The first cold night changes what dinner is supposed to do. Road food stops leaning on the grill and starts tasting like whatever has been simmering since morning, and a slow cooker brings that same patience into an ordinary kitchen. These recipes stay on the savory side of fall, with real dinners built around pork shoulder, beef chuck, chicken, beans, squash and dark broths before dessert or cider gets a turn. There are 24 mains here, so the list doesn’t quietly become thirty ways to warm apples. Cut the root vegetables big, add dairy late and save the quick-cooking greens for the last few minutes.
Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Apples
Pork shoulder and tart apples can handle a full day together as long as the fruit stays in thick wedges. The cider cooks down into a sharp-sweet gravy instead of a sugary glaze. Sear the pork if you have ten minutes; that brown edge survives the long cook.
Cider-Braised Pork Shoulder with Apples
Ingredients
Method
- Season the pork with the salt and pepper and heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sear the pork until dark brown on two broad sides, 4 to 5 minutes per side, then transfer it to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the onion, mustard, cider, vinegar and thyme, turning the pork once to coat it.
- Cover and cook on low until the pork pulls apart under a fork, 7 to 8 hours.
- Nestle the apple wedges into the liquid for the final 45 minutes so they soften without disappearing.
- Transfer the pork and apples to a platter and skim excess fat from the cooking liquid.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water, stir it into the cooker and cook on high until the gravy thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pull the pork into large pieces and spoon the cider gravy over it.
Herb Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
This is the first cold-Sunday roast to make when the kitchen finally feels good warm. Parsnips bring more flavor than another pile of potatoes, and the carrots stay in big pieces so they don’t turn to baby food. The beef is done when it slumps under tongs.
Don't lose this list! Drop your email and we'll send it to you, so you've got it handy next time you're hungry or planning a trip.
Herb Pot Roast with Root Vegetables
Ingredients
Method
- Season the roast with the salt and pepper and brown it in the oil in a hot skillet for 5 minutes per broad side.
- Spread the onion, carrots, parsnips and potatoes across the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker and set the roast on top.
- Whisk the tomato paste, broth, Worcestershire, rosemary and thyme and pour the mixture around the beef.
- Cover and cook on low until the meat is fork-tender and the root vegetables are soft but intact, 8 to 8 1/2 hours.
- Move the roast and vegetables to a platter, tent loosely with foil and skim the fat from the liquid.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water, stir it into the cooker and cook on high until glossy and thickened, about 10 minutes.
- Break the roast into serving pieces and spoon the gravy over the meat and vegetables.
Beef and Barley Stew
Barley gives this stew a nutty chew and thickens the broth without flour. Use pearl barley, not quick-cooking, or it’ll surrender before the beef does. Frozen peas go in at the end; eight hours in the pot would turn them gray and bitter.
Beef and Barley Stew
Ingredients
Method
- Season the beef with the salt and pepper and brown it in two batches in the oil over medium-high heat, 5 to 6 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the beef to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and barley.
- Whisk the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire and thyme and pour it into the cooker; tuck in the bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on low until the beef is tender and the barley is cooked through, 7 to 8 hours.
- Discard the bay leaf and stir in the frozen peas.
- Cover and cook on high until the peas are hot and bright green, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Thin the stew with 1/2 cup hot water if the barley has absorbed more broth than you like, then check the salt.
Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Pumpkin belongs in chili when it disappears into the base and leaves body behind. You shouldn’t taste pie spice or dessert. Chipotle, cumin and browned turkey keep the pot smoky, while two kinds of beans make it substantial enough for dinner.
Pumpkin Turkey Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the turkey, breaking it into small crumbles, until no pink remains, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until the onion softens, 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, chipotle and salt and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and stir in the pumpkin, tomatoes, both beans and broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the chili is thick and the pepper pieces are tender.
- Uncover for the final 20 minutes if the chili looks loose, then taste for salt and chipotle heat before serving.
Maple-Dijon Chicken Thighs and Carrots
Maple syrup can make slow-cooker chicken cloying, so mustard and cider vinegar do the balancing. Boneless thighs stay juicy through the shorter four-hour cook and give the carrots enough time to soften. Don’t leave this one running all day; chicken has limits.
