Recipes and Cooking Slow Cooker Meals Slow Cooker Soup & Chili 25 Slow Cooker Recipes to Make Winter More Enjoyable By Wini Moranville Wini Moranville Instagram Website Wini Moranville has written about food and wine for leading magazines and websites for more than 20 years—hundreds of those being for Better Homes & Gardens publications, including the iconic New Cook Book. She holds a bachelor's degree in French and English from the University of Iowa; she also studied French at the University Laval in Quebec, Canada. Moranville later studied creative writing at Iowa State University, where she received a master's degree in English and was the recipient of the Pearl Hogrefe Fellowship in Creative Writing.While she's covered just about every food topic imaginable—from bargain wines to fancy desserts—she's most passionate about the easy-yet-inspired everyday French cuisine she's discovered throughout more than twenty summers living and cooking in France. Moranville was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Award, Best Food & Cookbooks 2019, for The Little Women Cookbook. Her book, Everyday French Cooking: Modern French Cuisine Made Simple, will be published by Harvard Common Press in 2022. Back home in the Great Midwest, her local Aldi supermarket is her happy place. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on January 3, 2020 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Andy Lyons Beat the blustery chill of the season with our collection of great winter slow-cooker recipes. Each hearty dish helps you tap into the cozy side of the season. Our slow-cooker winter soups and stews plus other entrées will keep everyone warm all winter. 01 of 25 Lamb, Bean, and Sweet Potato Chili View Recipe Blaine Moats It's no surprise that a great chili made its way onto our list of winter slow-cooker recipes. What is surprising is the uniqueness of this version of chili. We've replaced ground beef with juicy lamb shoulder and added a full pound of sweet potatoes for a super hearty winter meal. Add the ingredients of this slow-cooker winter soup to your grocery list now, then thank us later. 02 of 25 Slow-Cooker Indian Chicken Stew View Recipe Blaine Moats Here's one of our favorite winter chicken slow-cooker recipes. Curry adds a wonderful warmth that helps chase the chill away, while garbanzo beans bring nutritious fiber to the meal (remember to rinse beans first to eliminate extra sodium). 03 of 25 Herbed Chicken and Mushrooms View Recipe Blaine Moats When cooking winter chicken slow-cooker recipes, we love the enticingly brown results gained when you sear the chicken before adding it to the cooker. However, if you're in a hurry, you can skip that step. Either way, with its medley of fresh vegetables and savory white wine sauce, this dish will hit the spot at the end of a busy day. 04 of 25 Chorizo and Black Bean Pizza Pie View Recipe Jason Donnelly This is one of our best slow-cooker winter recipes for a busy weekend supper. Toss the dough and toppings in the cooker, then go about your errands for the afternoon. Come home to a great Tex-Mex-inspired pizza supper. Margaritas, anyone? 05 of 25 Tomatillo Turkey Chili with Spelt View Recipe Karla Conrad If you're looking for easy slow-cooker winter recipes that are also on the healthy side, you've found a winner. Here, spelt—a protein-rich ancient grain—offers a mild, nutty flavor that complements the turkey, beans, and salsa verde. The grain also adds extra heartiness to the stew. 06 of 25 Slow-Cooker Chocolate Chili with Three Beans View Recipe Karla Conrad What's better than slow cooker soup recipes? Slow cooker chili recipes, of course! Bittersweet chocolate, a dash of cocoa powder, and chipotle peppers add rich, complex flavor to this south-of-the-border chili. Balance this dish's spice with a dollop of sour cream. 07 of 25 Slow-Cooker Chicken Pot Pie View Recipe Andy Lyons You already know that chicken pot pie tops the list of great winter meals, but did you know that it's one of the best slow-cooker meals for winter, too? Indeed—you can serve your family a piping bowl of the comforting classic straight from the crock. Refrigerated piecrust serves as a delightfully flaky (and super-easy) topper for this easy dish. 08 of 25 Honey-Rosemary Roast Lamb with Potatoes and Green Beans View Recipe Jacob Fox For fork-tender meat with full-bodied flavor, simmer lamb with honey, lemon juice, rosemary, and minced garlic. And, by the way, if you prefer winter slow-cooker recipes that call for cooking every part of the meal in the slow cooker, you're going to love the way this dinner comes complete with a side of Yukon gold potatoes, red onion, and green beans for an all-in-one meal. 09 of 25 Spicy Turkey Lasagna View Recipe Andy Lyons Layer upon layer of spiced ground turkey, creamy ricotta cheese, and chunky pasta sauce create one of our easiest and best slow-cooker meals for winter. Turkey (instead of beef) and frozen spinach help keep the recipe lower in fat and calories and higher in nutrients than classic lasagna. Plus, it takes only 20 minutes of prep time. 10 of 25 Squash Enchilada Casserole View Recipe Andy Lyons Winter squash slow-cooker recipes can really hit the spot for vegetarians and anyone seeking plant-based meals. Here's a hearty