I started using a slow cooker in 2024 and I’ve fallen unexpectedly in love with this quotidian device.
This may sound incredibly obvious to those of you who have long loved this kitchen appliance. But despite many years of a career that had both my husband and I working outside of the house most of the day, I never adopted the make-ahead ease of the slow cooker. I’ve always had an outsized fear of leaving the house with any device plugged in, much less something that is intended to get and stay hot for prolonged periods of time.
Rather than adopting the slow cooker for make-ahead convenience, I came to my love of this device via a decidedly unusual path.
If you listened to my conversation with Anne back in What Should I Read Next episode 487, you may have heard me mention that my husband and I are building an Earthship and living off-grid in New Mexico. Well, this has meant that for much of the past two years and until quite recently, I haven’t had a standard kitchen at my disposal. Specifically, I’ve lacked a cooktop or standard oven—which makes meal preparation just a little bit tricky.
Enter the slow cooker.
I picked up a standard model at my local shop more out of necessity than interest, and then proceeded to cook nearly every meal in this device for months on end. I’ve come to love the diversity, reliability, and simplicity of the one-pot meals it can create.
That said, the experience hasn’t been without its hiccups. There’s nothing more annoying than finding a delicious-looking slow cooker recipe that then goes on to require an extensive stovetop saute prep session, or a separate roasting routine. I’ve learned to refine my search terms and to adapt recipes when I just don’t have the equipment (or time!) to jump through extra hoops.
Wading through millions of online slow cooker recipes has also been a bit of a challenge. Like many families, we have food sensitivities to grapple with: in our case, tomatoes are on the avoid list, despite being a staple of many slow cooker recipes.
Regardless of these small challenges, over the past two years, I’ve slowly put together a recipe list of crowd-pleasers and simple recipes. I’m including three of my favorites here:
1. Slow-Cooker Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Pie. (Taste of Home)
I live in the land of green chile so this recipe is a favorite. Since I’m not a fan of corn tortillas, I substitute flour tortillas with no impact on the immediate product. They don’t hold up well to re-heating, though, so plan ahead and make this for a larger crowd or be prepared for some soggy next-day tortillas if you also use this substitution.
2. Shredded Chicken Gyros. (Taste of Home)
My recipe sourcing is quite broader than only this website, but it just so happens that my top two recipes come from Taste of Home. This Greek-inspired recipe is incredibly delicious and so generous with substitutions. No lemon-pepper seasoning? I’ve used lemon juice & black pepper with no impact on the end flavor. Can’t get pita bread? My small rural grocery store doesn’t carry them, so I swap in my beloved flour tortillas with no regrets. And, they’re just as good with chopped cucumber and plain greek yogurt if you can’t get your hands on (or forget to buy) tzatziki.
3. Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches. (Delish)
I adore coleslaw and my husband tolerates it, unless it’s served on top of pulled pork. Thus, this is a common compromise meal on our calendar. It’s so simple and results in a truly tasty meal. I’ve never had liquid smoke on hand, and haven’t missed it.
As I’ve grown more comfortable and confident with my slow cooker, I’ve enjoyed branching out from slow cooker classics like chilis and stews. While I can’t claim to be a culinary mastermind, I’ve been quite proud of successfully making less-common slow cooker fare, like banana bread, lasagna, hard boiled eggs, and brownies.
2025 came to an end with a kitchen plot twist: I got an Instant Pot. Will it replace my beloved crock pot? It’s too soon to say but I’m pretty sure I’ll find room for both in my long-term kitchen rotation.
Do you have a favorite slow cooker recipe? I’d love to hear about it; please leave a comment below. (Bonus points if it doesn’t include tomatoes.)
P.S. 8 beautiful, practical cookbooks you’ll turn to again and again, 20 easy and delicious go-to weeknight dinner recipes that count among our family’s greatest hits, and My favorite spices and seasoning blends.
About the author
Holly Wielkoszewski is our What Should I Read Next Media Production Specialist. Her go-to genres are Fantasy and Sci-Fi. You can follow Holly on her Substack: A Liminal Life.