Maple-Dijon Chicken Thighs and Carrots
Ingredients
Method
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and arrange the carrots and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Set the chicken in one layer over the vegetables.
- Whisk the maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, Worcestershire and thyme and pour it evenly over the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low until the thighs reach 175°F and the carrots are tender, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- Move the chicken and vegetables to a platter and switch the cooker to high.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water, stir it into the sauce and cook uncovered until lightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Spoon the sharp maple sauce over the chicken and carrots.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Real wild rice splits open and stays pleasantly chewy after hours in the pot. Dairy waits until the end so it doesn’t curdle around the edges. This soup is rich, but the mushrooms and thyme keep it on the savory side of heavy.
Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and place it in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add the wild rice, onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, broth, thyme and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on low until the rice grains split and the chicken reaches at least 175°F, 6 to 7 hours.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, pull it into bite-size pieces and discard the bay leaf.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Cook the milk mixture until it coats a spoon, 4 to 5 minutes, then stir it and the chicken into the cooker.
- Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes, then thin with hot broth if the rice has made the soup too thick.
Sausage and Brown Lentil Soup
Brown lentils keep their shape while Italian sausage seasons the whole broth. There’s no need to soak them, but rinse them well or the soup can taste dusty. A handful of spinach at the end brings color without asking kale to cook for seven hours.
Sausage and Brown Lentil Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook until the onion softens, 4 minutes; stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the lentils, tomatoes, broth, oregano, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape, 6 to 7 hours.
- Stir in the spinach and vinegar and cover for 5 minutes until the leaves wilt.
- Taste the broth after the sausage has seasoned it and add more salt only if needed.
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili
This meatless chili doesn’t lean on fake meat or a mountain of cheese. Butternut squash breaks slightly at the corners and gives the tomato broth real body, while black beans keep their shape. Cut the squash evenly or half the pot will be mush before the rest is tender.
Butternut Squash and Black Bean Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Add the squash, onion, bell pepper, garlic, black beans, tomatoes and broth to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, paprika and salt and stir until no dry spice pockets remain.
- Cover and cook on low until the squash is tender at the center but most cubes still hold their shape, 5 to 5 1/2 hours.
- Mash about 1 cup of the squash and beans against the side of the cooker and stir it back in to thicken the chili.
- Stir in the lime juice and cook uncovered on high for 10 minutes if the chili looks loose.
- Taste for salt and serve while the squash still has defined edges.
Red Wine Short Ribs
Short ribs are expensive enough that skipping the sear makes no sense. Brown them hard, then let red wine, tomato and onion turn into a dark sauce while the connective tissue melts. Chill the cooking liquid if you can; the fat lifts off in one clean sheet.
Red Wine Short Ribs
Ingredients
Method
- Season the short ribs with the salt and pepper and heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Brown the ribs in batches until a dark crust forms on three sides, 8 to 10 minutes per batch, then place them in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook the onion and carrots in the skillet until browned at the edges, 5 minutes, then add the garlic and tomato paste for 1 minute.
- Pour in the wine, scrape the skillet clean and boil for 3 minutes before adding the mixture to the cooker.
- Add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaves, cover and cook on low until the meat nearly slips from the bones, 8 to 8 1/2 hours.
- Transfer the ribs to a platter, discard the bay leaves and skim the sauce thoroughly.
- Boil the sauce in a saucepan until it coats a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes, then spoon it over the ribs.
Cider Brats with Apples and Sauerkraut
Bratwurst, tart kraut and apples make a full cold-weather dinner once potatoes join the pot. Browning the sausages keeps their casings from looking pale and rubbery. Put the apples on top, where they soften in the steam instead of dissolving in the cider.
Cider Brats with Apples and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the bratwurst on two sides, about 5 minutes total; they will not be cooked through.
- Spread the potatoes and onion in a 6-quart slow cooker and cover them with the sauerkraut.
- Whisk the cider, mustard, caraway and pepper and pour the mixture into the cooker.
- Set the browned bratwurst over the sauerkraut and arrange the apple wedges on top.
