October: Yes, it's the month of pumpkin spice and Halloween (candy) — but more importantly, it marks the point in the year when your slow cooker begins to shine its very brightest. And thus, we celebrate! Crocktober is a time to appreciate and embrace the limitless culinary power of the iconic countertop appliance. Here are 31 ways to salute your trusty slow cooker throughout the entire month.
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Slow Cooker Baby Back Ribs
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Hold onto a taste of summer for just a little bit longer with a backyard BBQ favorite. Of course, there's no need to fire up the grill for these Crock-Pot baby back ribs; the simple recipe only requires a few hours in the slow cooker plus a few minutes in the oven.
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Slow Cooker, Easy Baked Potato Soup
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It's utterly easy, comforting, creamy and cheesy — what more could you possibly ask for? Go ahead and put this baked potato soup on the dinner menu this week.
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Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
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Slow-cooking allows the aromatic flavors of this widely popular Indian dish to meld into a wow-worthy dinner you'll want to make again and again. Serve the saucy chicken over basmati rice with a side of warm naan bread.
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Slow Cooker Beef Pot Roast
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Pot roast is one of the most iconic culinary achievements that the slow cooker has perfected, and this collection would hardly be complete without it. Chef John notes that the real key to success is "making sure you sear the meat before the long, slow braising." He additionally mentions that this pot roast should be served alongside mashed potatoes, and we could not agree more.
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Healthier Slow Cooker Gumbo
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This shrimp and sausage gumbo masterfully straddles the line between vibrant/fresh and hearty/comforting. The result? A slow-cooker stew you'll be excited about serving to company.
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Sour Cream Pork Chops
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Pork chops aren't always painted as the most glamorous entree, but their reputation is overdue for an update. According to recipe creator AMI, "These are the most tender and succulent pork chops you've ever had." Accompanied by a rich sour cream sauce, these chops are anything but your average weeknight dinner.
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The Ultimate Slow Cooked Chili
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Whether for tailgates, a casual supper, or a fall festival cook-off, everyone needs a solid go-to chili recipe. Go ahead and make this 5-star slow-cooker version yours; you'll be glad you did.
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Eggplant Parmesan for the Slow Cooker
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When a classic comfort food joins forces with the Crock-Pot, you know the results are going to be some kind of beautiful. This slow-cooker eggplant Parm is mouthwatering proof.
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Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
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Talk about setting it and forgetting it… One bite, and this flavor-packed soup will remind you that low effort can sometimes yield a mighty return.
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Slow Cooker Lamb Chops
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For a lot of us, lamb chops are intimidating to cook at home. It's understandable given their price tag, but this 5-star slow-cooker lamb recipe is a practically failsafe way to overcome that intimidation. Bypass the fancy restaurant for your next "special occasion" meal, and impress yourself with lamb chops covered in a rich red wine sauce.
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Easy Slow Cooker Enchiladas
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Rather than rolling individual enchiladas, as a traditional recipe would call for, you'll take a stacking approach for these easy, cheesy enchiladas. The recipe calls for ground turkey, but you can certainly use ground beef if you prefer. Same goes for the tortillas — corn or flour will work here.
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Whole Chicken Slow Cooker
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The best part about cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker? Having incredibly succulent cooked chicken at the ready for any number of throw-together meals throughout the week. In fact, prepping this deliciously spiced slow-cooker chicken on a Sunday is a most brilliant meal-prep move.
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Barbacoa-Style Shredded Beef
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Perfect for tacos, nachos, tostadas, or burritos, you really can't go wrong with this flavor-packed barbacoa. It's the perfect play for that chuck roast hanging out in your freezer.
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Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Cassoulet
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Classic French cuisine from the Crock-Pot? You bet! Better still, dinner really doesn't come much cozier than cassoulet, so you're in for a treat.
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Slow-Cooker Posole
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Few things are better than a warming bowl of spicy posole on a chilly autumn day. And with this slow-cooker version, it can be ready and waiting for you by the time you get home from work. Serve with shredded cabbage, lime wedges, avocado, onion, cilantro, and warm tortillas if desired.
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Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff
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According to Allrecipes community member The Bunny Chef, "This is the best recipe EVER!! I can't tell you how thrilled I was with how it turned out." All you need to enjoy this highly praised chicken stroganoff for yourself are 5 ingredients — all of which, you may very well already have on hand. So yes, it IS a perfect "busy weeknight" meal.
