Crockpot Dinners That Taste Like a Roadside Diner

Slow-roasted meats and stews, in particular, are where crockpot dinners succeed. These 32 dinners get started in the morning and are ready by dinnertime, with minimal work in between.

Chicken Cacciatore – Slow Cooker

Recipe by Bradley Pittman

Chicken cacciatore is an old Italian dish. In cacciatore sauce, you'll find onions, herbs, tomatoes, bell peppers, mushrooms and black olives.

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Brown Gravy Diner Pot Roast

This is the standard pot roast formula. Be sure to brown the chuck well beforehand, or else this will come out tasting a bit bland.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

A Salisbury steak really is a big flat meatball, and meatballs are, of course, a crockpot staple. The onion and mushroom gravy provides the bass note, and a dash of Worcestershire provides brightness.

Pepperoncini Italian Beef Sandwiches

This Italian beef-style sandwich substitutes pepperoncini for the usual giardiniera. Save the broth and serve tableside; a quick dip makes the sandwich whole.

Pepper Steak with Steamed Rice

This works as a pepper steak alternative if you don't feel like shelling out for a fancier grilling cut. Chuck works well, slow-cooked, with peppers added later on to keep their flavor and texture fresh.

Slow-Cooker Glazed Meatloaf

Meatloaf doesn't require browning, so it works well in the slow cooker. The foil-sling technique prevents it from getting soggy, and the second glaze adds balance.

French Dip Beef and Onions

The best bite of a beef bourguignon is the broth you mop up with the end of a baguette, and that's what a good French dip does. Use a big, bold dry red wine here, like a Shiraz or a Malbec, but since you're cooking, a cheap bottle is totally fine.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

This is what those Flintstones-sized chunks of corned beef are for. I'd go heavy on the mustard and then be sure to leave the cabbage for later in the cooking process.

Four-Ingredient Salsa Verde Beef Tacos

I love any kind of slow-cooked red meat on a taco, but if you're looking for an alternative to barbacoa or similar, try using a green salsa instead. The flavors are front and center, so use a high-quality brand, and don't be afraid to add some lime and fresh, chopped cilantro at the end.

Four-Ingredient Lemon-Herb Chicken and Potatoes

Chicken thighs are nearly foolproof and handle slow cooking awfully well. If you're sensitive to bitterness, juice and zest the lemon instead, as the pith can easily bitter up the broth.

Four-Ingredient Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

The Buffalo sauce concept works as well on shredded chicken as it does on a wing. I'd recommend avoiding the bottled sauces, though; a mix, to taste, of hot sauce, vinegar, and a bit of Worcestershire and garlic powder should get you there.

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

I pretty much always make Italian-style meatballs with plenty of Parmesan. This recipe uses chicken for a Parmigiana-style flavor profile.

Four-Ingredient Root Beer Pulled Pork

Some people swear by cooking pork in soda, with both Coke and root beer being popular choices. Root beer, with its complex spices and caramel quality, is probably the better choice.

Smothered Pork Chops with Onion Gravy

Bone-in loins, especially the kind with the long rib bone that look like caveman weapons, are great in a slow cooker. This recipe uses an onion gravy with thyme, but I think a little sage would be great too.

Citrus-Garlic Pork Carnitas

I once had a series of dinners called "will it carnitas?" Where I used the technique on all manner of meats, but pork was still the winner. The basic idea is to slow-cook in citrus and herbs, and then finish under the broiler, so it's perfect for the crockpot.

Ham and Scalloped Potatoes

I usually view ham more as a seasoning than the main focus of a recipe. These scalloped potatoes are a perfect example of how it adds its smoky, salty, pork goodness to a larger dish.

Sausage, Peppers and Onions

Italian sausage is usually at its best when it mingles with a sauce during cooking. That being said, most any uncooked sausage will do — just brown 'em and drop 'em in.

Apple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin

Pork tenderloins cook up quickly, so they don't need much time, even in a crockpot. Consider a finer dice on the apples for more of an applesauce texture.

Four-Ingredient Sticky Barbecue Ribs

Ribs require low-and-slow cooking to soften up. After a day in the slow cooker, they're ready to be put under the broiler, sauce and all, to get that sticky, charred texture we all love.

Brown Lentil Sloppy Joes

Slow cookers also very much have a place in plant-based cooking. I wouldn't call this lentil dish a "sloppy joe," per se, but it works alright on a sandwich, and better on a plate as a side.

Coconut Chickpea Curry

Chickpeas have so many uses beyond just hummus and falafel. Especially with the sweet potato, you absolutely won't miss the meat here.

Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

One thing I love about corn tortillas is how they soak up cooking liquid. The tortillas get mushy here, and that's exactly the point.

