36 Fall Slow-Cooker Recipes To Make All Season Long

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Updated on August 6, 2024

Southern Living Slow Cooker Brisket Chili in the bowl to serve — Photo:
Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

Slow-cooker recipes are all about simplicity, which is exactly why we love them so—because every one of these fall slow-cooker meals means you'll spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family and friends. Not only do these weeknight warriors show you how to use your slow cooker for making side dishes—hello, creamy mac-and-cheese and sweet potato casserole—but also standout main dishes that can feed a crowd or serve as tasty leftovers.

Let these fall slow-cooker favorites show you how to use your slow cooker to make dishes that feel as cozy and comforting as autumn does.

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Slow Cooker Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Lentil Soup — Jennifer Causey

Tasty, filling, and meat-free, this comforting soup recipe is both simple and satisfying.

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Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup

Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup — Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Torie Cox

The French may have first invented French onion soup, but Southerners are revolutionizing this classic dish with the help of one of our favorite kitchen gadgets. Make this comforting soup with low effort and impress your family with your prowess.

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Easy Chili

Easy Chili — Caitlin Bensel; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This chili has all the ingredients you'd expect from a classic: ground beef along with tomatoes, beans, onion, and spices. Adding it to your slow cooker for a few hours will ensure all of the flavor have plenty of time to develop.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Southern Living Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings in a bowl to serve — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Cooking the chicken with the skin on and bone in helps prevent the meat from drying out entirely during the long, slow cooking process. But the fat also releases unparalleled amounts of flavor from the natural fats of the skin.

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Slow-Cooker Salisbury Steak

Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak — Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

This hands-off approach to salisbury steak will make it even more comforting and delicious because you'll only have to spend 20 minutes in the kitchen.

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Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup

Southern Living Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup in bowls to serve — Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely

There's no shortage of flavor (or veggies!) in every bowlful of this comforting vegetable soup. You can even add extra vegetables you may have on hand to this easy recipe.

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Classic Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

classic slow-cooker beef stew - Southern Living — Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle

Classic beef stew is best when it cooks low and slow, making it the ideal recipe to prepare in your trusty slow cooker.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup

slow cooker chicken soup — Iain Bagwell

At the first sign of lower temperatures, soup's on the menu! You can never go wrong with homemade chicken noodle soup to keep everyone warm and healthy.

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Slow-Cooker Honey-Garlic Chicken

Southern Living Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken served over rice on a plate — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Honey and garlic add sweetness and bite to a typical chicken dinner. The soy sauce, rice vinegar, and fresh ginger round it out for an unforgettable dish.

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New Orleans Red Beans And Rice

New Orleans Red Beans And Rice — Greg DuPree; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley

You read that right: Even classic red beans can be made in the crockpot, and this recipe is as authentic as it gets.

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Slow Cooker Brisket Chili

Southern Living Slow Cooker Brisket Chili in the bowl to serve — Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell

A flavor-packed ingredient list including black beans, beef brisket, a healthy dose of spices, and veggies take this chili to the next level. A quick prep time and a slow cooker to do all the hard work makes for an easy, delicious dinner!

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Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks

Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Recipe — Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Collard greens are a Southern favorite regardless how they're prepared, but this recipe is the easiest way to go about cooking them. Cooking the greens and ham hocks on low for nine hours ensures that all the flavors meld together beautifully while keeping it simple and low effort.

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Slow-Cooker Pork Roast

Slow-Cooker Pork Roast — Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Flavorful pork and tender vegetables make up a hearty meal that is easy for any weeknight.

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White Chicken Chili

White Chicken Chili — Hector Manuel Sanchez

This chicken chili recipe couldn't be easier. It calls for a short list of ingredients and comes together all in your slow cooker.

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Slow-Cooker Pot Roast

Slow-Cooker Pot Roast — Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton

We'll take pot roast any day of the week, and this one is made even simpler in the slow cooker.

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Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce

Meatball Sliders with Tomato Sauce — Photo: Hector Sanchez

This fun dish is two recipes in one: delicious, easy meatballs and a slow-simmered tangy tomato sauce. If you have any extra sauce, toss it with your favorite green vegetable, spoon it over a bowl of creamy grits, or pair it with pork chops or other meats.