- Cover and cook on low until the potatoes are tender and the sausages reach 160°F, 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
- Serve each brat with potatoes, apples, kraut and enough cider liquid to moisten the plate.
Herbed Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Raw turkey meatballs can go straight into the cooker if the sauce is already hot and you keep them in one layer. Parmesan and grated onion protect the lean meat from turning bouncy. Stir only after they’re set or you’ll end up with turkey ragu.
Herbed Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Stir the tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, oregano and 1/2 tsp salt in a 6-quart slow cooker and heat on high for 30 minutes.
- Mix the turkey, breadcrumbs, Parmesan, onion, egg, milk, basil, pepper and remaining 1 tsp salt just until combined.
- Shape the mixture into 24 meatballs, about 1 1/2 inches each, without packing them hard.
- Lower the meatballs gently into the hot sauce in one layer, spooning a little sauce over their tops without stirring.
- Cover and cook on low until the meatballs reach 165°F and feel firm at the center, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
- Turn the meatballs carefully through the sauce and let them stand uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Poblano White Chicken Chili
Roasted poblano gives white chili a deeper green-chile flavor without making the whole pot hot. Mash one can of beans before cooking and the broth thickens on its own. The cream cheese is optional in spirit but not in this recipe; it rounds the edges without turning the chili into dip.
Poblano White Chicken Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Broil the poblanos on a foil-lined pan, turning, until blackened all over, 8 to 10 minutes; cover them for 5 minutes, then peel, seed and dice them.
- Season the chicken with 1 tsp salt and place it in a 6-quart slow cooker with the poblanos, onion and garlic.
- Mash one can of beans with 1/2 cup broth and add it to the cooker with the whole beans, remaining broth, green chiles, cumin, oregano and remaining salt.
- Cover and cook on low until the chicken reaches 175°F and shreds easily, 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
- Remove and shred the chicken, then return it to the cooker with the corn and cream cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring twice, until the cheese melts smoothly and the corn is hot.
- Stir in the lime juice and check the salt before serving.
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
Sweet potatoes can vanish in a slow cooker, so cut them big and add them halfway through. Pork shoulder, tomatoes and warm cumin make a savory stew rather than a sweet one. The orange cubes should yield to a spoon while still looking like cubes.
Pork and Sweet Potato Stew
Ingredients
Method
- Season the pork with the salt and pepper and brown it in two batches in the oil over medium-high heat, about 6 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the pork to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, cumin, paprika and coriander.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 1/2 hours.
- Stir in the sweet potatoes and chickpeas, cover again and cook until the pork is tender and the potatoes yield to a spoon, 3 1/2 to 4 hours more.
- Stir in the vinegar and let the stew stand uncovered for 10 minutes so the broth settles.
- Taste for salt and break apart only the largest pieces of pork before serving.
Mushroom Beef Stroganoff
Chuck roast turns tender while mushrooms give the gravy more depth than a packet ever could. Sour cream goes in after the heat drops, because boiled dairy looks broken even when it tastes fine. Cook the noodles separately; leaving them in the cooker all day guarantees paste.
Mushroom Beef Stroganoff
Ingredients
Method
- Season the beef with the salt and pepper and brown it in two batches in the oil, 5 to 6 minutes per batch.
- Add the beef to a 6-quart slow cooker with the onion, mushrooms and garlic.
- Whisk the broth, mustard, Worcestershire and thyme and pour it into the cooker.
- Cover and cook on low until the beef is tender, 6 1/2 to 7 hours.
- Whisk the cornstarch with the cold water, stir it into the cooker and cook on high until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes.
- Turn off the cooker, let the bubbling stop and fold in the sour cream until no white streaks remain.
- Boil the egg noodles according to their package until tender, drain them and serve the stroganoff over the hot noodles.
French Onion Beef with Gruyere Toasts
The onions need a head start in a skillet or they’ll stay pale and oddly crunchy in the broth. Once browned, they cook down around beef chuck into something halfway between pot roast and French onion soup. The cheese toast stays out of the cooker until the bowl is ready.
