Favorite slow-cooked dinners for fall

Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.

As the temperatures begin to drop, we crave warm dinners more than ever. Finding time to make a hearty meal, though, can be challenging for many. Luckily, there’s an easy solution: the slow cooker.

These five recipes will get you through the work week with nutritious and satisfying dinners your whole family will love. The best part: They take hardly any hands-on cooking time at all.

Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.
Chicken taco lettuce wraps
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Serving Size Two lettuce tacos

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Ingredients

  • Optional:

Preparation

  1. Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top chicken with chipotle peppers in adobo. Cook on high for 2½ hours.
  2. Remove chicken from the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Return it to the slow cooker. Add diced tomatoes, garlic, cumin, and oregano to the slow cooker. Stir, and cook for another 1½ hours.
  3. To serve, spoon some of the chicken into the center of a lettuce leaf. Top with optional toppings.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 236 Calories
  • 5g Total Fat
  • 0g Saturated Fat
  • 318mg Sodium
  • 97mg Cholesterol
  • 11g Total Carbs
  • 3g Fiber
  • 5g Sugars
  • 34g Protein
  • 904mg Potassium
Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.
Ratatouille with white beans
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Serving Size 2 cups

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions, stir and cook until completely softened and browned.
  2. While the onions brown, place eggplant, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, tomatoes, and garlic into slow cooker. Add tomato paste to the onion pan and stir. Transfer to the slow cooker and stir until all vegetables are coated.
  3. Cover the slow cooker and cook for 4 hours on high. When you’re almost ready to serve, remove lid and add beans. Stir, and cook for 15-30 minutes, uncovered. Add basil and serve.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 301 Calories
  • 12g Total Fat
  • 2g Saturated Fat
  • 102mg Sodium
  • 0mg Cholesterol
  • 43g Total Carbs
  • 17g Fiber
  • 1g Sugars
  • 11g Protein
  • 1093mg Potassium
Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.
Slow cooker poached salmon
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 29 minutes
Servings 4 servings

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Ingredients

  • Optional

Preparation

  1. Combine water, white wine, shallots, celery, garlic, dill, and lemon juice in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 45 minutes.
  2. Place salmon fillets inmixture. If the liquid does not cover the salmon, add additional warm water. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for around 45 minutes, until fish flakes with a fork and internal temperature reaches at least 145°F.
  3. Remove fish from liquid. Serve warm or cold, with optional lemon slices and fresh dill.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 289 Calories
  • 11g Total Fat
  • 2g Saturated Fat
  • 92mg Sodium
  • 5mg Cholesterol
  • 5g Total Carbs
  • 0g Fiber
  • 1g Sugars
  • 34g Protein
  • 796mg Potassium
Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.
"Roast" chicken & veggies
Prep Time 8 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Serving Size 1 breast and 1/2 cup vegetables

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Spray the slow cooker with cooking spray and place the celery, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, half the parsley, and the oregano inside.
  2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. In a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over a medium flame. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook until well browned. Turn the chicken over and cook for another minute.
  3. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in slow cooker, on top of vegetables. Top with broth. Cover and cook on low for about 4 hours.
  4. Place one chicken breast and vegetables on each plate. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and serve.

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 386 Calories
  • 6g Total Fat
  • 1g Saturated Fat
  • 208mg Sodium
  • 105mg Cholesterol
  • 37g Total Carbs
  • 6g Fiber
  • 3g Sugars
  • 44g Protein
  • 1077mg Potassium
Slow cooker with a glass lid filled with simmering food, placed on a kitchen counter next to a bowl of garlic.
Lentil bolognese
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 hours
Servings 6 servings
Serving Size 3/4 cup

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Ingredients

Preparation

  1. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker. Mix thoroughly. Cook on low for 5 hours. 
  2. Remove lid. If the sauce is too thick, add water. If the sauce is too thin, cook without the lid for another 10-15 minutes. 
  3. Use as a topping for spaghetti squash, zucchini noodles, or whole wheat pasta (or any combination of the three).

Nutrition

(per serving)
  • 240 Calories
  • 5g Total Fat
  • 1g Saturated Fat
  • 323mg Sodium
  • 0mg Cholesterol
  • 36g Total Carbs
  • 16g Fiber
  • 11g Sugars
  • 13g Protein
  • 482mg Potassium

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