17 Slow Cooker Recipes Like Grandma Used To Make and Love

As it starts to cool down and the holiday season approaches, nothing hits as deeply as a hot meal, cooking low and slow all day in the slow cooker (aka Crock-Pot). I distinctly remember dark and chilly Sunday evenings, eating tender beef pot roast with silky soft potatoes and carrots at my great-grandmother’s house. I imagined her working her fingers to the bone all day to prepare the special meal, but in reality, I’m sure she put it together in the morning, pressed a button, and let it cook hands-off all day.

These 17 recipes are sure to bring you right back to your grandparent’s table with classic, comforting flavors and that unmistakable scent of a delicious meal that’s been cooked all day. Pick the one you want to walk down memory lane with, and don’t forget to read through the helpful tips and tricks from our editors, contributors, and readers.

“We have learned through experience that different slow cookers come to temperature at different rates, and have tighter or looser lids. So you will likely need to experiment with the timing as well as the amount of liquid. Your slow cooker may require adding more liquid to keep the rice from drying out.” —Elise Bauer, Simply Recipes Founder

“Add the vegetables in the last 2 hours of cooking the slow cooker corned beef. Adding them towards the end of the cooking time preserves their texture and some of their color.” —Marta Rivera, Simply Recipes Contributor

“Rub your slow cooker vessel with butter before adding ingredients. This will grease the sides and bottom and lead to less sticking when you are trying to serve the stuffing later. Also, butter is delicious.” —Nick Evans, Simply Recipes Contributor

“Don’t skip the step of searing the meat prior to cooking. This browns the meat and adds a rich, caramelized flavor to the finished dish.” —Marta

“Why pre-soak the beans? You don’t have to (see this great Russ Parsons article in the LA Times about why you don’t need to soak beans), but not doing so in this recipe will increase the cooking time. With the beans pre-soaked, they’ll still take 8 hours to cook and soften in a slow-cooker.” —Elise

“If you’ve ever made a tough roast it’s usually because it was either cooked at too high heat, for not enough time, or both. Cooking tough cuts all day in the slow cooker takes care of both problems.” —Elise

“When you first combine the milk and potatoes, the potatoes won’t be completely covered by the liquid. The butter will eventually melt, and as the potatoes heat up they will release their own liquid, eventually covering the potatoes.” —Summer Miller, Simply Recipes Contributor

“Instead of making beans or throwing away the cooking liquid, I just strained it, put in a 12″ fry pan (for surface area) and reduced it by 2/3’s. Made the perfect BBQ sauce to put on the sandwiches because it matched the flavor profile of the meat!” —Jeff, Simply Recipes Reader

“I like to use 90/10 ground beef for my chili. This gives some fat and richness to the chili without it getting too greasy.” —Nick

“It’s best not to slow cook this casserole overnight—the eggs in the casserole may overcook and become rubbery in texture, instead of smooth and custardy.” —Jessica Gavin, Simply Recipes Contributor

“This recipe could be made with lamb or beef instead of chicken. Oxtails would work best, since ideally you’ll want to use a bone in cut.” —Ariane Resnick, Simply Recipes Contributor

“The meat will release liquid as it cooks. A 6-quart slow cooker for 6 pounds of meat works well. If you want to double the recipe, it’s best to borrow a neighbor’s slow cooker so you can have two going at once.” —Summer

“The mushroom sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2 months.” —Brianne Ross, Simply Recipes Contributor

“The slow cooker time for this chili is really flexible, so you can adapt it to suit your schedule. If you’re running late, it’s fine if the chili continues to cook on the “low” setting or “warm” setting for a little longer past the 8-hour mark. Try not to push it too much longer, or else the chicken starts to become mushy.” —Emma Christensen, Simply Recipes General Manager

“The bread can be soaked up to 24 hours before cooking, so you can do all of the prep work the day before, and then slow cook it when you’re ready.” —Jessica

“There’s no need to pre-cook or brown the meatballs—you can add them directly to the slow cooker.” —Summer

“Steeping aromatics in the cream for an hour beforehand can add a nice subtle flavor. A bruised lemongrass stalk for white chocolate, or a bag of Earl Grey tea for dark chocolate are particularly stylish and contemporary.” —Simply Recipes Editors