French Onion Beef with Gruyere Toasts
Ingredients
Method
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onions and sugar and cook until deeply golden, 18 to 22 minutes.
- Season the beef with the salt and pepper and arrange it in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Spread the browned onions over the beef and add the broth, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaf.
- Cover and cook on low until the beef pulls apart easily, 7 1/2 to 8 hours.
- Discard the bay leaf, shred the beef into large pieces and stir in the balsamic vinegar.
- Top the baguette slices with Gruyere and broil until the cheese bubbles and browns at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Ladle the onion broth and beef into bowls and set one cheese toast on each serving.
Chicken Pot Pie Filling with Biscuits
This gives you the creamy center of chicken pot pie without asking biscuit dough to steam under a slow-cooker lid. Bake the biscuits separately so their bottoms stay crisp. Frozen peas wait until the end, and the chicken comes out for shredding before the sauce thickens.
Chicken Pot Pie Filling with Biscuits
Ingredients
Method
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and place it in a 6-quart slow cooker with the onion, carrots and celery.
- Add the broth, thyme and bay leaf, cover and cook on low until the chicken reaches 175°F, 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate, shred it into bite-size pieces and discard the bay leaf.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, whisk in the flour for 1 minute, then slowly whisk in the milk and 1 cup cooking broth.
- Cook until the sauce coats a spoon, 4 minutes, then stir it into the cooker with the chicken and frozen peas.
- Cover and cook on high until the peas are hot and the filling bubbles at the edge, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Bake the biscuits according to the package until well browned, split them and set one over each bowl of filling.
Maple-Sausage Baked Beans
Beans and smoked sausage make this substantial enough to count as dinner, not just a cookout side. Maple syrup stays in the background behind mustard, tomato and smoke. Drain the beans well or the sauce never reaches that sticky, spoon-coating stage.
Maple-Sausage Baked Beans
Ingredients
Method
- Brown the kielbasa rounds in a skillet over medium-high heat until their cut sides color, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the kielbasa, navy beans, kidney beans and onion to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Whisk the ketchup, maple syrup, molasses, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the beans and fold gently until everything is coated.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the onion is tender and the sauce is dark and thick.
- Uncover and cook on high for 15 minutes if the sauce still runs quickly from a spoon, then stir before serving.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
All the useful parts of a stuffed pepper are here, without trying to keep a whole pepper upright for six hours. Cook the rice separately so it doesn’t drink the pot dry. The soup should stay brothy around the beef, tomatoes and soft bell-pepper pieces.
Stuffed Pepper Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef until no pink remains, 7 minutes; drain excess fat.
- Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the beef mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the bell peppers, both tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire, oregano and salt.
- Cover and cook on low until the peppers are tender but still recognizable, 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
- Combine the rice and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat until tender, about 15 minutes.
- Fold the cooked rice into the soup just before serving so the grains stay distinct.
Cider Chicken Thighs with Cabbage
Cabbage turns silky under chicken thighs and catches every bit of cider and bacon flavor. Add it halfway through so it keeps some shape instead of melting into the sauce. Bone-in thighs take longer than boneless ones, but they taste better here and stay juicier.
Cider Chicken Thighs with Cabbage
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp, transfer it to a plate and leave 1 tbsp fat in the pan.
- Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and brown it skin-side down in the bacon fat until deep golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
- Spread the onion in a 6-quart slow cooker, set the chicken skin-side up on top and sprinkle in half of the bacon.
- Whisk the cider, vinegar, mustard and sage and pour the mixture around, not over, the chicken.
- Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, then tuck the cabbage around the thighs.
- Cover again and cook until the chicken reaches 175°F and the cabbage is tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more.
- Skim the sauce and scatter the remaining crisp bacon over the chicken and cabbage.
Tuscan Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup
This is a brothy sausage soup, not cream with a few beans hiding in it. Cannellini beans soften into the tomato broth while kale goes in late enough to stay green. Use hot sausage if the weather is miserable; mild works when you’re feeding everybody.
Tuscan Sausage, White Bean and Kale Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, breaking it into bite-size crumbles, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onion and carrots and cook for 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the beans, tomatoes, broth, rosemary, pepper and salt.
