15+ slow cooker recipes to try right away

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1. 5-ingredient mac & cheese
Macaroni and cheese has long been a staple in most American households, but why bother with the boxed macaroni and cheese dinners you find in most grocery stores when you can make your own? The following recipe shows you how to make a to-die-for macaroni and cheese that is sure to please both kids and adults!
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2. One-pot honey garlic chicken
Chicken thighs slow cooked alongside your favorite veggies. The best part about this dish is that the entire meal is cooked together.
3. Teriyaki meatballs
Recipes for teriyaki sauce in the slow cooker typically call for cooking the sauce first, and then pouring it over the meatballs. We didn't want to do that to you. One of the best parts of a slow cooker, after all, is being able to toss everything in and walking away. This recipe lets you do just that.
4. 5-ingredient Sriracha chicken
I can't decide what's best about this recipe — the fact that it uses only five ingredients or that you can just toss everything into the slow cooker with no browning or precooking required.
5. Baked beans
Baked beans are a hallmark of summer barbecues, game days, and delicious family dinners. But baked beans from a can just don't have the same taste as the homemade variety. This recipe combines convenience of canned beans and a little home loving to save time in the kitchen while still giving you that homemade baked bean flavor.
6. BBQ pulled pork sliders
Pulled pork is one of life's great joys. It's meat-lovers meat. I'd never look anything but favorably on anyone who takes their food seriously, but boy, there are people out there who take their pulled pork very seriously.
7. BBQ cocktail sausages
What's a cocktail party without cocktail weenies? Typically, mini cocktail sausages are cooked with barbecue sauce and grape jelly for this somewhat sinful treat. This is the slow-cooked, grown-up version.
8. Pot roast
With just a few simple ingredients, you could be on your way to enjoying a delicious pot roast, made with the ease of a slow cooker! This particular recipe was designed with maximum convenience in mind — the gravy for the pot roast is made using seasoning packets. While there might be other ways to make gravy, getting this incredible blend of flavors couldn't be easier!
9. Pork fried rice
Sweet, sour, and savory, this pork fried rice will have your taste buds jumping for joy. It can be served up as a side dish, but it's just as excellent as an entree.
10. Potato soup
Some people think of soup as a side dish, something that isn't meant to be taken as seriously as any main course. It's probably safe to say that those people probably haven't tried this to-die-for potato soup recipe.
11. Whole cabbage with ham
It takes only 10 minutes to prep, and in three hours, you'll have the perfect side dish, or you can eat it as the main course like I do. The ham is mixed with onions and garlic. As the cabbage slowly cooks, it releases its natural juices, and the ham slowly simmers and makes a sauce. The fresh lemon juice brightens the whole dish, while the butter adds just the right amount of nuttiness.
12. Fried apples
When it comes to simple and delicious desserts, nothing really beats the recipe below. Thin slices of apples are covered in butter, sugar, and spices before bubbling away in a slow cooker and filling your house with the aromas of fall. When they've finished cooking, you can top them with whipped cream or use them as a side dish for pork instead of applesauce. Whatever you decide, this is a recipe you'll keep making.
13. Onion jam
Onion jam can be used on anything and everything. This recipe adds so much depth and flavor to any dish. Spread it on a sandwich, have some on the side of grilled chicken or beef, or toss it with roasted veggies. The sweet, tangy flavor of the jam adds so much depth to anything you put it on.
14. Rice pudding
Forget everything you know or think you know about rice pudding. Many people may think of nursing homes and mushy dessert when it comes to rice pudding; but the recipe below shows that doesn't have to be the case. In this version, you get a sweet and light dessert that will have you totally rethinking rice pudding. It may become one of your favorite desserts. Sweet and easy; what's better than that?
15. Apple jelly pork roast using ginger ale
There may be no culinary pairing quite as classic as pork and apples. But when you're relying on your slow cooker, apples tend to get quite mushy with long cooking times. So how can you keep that sweet apple flavor, without actually adding apples? Enter apple jelly.
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