17 cozy comfort foods you can make in a slow cooker
John Kernick/Williams Sonoma
- A slow cooker or Crock-Pot can be a valuable yet underutilized tool in your kitchen.
- A slow cooker can make many cozy comfort foods, from stews to simple soups and roasted meats.
- Meats like brisket and short ribs become tender when made in a slow cooker.
There's nothing better than coming home to the comforting aroma of beef stew or pasta sauce simmering in a Crock-Pot, especially on those particularly cold winter days.
As the weather turns cooler, it's the perfect time to bring out your Crock-Pot or slow cooker to prepare hearty meals that cook on their own during the workday.
Business Insider spoke with chefs and cookbook authors about their favorite comforting slow-cooker meals, from hearty beef stews and chowders to brisket, and researched celebrity chef's go-to Crock-Pot dishes.
Here are 17 cozy comfort-food dishes you can make in a slow cooker, according to chefs.
Brent Hofacker/Shutterstock
Short ribs are one of cookbook author Kim Laidlaw's favorite things to make in a Crock-Pot, and they're a go-to on a chilly winter day.
In her cookbook, "Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals," Laidlaw gives multiple different recipes for short ribs, and she recommends trying them for a meal featuring other sides.
"If you do them in a slow cooker, then the meat is out of the way," she told Business Insider. "Then, you can focus on other side dishes like polenta or risotto."
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
Beef, turkey, or chicken stew is a perfect stick-to-your-bones meal during the cold winter and fall months.
"Beef stew is really nice in the slow cooker," Laidlaw said. "That's something I grew up on with the slow cooker, and it's just as good today."
But stew is also hassle-free.
"Slow cookers are perfect in the winter for soups and stews," Laidlaw said. "The best part is that you can set it in the morning and walk away."
Anna Puzatykh/Shutterstock
If you make this chowder in the fall, you can use in-season fresh corn as is suggested in this celebrity chef-approved Martha Stewart recipe, found on the chef's website.
However, you can also take the easy route by choosing canned corn from the store. The chowder is flavorful yet light and uses heartwarming ingredients like heavy cream, bacon, and baby red potatoes.
iStock / Getty Images Plus
Laidlaw's recipe for slow-cooked braised brisket includes garlic, onion, dry red wine, carrot, and chicken or beef stock, with a chimichurri sauce.
"Brisket is a natural partner for the slow cooker, as a gentle braise renders it meltingly tender," Laidlaw writes in "Everyday Slow Cooking."
David P. Smith/Shutterstock
"Ribs do really well in the slow cooker, and you can always stick them under the broiler in the end to crisp them up," Laidlaw said.
Piyato/Getty Images
"Bolognese is great because you can cook it for a long time," Laidlaw said. "You just have to remember that the sauce doesn't evaporate the same as it would if you were doing it on the stove. You definitely need to compensate and put less liquid in the pot if you're using a slow cooker."
Erin McDowell/Business Insider
Celebrity chef Martha Stewart's recipe for slow-cooker mac and cheese is not only easy to make but super delicious and perfect for the fall and winter seasons.
"It is important to use pungent cheeses, such as sharp cheddar, mixed with a little Gruyere or pecorino Romano for extra bite, since the white sauce and pasta will absorb a lot of flavor," Stewart writes.
Andrew Thomas Lee/Clarkson Potter Publishers
Hugh Acheson's slow-cooker chicken broth is pretty simple — all you'll need is a whole chicken, salt, garlic cloves, white onions, carrots, celery, and a few seasonings to taste.
You can find the full recipe for Acheson's chicken broth in his book, "The Chef and the Slow Cooker."
Andrew Thomas Lee/Clarkson Potter Publishers
"A simple soup with Thai chilis, coconut milk, and lime is just wickedly good," Acheson said.
The recipe for Acheson's slow cooker chicken soup with chiles, coconut milk, and lime can be found here on Garden & Gun. Or, if you're feeling a little more adventurous, Acheson also said a slow cooker is a perfect way to make delicious chicken and dumplings.
anewlifephotostudio/Getty Images
Acheson points out that not only are meatballs, like the veal meatballs he includes in his book, easy and delicious to make, but they're a comforting, kid-friendly option you can make in a slow cooker.
"Slow cookers are not necessarily the best tool for cooking for one — they work so much better for nourishing an entire family," he said.
Andrew Thomas Lee/Clarkson Potter Publishers
"I usually go for something that won't take too long," Acheson said. "Usually, I go for a lentil soup with Tuscan kale and a little sour cream and herbs on top. To me, that's the type of food you want as you're watching the snow fall down."
The recipe for Acheson's lentil soup with Tuscan kale can be found here on Cup of Jo.
Acheson also points out that large batches of soup are great for the next day.
AS Foodstudio/Shutterstock
One of the benefits of using a slow cooker is starting with a basic protein and jazzing it up.
From Mexican food-inspired spices to Indian simmer sauces, there are tons of ways to transform simple braised or pulled chicken dishes into something show-stopping.
This recipe from Delish tells you how to make slow-cooker barbecue pulled chicken.
corners74/Shutterstock
"One dish I think is so versatile is pork shoulder in a slow cooker with broth and a little salt and pepper," Laidlaw said. "I just braise that and then you can turn into so many different things."
Laidlaw explained that using a pork shoulder, you can make everything from pulled-pork sliders to carnitas tacos or burritos.
SteAck/Shutterstock
"Leg of lamb is so good as it breaks down in the slow cooker," Acheson said. "Cooking in the slow cooker and then finishing another way is going to make sure your meat is at its best. Whether that means re-searing the meat or throwing it under the broiler, you might want to think about other steps to really finish off your meal."
Laidlaw added, "Recipes that have you throw everything in without any prep ahead are not nearly as good or as flavorful as the ones that do. Taking ten minutes to brown the meat before you put it in or getting the onions started goes a long way to making your meals more delicious."
Candice Bell/Shutterstock
"It's really about rethinking recipes and figuring out how to do it in the slow cooker," Acheson said.
One of the "best recipes" Acheson said he uses from his book is one for a braised catfish stew, the recipe for which can be found on Garden & Gun.
"It's got this long-cooking, beautiful broth that's just a vision at the end," he told Business Insider. "It's got chilies, peppers, and mace — big flavors. It just works perfectly. When slow cooking, you really want to choose a dish that works well simmering potentially all day."
Andrew Thomas Lee/Clarkson Potter Publishers
"These days, goat shoulder doesn't have that gamey taste it might have had before," Acheson said. "When you're talking about cooking a large piece of meat, a slow cooker is a great place to start."
John Kernick/Williams Sonoma
One of the desserts Laidlaw includes in her book "Everyday Slow Cooking" is for gingersnap-brandy cheesecake, which would be perfect as a treat on a cold day or even a holiday dessert.