- Cover and cook on low until the carrots are tender and the broth tastes fully seasoned, 5 1/2 to 6 hours.
- Stir in the kale, cover and cook on high until the leaves are tender but still green, 15 to 20 minutes.
- Finish with the lemon juice and adjust the salt after tasting the sausage-seasoned broth.
Cranberry-Balsamic Beef Meatballs
These are dinner meatballs, not tiny party snacks, with a tart cranberry sauce that makes sense next to mashed potatoes. Browning is worth the extra pan because it sets the shape and leaves dark edges. The balsamic keeps the sauce from tasting like warmed jam.
Cranberry-Balsamic Beef Meatballs
Ingredients
Method
- Mix the beef, breadcrumbs, onion, egg, milk, salt and pepper just until combined and shape the mixture into 18 meatballs.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the meatballs in two batches, turning to color three sides, about 6 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the meatballs to a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.
- Whisk the cranberry sauce, broth, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire and rosemary until mostly smooth and pour it over the meatballs.
- Cover and cook on low until the meatballs reach 160°F and the sauce darkens, 4 1/2 to 5 hours.
- Turn the meatballs gently through the sauce and let them stand uncovered for 10 minutes before serving.
Smoky Three-Bean Chili
Three beans give this meatless chili different textures instead of one uniform spoonful. Cocoa and chipotle deepen the tomato base without announcing themselves. It’s thick enough for a football bowl but still ladles easily; mash some beans only if yours looks thin at the end.
Smoky Three-Bean Chili
Ingredients
Method
- Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, all three beans, both tomatoes and broth to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cocoa, chipotle and salt until the spices disappear into the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low until the onion and pepper are fully tender and the broth tastes integrated, 5 to 6 hours.
- Mash 1 cup of beans against the side of the cooker if the chili needs more body, then stir them back in.
- Cook uncovered on high for 10 to 15 minutes until the surface looks thick rather than watery.
- Taste for salt and chipotle heat before serving.
Rosemary Lamb Stew with Parsnips
Lamb shoulder and parsnips make a stew that tastes unmistakably different from another pot of beef and potatoes. Rosemary can bully everything else, so one teaspoon is enough for the long cook. Peas and lemon arrive at the end to pull the dark broth back into balance.
Rosemary Lamb Stew with Parsnips
Ingredients
Method
- Season the lamb with the salt and pepper and brown it in two batches in the oil over medium-high heat, 6 to 8 minutes per batch.
- Transfer the lamb to a 6-quart slow cooker and add the onion, carrots, parsnips and garlic.
- Stir the tomato paste into the hot skillet for 1 minute, then add the broth and wine and scrape up the browned bits.
- Pour the liquid into the cooker, add the rosemary and bay leaf and cover.
- Cook on low until the lamb yields easily to a fork and the parsnips are tender, 7 1/2 to 8 hours.
- Discard the bay leaf, skim excess fat and stir in the peas.
- Cover on high for 8 minutes, then finish with the lemon juice and check the salt.
Pumpkin-Sausage Rigatoni
Pumpkin makes a velvety tomato sauce for sausage and rigatoni without reading as dessert. The pasta is boiled separately and folded in at the end, because no noodle improves after six hours. Sage and Parmesan push the sauce firmly toward dinner.
Pumpkin-Sausage Rigatoni
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the sausage, breaking it into bite-size pieces, 7 to 8 minutes.
- Add the onion and cook until soft, 4 minutes, then stir in the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Transfer the mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and stir in the pumpkin, tomatoes, broth, sage, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours until the sauce darkens slightly and the onion disappears into it.
- Stir in the cream and keep the cooker on warm while boiling the rigatoni in salted water until just tender.
- Drain the pasta, fold it and 3/4 cup Parmesan into the sauce and let it stand for 5 minutes.
- Serve with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top.
Cinnamon Oat Apple Crisp
A towel under the lid catches condensation and gives this apple crisp a topping instead of wet oatmeal. Use firm apples and check early; slow cookers vary more than ovens do. The edges should bubble and the center apples should bend under a spoon without collapsing.