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Cuban Black Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker
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Meat is hardly mandatory for a hearty, satisfying meal and this fragrant black bean soup is here to prove it. Starting with dried black beans (don't worry, there's no soaking necessary) and plenty of flavorful aromatics, this slow-cooker soup is as delicious as it is wholesome.
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Slow-Cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
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Don't wait until March to enjoy this beloved beef and veggie duo. The slow cooker yields perfectly moist and tender corned beef, and the recipe is simply too easy not to enjoy it year-round.
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Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Chicken Thighs
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Flavorful, budget-friendly chicken thighs are the star of this family-favorite dinner. After being seasoned and crisped in a skillet, the chicken pieces simmer in the slow cooker with a delightfully sweet, savory, and tangy sauce — featuring pineapple juice, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ketchup, and soy sauce.
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Slow Cooker Lasagna
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You really have to love the fact that you don't even need to boil the lasagna noodles beforehand for this recipe — they cook to tender perfection right in the slow cooker. The recipe entails making an easy meat sauce for your Crock-Pot lasagna, however, you can certainly incorporate your own favorite homemade sauce or reach for a jar of store-bought tomato sauce, adding browned ground beef if you wish.
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Easy Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs
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You can turn to these savory, saucy, and ridiculously simple Swedish meatballs for an appetizer or the main course. To serve as an entree, spoon the meatballs and sauce over wide egg noodles. Alternatively, you can put them out with toothpicks for an impressive hors d'oeuvre. Your guests will never guess how easy they were to throw together.
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Simple Slow-Cooked Korean Beef Soft Tacos
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If there's one thing that the slow cooker excels at, it's transforming a large hunk of meat (such as a chuck roast) into something profoundly delicious. Such is the case in this recipe for Korean shredded beef.
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Slow Cooker Bread
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We're taking a short pause from dinner recipes to highlight the fact that yes, you can in fact "bake" a loaf of homemade bread in your slow cooker. Better yet, it's a no-knead bread that only requires one rise.
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Slow Cooker Salisbury Steak
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"I have been cooking for 35+ years and this was fabulous!" says Allrecipes community member Connie. "My husband and kids (who are very picky) cleared their plates and said I could make this 'Anytime!'"
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Colleen's Slow Cooker Jambalaya
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This Cajun classic couldn't be easier thanks to the slow cooker. You'll simply add all of the ingredients — except for the shrimp — to your Crock-Pot, let it go for 7-8 hours, and add your shrimp in the final 30 minutes of cooking.
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Melt-In-Your-Mouth Meat Loaf
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According to recipe creator Rodney B Wiebe, "This recipe is anything but regular old meatloaf! Everyone will love this moist version made in the slow cooker, with milk, mushrooms, and a little sage for extra flavor." We're sold!
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
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This pulled pork recipe only calls for four ingredients, but as it turns out, that's all you need to create mouthwatering, fall-apart-tender barbecue pork in the slow cooker. The key is simmering your pork in root beer.
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Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
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Treat yourself to the gift that is coming home to an utterly dreamy aroma of French onion soup simmering away. Not convinced? Okay, well, this rich and brothy soup is topped with four types of cheese before serving. Go ahead — you deserve it.
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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
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Convenience products like refrigerated biscuit dough and canned soup keep the prep work for this homestyle favorite light, but a few hours in the slow cooker makes for a hearty bowl of chicken and dumplings that taste as good as Gram's.
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Slow Cooker Creamy Pesto Chicken and Pasta
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Pesto sauce adds bright, herbaceous vibrancy to this decadent slow-cooker pasta dinner. This dish requires a bit more attention towards the end of cooking than some set-it-and-forget-it recipes, but the final results are well worth the extra touch of effort.
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Mississippi Pot Roast
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The ingredients list for this peppery pot roast is simple, but the resulting flavor is altogether outstanding. That is the magic of the slow cooker at work.
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More Inspiration
Try one of our Creamy Slow Cooker Recipes You Shouldn't Go Another Day Without, and be sure to explore our entire collection of Slow Cooker Recipes.
- Best Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Slow Cooker Italian Beef for Sandwiches
- Outrageous Warm Chicken Nacho Dip