity. I was right. Maybe I would make this again and double or triple the spices, but I'm not so inclined to try it again.

• Pork loin with cranberries and orange

  • Acarroll on April 17, 2023

    This was fine. I overcooked it a bit. Flavors were overly sweet and pretty one-note.

• Buttermilk coleslaw

  • KathyCookinginSeattle on September 08, 2022

    Absolutely the best coleslaw we’ve ever had. Definitely going to be my go to moving forward. Are used one container of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots from the grocery store(PCC). Page 142

• Classic marinara sauce

  • Shewi128 on February 02, 2026

    I made this for an easy weeknight meal. It wasn't particularly memorable but it made a massive batch. I would make it again with the purpose of using it in other dishes.

• Big-batch Bolognese sauce

  • contraversion on April 27, 2024

    My go-to freezable pasta recipe. I've been using 1.5 c of gluten-free panko instead of the sandwich bread.

• Easy pesto meatballs

  • Shewi128 on February 02, 2026

    I made this by pre cooking the meatballs in the broiler to set the shape. They still did not hold their shape and made a pesto flavored meat sauce. Wouldn't make again.

  • ashley_5s03j5 on February 19, 2026

    This is in regular rotation in our house. Straightforward and easy enough for my teen to make. We typically make this vegetarian with “impossible”/ fake beef. I use premade pesto.

• Sweet and spicy shredded pork filling

  • Shewi128 on February 02, 2026

    This was just ok. It wasn't too difficult, but wasn't a memorable dish.

• Southern-style chicken and dirty rice

  • elle_in4x9r on May 05, 2026

    This is a family favorite at our house and I've been making it for many years. I usually use a combination of chicken thighs and breasts (halved) and turkey kielbasa + andouille. Sometimes I add shrimp when the rice goes in. The leftovers are as good as the original meal!

• Oregonian

  ...this book debunks the myth that slow-cooker food is bland and mushy. Sure, these meals take some preliminary fuss... but the results should pay off with more flavorful dishes.

  Full review