Cinnamon Oat Apple Crisp
Ingredients
Method
- Coat a 6-quart slow cooker insert with nonstick spray.
- Toss the apples with the granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and spread them evenly in the cooker.
- Rub the oats, flour, brown sugar, remaining cinnamon and butter together until clumps form, then fold in the pecans.
- Scatter the topping over the apples without pressing it down.
- Stretch a clean cotton kitchen towel over the cooker, set the lid on top and fold the towel ends up over the lid away from the heat.
- Cook on high until the apples are tender and juices bubble at the edge, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
- Remove the lid and towel and let the crisp stand for 15 minutes before spooning it out.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Day-old bread soaks up pumpkin custard and comes out soft in the middle with toasted edges around the crock. Pecans break up the uniform texture. Lift the lid only near the end; every early peek drops the heat and stretches the cook.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Ingredients
Method
- Coat the inside of a 6-quart slow cooker with the softened butter and add the brioche cubes.
- Whisk the pumpkin, eggs, milk, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until smooth.
- Pour the custard over the bread, fold gently until every cube is damp and scatter the pecans over the top.
- Let the mixture stand in the cooker for 15 minutes so the driest bread absorbs custard.
- Cover and cook on low until the center reaches 165°F and no liquid custard appears when pressed, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Turn off the cooker, uncover and rest the pudding for 15 minutes before scooping.
Pear and Cranberry Cobbler
Pears bring mellow sweetness while cranberries keep this cobbler bright enough to finish a heavy dinner. The biscuit topping steams more than it bakes, but a towel under the lid prevents it from going gummy. Use pears that are firm at the neck, not already soft.
Pear and Cranberry Cobbler
Ingredients
Method
- Coat a 6-quart slow cooker insert with nonstick spray.
- Toss the pears, cranberries, 1/2 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and cinnamon in the cooker.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then cut in the butter until pea-size pieces remain.
- Stir in the milk just until a shaggy dough forms and drop 10 rough spoonfuls over the fruit with gaps between them.
- Stretch a clean cotton kitchen towel over the cooker, set the lid on top and fold the towel ends away from the heat.
- Cook on high until the fruit bubbles and the center of a biscuit reaches 200°F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
- Uncover and rest for 15 minutes so the juices thicken.
Classic Mulled Apple Cider
Good mulled cider smells stronger than it tastes, which is exactly right. Whole spices infuse cleanly and strain out in one bundle; ground cinnamon leaves sludge at the bottom of every mug. Keep it below a simmer so the fresh apple flavor survives.
Classic Mulled Apple Cider
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the cider into a 4- or 5-quart slow cooker and add the orange rounds.
- Tie the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice and star anise in a double layer of cheesecloth and add the bundle to the cider.
- Stir in the maple syrup, cover and cook on low until fragrant and steaming but not boiling, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
- Remove the spice bundle and orange rounds before they make the cider bitter.
- Stir in the vanilla and switch the cooker to warm for up to 3 hours.
- Ladle into mugs, keeping the heat low enough that the cider never bubbles.
Warm Cranberry-Orange Punch
This ruby punch gives the non-cider people something warm to hold. Cranberry is naturally sharp, so orange juice and a measured amount of honey soften it without turning it into syrup. Pull the spices after two hours; cloves get medicinal when forgotten.
Warm Cranberry-Orange Punch
Ingredients
Method
- Combine the cranberry juice, orange juice, pineapple juice and honey in a 5-quart slow cooker and stir until the honey loosens.
- Add the orange rounds, cinnamon sticks, cloves and ginger.
- Cover and cook on low until steaming and fragrant, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, without letting the punch boil.
- Strain out the orange and spices so the cloves do not turn bitter.
- Switch the cooker to warm and hold the punch for up to 3 hours.
- Stir before ladling because the juices settle as they stand.
Maple Pumpkin Spice Lattes
A slow cooker is useful for a batch latte as long as the milk never boils. Real pumpkin gives the drink body, but too much makes it taste like soup, so the amount stays modest. Whisk twice during heating to keep the spices from gathering on the surface.