example: Black beans and hominy team up with the squash for heartiness, while enchilada sauce, salsa, and chile peppers add plenty of enticing spice. Top with cheesy cornmeal dumplings, and you've got a winner of a winter dish. 11 of 25 Creamed Chicken and Corn Soup View Recipe Blaine Moats Who doesn't appreciate slow-cooker soups for winter that are ultra-easy? Here's one for the books! This veggie-filled corn soup takes just 20 minutes to prep. Serve it with crumbled bacon on top and hot-from-the-oven drop biscuits to soak up every bite. 12 of 25 Italian-Style Slow-Cooker Meat Loaf View Recipe Jacob Fox For individuals watching fat and calorie intake, it can be challenging to snag great winter recipes for the slow cooker that are both filling and healthy. We are here to help! Lean meats and low-sodium ingredients help keep this Mediterranean-inspired meat loaf in line with your aim to eat well. 13 of 25 Pork, Portobello, and Mashed Roots Shepherd's Pie View Recipe Karla Conrad Shepherd's pie is one of those winter slow-cooker recipes that always satisfies. We swapped ground beef for lean ground pork, plus mixed rutabaga, carrots, and parsnips into the dish's iconic potato mash to load it with flavors of the season. 14 of 25 Chipotle-Coffee Pot Roast View Recipe Karla Conrad Ground chipotle pepper and coffee powder combine for a deeply spiced rub on a classic roast. Brussels sprouts and parsnips bring added seasonal flavor to the dish, and a creamy polenta brings comfort-food satisfaction. 15 of 25 Mediterranean Kale & Cannellini Stew with Farro View Recipe Blaine Moats This is the perfect winter vegetable soup for slow cooker fans on meatless Mondays. It combines fiber-rich beans and vitamin-rich kale with carrots, celery, onions, and some seasonings for an easy one-pot meal. Farro imparts a delightfully chewy and nutty texture while adding whole grains to your diet. 16 of 25 Peppermint Pretzel Candies View Recipe Blaine Moats There is just something about peppermint that feels like winter. Seasonal peppermint mochas and Christmas candy canes are probably part of the reason. Use up leftover candy canes or peppermint candies to top this slow cooker dessert recipe. It makes enough to serve everyone at your holiday party. 17 of 25 Balsamic Vinegar and Honey Pulled-Pork Sliders View Recipe Scott Little Consider this winter slow cooker recipe for parties and potlucks. Sweet and savory, the pork sliders can be made en masse whenever you have a hungry crowd to feed. Coleslaw and pickles give the saucy sandwiches a crunchy finish. 18 of 25 Tinga Poblana View Recipe Scott Little Flag this recipe for those times when you're in the mood for winter slow cooker recipes with Tex-Mex flair. Chipotle peppers fire up the spicy sausage-pork taco filling, while red potatoes tone things down for a balanced heat. Wrap it all in warm tortillas and top with diced creamy avocado for the final touch. 19 of 25 Cheesy Noodle Casserole View Recipe Peter Krumhardt When it comes to slow-cooker meals, noodle casseroles can be tricky. That's because noodles need to be timed just right or they'll get mushy. Fortunately, our Test Kitchen pros tested this recipe to determine exactly when to add the pasta for an al dente finish. 20 of 25 BBQ Beef Roast with Corn and Pepper Couscous View Recipe Andy Lyons Chili powder, cumin, brown sugar, and a splash of Worcestershire sauce make this winter stew for the slow cooker a spicy-sweet delight. Serve the fork-tender meat on a layer of colorful corn-and-pepper couscous that takes just minutes to prepare. 21 of 25 Lamb Shanks with Barley View Recipe Blaine Moats Consider this pick when you're seeking winter slow cooker recipes to serve at a dinner party. Starring lamb shanks and flavored with balsamic vinegar, it's the kind of rustic yet refined dish that you'd pay top dollar for at a high-end restaurant. Invite everyone into your home for a fraction of the price of going out (and spend a little of the savings on some great bottles of red wine.) 22 of 25 Pasta with Eggplant Sauce View Recipe Peter Krumhardt When you're on the hunt for meatless winter recipes for the slow cooker, eggplant and mushrooms are great additions. These meaty ingredients are the base of the chunky sauce on top of this pasta dinner. 23 of 25 Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup View Recipe Peter Krumhardt Whenever we think of slow-cooker soups for winter, this hearty chicken-noodle recipe comes to mind. It brings all the comfort of the classic soup, plus mushrooms for added heartiness and cream cheese for extra creamy richness. 24 of 25 Slow-Cooker Coq au Vin View Recipe Blaine Moats How about slow-cooker winter meals with a French twist? Many classic French stews and braises translate well to the slow cooker thanks to similar moist-heat cooking. Try this easy recipe for wine-stewed chicken to taste what we mean! 25 of 25 Vegetable Casserole View Recipe Andy Lyons Two kinds of beans and a rainbow of vegetables simmer with garlic and basil pesto to create one of our best vegetarian winter slow cooker recipes ever! Adding the spinach and radicchio (which is at its prime in the winter) just before serving helps bring last-minute freshness to the dish. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit