Slow cooker meals are a great way to save time when you have a busy day. And I think we can all agree they’ve saved us a few times when life gets crazy.
What I love about these meals most is they can be prepped the morning of so whenever you are ready to eat, your meal is ready too!
The following easy slow cooker recipes are “dump and go” meals, have few ingredients, or require little prep time.
Whether you’re looking for an easy main dish or soup, there’s a slow cooker recipe here for you!
Crock Pot Cooking Tips
What you need to know about Crock Pot Cooking:
On my site I use Crock Pot and Slow Cooker interchangeably. In either case, I am referring to the classic crock pot which has a ceramic pot that is heated on all sides.
The LOW setting generally takes twice as long to cook a dish than using the HIGH setting. Most dishes can cook for 6-8 hours making them a perfect dish to come home to after a long day of work.
Aside from a few appetizers most recipes are designed to be cooked in a 5-6 qt appliance. For a proper cook food should take up at least ½, but not more than ¾ of the pot.
Use a crock pot liner for easier clean up.
Frozen raw meat is not recommended for crock pots. Be sure to put your meat in the fridge the night before so it’s ready to be used.
Avoid removing the lid because a significant amount of heat escapes and you’ll need to add up to 20 minutes to get the pot back to the right temperature.
Be sure you don’t completely forget about your cooking food as they can overcook in the pot.
Browning Beef
Many recipes call for browning beef before adding it to the pot. I will always make sure to brown ground beef for the best flavor and texture and so that the oil and fat can be removed. Other meats don’t have to be browned. It just depends on what your preference is.
Honestly, I feel like everything made in a crock pot is super easy. Even so I’ve divided some of our favorite recipes into a few easier categories:
Recipes that only require 8 ingredients or less
Dump and Go
Less than 10 minutes of Preparation
Easy Crockpot Meals
All of these recipes have 3-8 ingredients. Some of them are dump and go, others only take a little bit of preparation. Doesn’t get any easier than that!!
Main CourseBeef Stroganoff Recipe
This Easy Beef Stroganoff recipe is simple and flavorful. Served with egg noodles, this creamy stroganoff made in the slow cooker is a classic Sunday dinner recipe and is perfect to enjoy any night of the week.
These Simple and delicious Slow Cooker Pork Chops are sure to become a family favorite. They are so tender and juicy and are topped with an amazing gravy that we love to serve over the chops and mashed potatoes!
Prepare to be amazed by this ultra tender, fall off the bone crock pot pork roast. It only takes a handful of ingredients to make, including the complimentary gravy.
This crock pot ham is made entirely in the slow cooker, which makes for quick prep time and minimal effort. With a deliciously sweet brown sugar glaze, it’s our favorite way to make a holiday ham!
This Crock Pot Roast Recipe is one of our favorite Sunday dinners. It takes only 3 minutes of prep time and then the slow cooker does the rest! The chuck roast ends up being SO tender and full of flavor from the brown gravy, Italian, and ranch dressing mix!
Hot and cheesy Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas to feed your family any day of the week! So easy to throw all the ingredients in and let the crock pot do the work for you.
You’ll love how simple, yet flavorful, this delicious chicken is. Made entirely in the crockpot, creamy ranch chicken is perfect on its own or served over rice.
A lot of these soups are also “dump and go”. I much prefer making soup in the crockpot over the stovetop because it tends to involve much less babysitting on my part!
This Crockpot Taco Soup Recipe includes all the most flavorful ingredients. Just dump all the ingredients in your slow cooker, and 4 hours later you'll have a creamy and delicious taco soup!
A warm tasty soup full of chicken, beans, corn, spices, and of course – tortilla strips on top! You’re going to love this hearty, delicious soup that can be enjoyed all year long – especially in the fall!
With a combination of chicken, potato, white beans, carrots, spinach and more, this chicken florentine soup is hearty and absolutely delicious. It tastes similar to Olive Garden's recipe, but it's made in the slow cooker!
Filled with hamburger meat, carrots, potatoes, Velveeta, delicious spices, and BACON, this Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup is the perfect recipe for a cold day!
Hearty and delicious Hamburger Soup is filled with corn, carrots, potatoes, cheese and more! Best of all, it's made in the slow cooker with minimal effort.
A simple, convenient, and TASTY stew recipe made in the crock pot! Made with chicken, potatoes, carrots, cream of chicken soup, sour cream, ranch dressing mix and more, this Slow Cooker Chicken Stew recipe is BURSTING with flavor!!
My name is Kristyn and I’m the mom of SIX stinkin’ cute kids and the wife to my smokin’ hot hubby, Lo. My mom’s maiden name is Luna, and I’m one of the many crafty “Lil’ Lunas” in the fam. On this site I like to share all things creative - from recipes to home decor to gifts and home decor ideas. Welcome!