Maple Pumpkin Spice Lattes
Ingredients
Method
- Whisk the milk, coffee, pumpkin, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a 5-quart slow cooker until smooth.
- Cover and cook on low for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, whisking after 45 minutes and again before serving.
- Check the temperature after 90 minutes and switch to warm once the latte reaches 150°F to 160°F.
- Do not let the mixture simmer, because boiled milk develops a skin and a cooked flavor.
- Whisk vigorously just before ladling to redistribute the pumpkin and spices.
- Hold on warm for no more than 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
The fall ingredients that are worth the trouble
Butternut squash earns its peeling time because it can thicken chili, hold a clean cube in stew and take several hours of low heat without turning stringy. Buy a whole squash when you want firm pieces; the pre-cut tubs are useful, but older cubes dry at the edges and soften unevenly. Parsnips are another good buy. They look like pale carrots but bring an earthy sweetness that stands up to lamb and pot roast better than another pound of potatoes.
Fresh apple cider matters in braises and drinks. It tastes sharper and more like fruit than shelf-stable apple juice, so a cup can cook for hours without leaving only sugar behind. Firm apples matter just as much. Granny Smith holds its wedges beside pork and under crisp topping, while a soft McIntosh will disappear early. Pumpkin puree is worth using when it has a job: body in turkey chili, moisture in bread pudding and a smooth base for sausage pasta. It doesn’t need cinnamon every time it leaves the can.
Fresh cranberries are unapologetically sour, which makes them useful around rich food. They keep pear cobbler from becoming flat and give a warm punch a cleaner finish. Whole spices also justify the extra purchase. Cinnamon sticks, cloves and allspice can be bundled and removed, leaving fragrance without a gritty layer at the bottom of every mug.
Feeding a houseful during football season
Choose one meal that holds well instead of trying to time three hot dishes around kickoff. Chili, baked beans, meatballs and sausage-lentil soup can sit on warm for an hour or two without falling apart. Chicken breasts, pasta and dairy-heavy soups cannot. If people will eat in waves, keep cooked rice, noodles and cheese to the side and let each person build a bowl. That keeps starch from swelling in the cooker and saves the late plate from being worse than the first one.
An eight-serving recipe usually feeds six hungry adults when it is the only food. Add cornbread, rolls, a chopped salad or a tray of raw vegetables and it can cover eight. For a bigger group, run two different six-quart cookers rather than doubling one recipe past the fill line. A slow cooker should stay between half and two-thirds full for predictable heating, especially when raw meat is involved. Label the mild pot if one chili carries chipotle; nobody enjoys discovering that by accident.
Set out shallow bowls, sturdy spoons and a place for used lids before the room fills. Keep hot food at 140°F or above and refrigerate leftovers within two hours of switching the cooker off. Warm cider and cranberry punch can hold separately on the lowest setting, but dairy-based lattes need stirring and should not linger all afternoon.
Questions people ask
Can I leave these recipes on warm all day?
Most roasts, chilis and bean dishes can hold on warm for one to two hours once they’re fully cooked. Chicken, pasta, rice, dairy soups and desserts lose quality much faster. Check that the cooker keeps food at 140°F or above, and refrigerate leftovers instead of using warm as overnight storage.
Why do some vegetables go in halfway through?
Sweet potatoes, cabbage and apples cook faster than chuck roast or pork shoulder. Adding them later lets the meat become tender without turning the produce into puree. Root vegetables meant to cook all day should be cut in large, even pieces and placed low in the cooker where the liquid and heat collect.
Can I assemble a crockpot recipe the night before?
You can chop vegetables, mix sauces and brown meat ahead, then refrigerate the components in separate shallow containers. Don’t refrigerate a filled ceramic crock and move it straight to heat; a cold insert warms slowly and some manufacturers warn against the temperature shock. Assemble in the cooker in the morning and start it immediately.
How do I stop dairy from curdling in the slow cooker?
Add milk, cream, cream cheese or sour cream near the end, after the long simmer is finished. Warm milk through gently and turn off the heat before stirring in sour cream. If the recipe uses a flour-thickened milk sauce, cook that sauce separately and add it during the final 10 to 20 minutes.