Mushroom Farro Ragout

This hearty grain dish could make for a side or even a full meal, and the farro holds up well in the slow cooker. I like to have these dishes like this, simply as is, with a fried egg on top.

Spinach-Artichoke Slow-Cooker Lasagna

If you can't tend to an oven all day, it is possible to make lasagna in a slow cooker. The flavorful spinach-artichoke filling here helps compensate for the lack of browning.

Three-Cheese Baked Ziti

Baked ziti is a great alternative to lasagna, and the only extra step is partially cooking the ziti in advance. This recipe uses jarred pasta sauce, but I'd recommend using canned crushed tomatoes, chopped onion, and a bit of tomato paste instead.

Cheeseburger Macaroni

This really is more of a beef stew with some macaroni in it than a macaroni recipe. Finish with the cheddar, and feel free to add more or less.

Sausage Tortellini Marinara

As an all-day sausage ragu, this works great in a slow cooker with a cheese tortellini recipe. As always, I'd avoid the jarred marinara — homemade is easy, and for a slow cooker, you don't even need to cook the ingredients in advance.

Cajun Shrimp and Sausage Pasta

Andouille loves a slow cook, as any gumbo fan can tell you. Shrimp, however, very much do not, so leave them until the end.

Cheesy Taco Pasta

Think of this, really, as a chili with some pasta in it. Shells are the logical choice and are cooked separately before being folded in at the end of cooking.

White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet

While cassoulet usually has a variety of different meats, just sausage should be fine. If you have access to Toulouse sausages, they're the original and the ideal.

Turkey and Rice Stuffed Peppers

The key here is to find the right peppers — they need to be able to stand up by themselves, although the slow cooker is more forgiving than the onion. Turkey is just a suggestion here — I'd use beef.

Swedish Meatballs with Buttered Noodles

Everyone likes the meatballs at a certain Swedish chain store, but they're super easy to make at home too. Cook the noodles separately, or just serve them with some good crusty bread.

What to look for in a crockpot dinner that actually holds all day

The best all-day dinners begin with ingredients that improve under steady, moist heat. Beef chuck, pork shoulder, dried beans and firm root vegetables have enough structure to make it through seven or eight hours on low. Chicken thighs hold better than breasts, though both can dry out when they are left after reaching a safe temperature. Cut potatoes and carrots into large, even pieces and place them near the hot sides or bottom of the crock. Delicate vegetables, cooked pasta and quick seafood belong near the finish line instead.

A useful sauce should start a little thinner and more strongly seasoned than you want it on the plate. The closed cooker returns condensation to the food, so liquid barely reduces. Use broth with restraint, drain canned tomatoes when a casserole does not need their juice and remember that onions release water as they soften. For a gravy that holds, whisk flour into cold broth at the beginning or stir in a cornstarch slurry near the end. Dairy is safest late, once the hardest simmer is over.

Think about the last ten minutes before leaving the house. A meal that needs noodles boiled, peppers added and a sauce thickened at exactly six o’clock may not suit a long workday. Pot roast, carnitas, lentil filling and pulled pork are more forgiving because they can rest briefly on warm. Choose the recipe whose finishing work matches the evening you expect, and use a timer-controlled cooker only as its manufacturer directs. Raw meat should begin cooking promptly, not sit for hours waiting for a delayed start.

Crockpot mistakes that turn dinner to mush

Small pieces are the first problem. A one-inch potato cube can be done hours before a roast, and thin bell pepper strips may dissolve into the sauce. Keep long-cooking vegetables chunky, leave cabbage in wedges and add tender produce during the final 30 to 60 minutes. Pasta is even less patient. Boil it separately or add it only for the short time stated in the recipe, checking before the suggested time because slow cookers vary. Cooked rice usually belongs under the finished meal, not in the crock all afternoon.

Too much liquid creates another kind of softness. A slow cooker is not a stockpot, and most braises need liquid only partway up the meat. Filling it to the rim also slows heating and encourages uneven results. A six-quart crock works best when it is roughly half to two-thirds full. Resist lifting the lid to check every hour; each peek releases heat and stretches the cooking time. Use the lower end of the time range for newer cookers, which often run hotter than older models.

The final mistake is treating every ingredient as if it needs the same schedule. Brown ground meat before it goes in so it stays in distinct pieces, and sear large cuts when a deep roasted taste matters. Add cheese, sour cream and fresh herbs after the long cook. Stir seafood in near the end and stop as soon as it is opaque. If vegetables are tender but a sauce is watery, remove the lid and use high for 10 to 20 minutes rather than cooking the whole dinner for another hour.

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