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Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa Recipe

Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos with Fresh Tomato Salsa — Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Amp up your Taco Tuesday with these simple yet flavorful pork tacos. Filled with spices and topped with fresh salsa, these will be hit with any crowd.

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Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese

Uncle Jack's Mac-and-Cheese — Hector Sanchez

Classic cafeteria-style goodness, this recipe yields enough to serve as a side for a crowd, or it could be dinner for a family of four.

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Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole

Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato Caserole — Southern Living

All the sweet comfort of the classic Thanksgiving casserole, but without having to fill up your baking dish.

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Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup

creamy-potato-and-ham-hock-slow-cooker-soup — Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

With chunky pieces of potato and chopped ham hock, this soup is every bit of delicious that you want on an autumn night.

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Slow-Cooker Cowboy Beans

Slow-Cooker Cowboy Beans

Flavored with bacon and delicious when served with rice, these cowboy beans are a leveled-up version of barbecue beans.

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Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings

Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings — Iain Bagwell

Make a classic chicken and dumplings recipe even more Southern by topping the vegetable-and-chicken-packed stew with cornbread dumplings.

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Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos

Slow-Cooker Carnitas Tacos — Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Make taco night even more hands-free with this recipe for slow-cooked pork carnitas flavored with orange juice. Serve with all the fixings.

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Spaghetti Casserole

Spaghetti Casserole — Jennifer Davick

All your favorite ingredients are featured in this easy slow-cooker version of spaghetti casserole.

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Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken

Crock-Pot Salsa Chicken — Caitlin Bensel

Homemade burrito bowls are packed with protein, fiber, and flavor. Make a big batch of chicken and use it for days.

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Slow Cooker Goulash

Slow Cooker Goulash — Jennifer Causey

Made with a boneless chuck roast, fire-roasted tomatoes, and aromatic vegetables, this goulash recipe lets the meat cook down until it makes a thick and flavorful sauce that doesn't need any additional broth.

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Peppered Beef Soup

Peppered Beef Soup — Southern Living

Freeze leftovers in an airtight container up to three months. Add a bit of canned broth when reheating to reach desired consistency.

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Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce

Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce — Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox

This is a sauce that will impress any guests, and this recipe makes it way easier than it looks on the plate.

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Beer-Braised Pot Roast

Beer-Braised Pot Roast — Photo: Hector Sanchez

This is no ordinary pot roast. First, it's rubbed with coffee, then it simmers in dark stout beer and beef stock, yielding a deeply delicious gravy. Small carrots with tops and pearl onions elevate it further.

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Slow-Cooker Posole

Mexican Stew — Photo: Hector Sanchez

Classic posole, a delicious slow-simmered Mexican pork stew often reserved for special occasions, is typically a time-consuming labor of love. But this one gives you all the comfort and flavor of the old-world version made in your slow cooker.

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Pork Chili Verde

Pork Chili Verde — Hector Sanchez

Fresh tomatillos look like small green tomatoes wrapped in thin papery skin. Remove skin and rinse before chopping. If you can't find fresh, look for canned at the grocery.

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Shrimp-and-Sausage Gumbo

Shrimp-and-Sausage Gumbo — Photo: Iain Bagwell

Enjoy a smoky and spicy classic that takes just a couple of minutes to prepare. When it's ready, serve over a bed of herbed rice.

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Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes

Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes — Photo: Jennifer Davick

All you need is 20 minutes to get this dish in the slow cooker, then you have a hearty chicken and veggie supper waiting for you when you get home.

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Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

5-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork — Iain Bagwell; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham

Thinly sliced pancetta (unsmoked Italian bacon cured with salt and spices) and a few quick twists of kitchen string turn an inexpensive pork loin into a party-worthy dish.

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Slow-Cooker Cornbread Dressing

Slow-Cooker Cornbread Turkey Dressing — Beth Dreiling Hontzas

Spoon this fantastic casserole-turned-crockpot dish into pretty bowls, and top with fresh sage.

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Slow-cooked Barbecued Chicken

Slow-Cooked Barbecued Chicken — Becky Luigart-Stayner

Enjoy this slow-cooked chicken by itself or as a sandwich piled with Pickled Peppers & Onions atop Sweet Potato Cornbread.

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