Slow 15 Cooker Recipes for New Cooks

If you're getting your feet wet and learning your way around the kitchen right now, it's time to break out that slow cooker stashed away in the far reaches of a cabinet or closet. This is one of the most helpful appliances any cook (but particularly new cooks) can have by their side.
A slow cooker opens up the world of hands-off cooking. It can deliver meals that save you during hectic weeks; help you recreate budget-friendly takeout favorites; and make big batches of things like soup, caramelized onions, and juicy shredded chicken. Here are 15 easy recipes to get you started.

The Slow Cooker Essentials

As you'll soon discover, there are so many amazing things your slow cooker can do for you. One place where it totally excels is tackling the basics. Use it to make batches of homemade stock, caramelized onions, and meatballs, and you will feel like a total rockstar.

Soups, Stews, and Chilis

Soups, stews, and chilis are some of my favorite things to make in the slow cooker. These recipes require little work upfront and rely on the slow cooker to do all the heavy lifting.

Weeknight Favorites

This is the lineup to keep on repeat in your meal plan. Not only are these slow cooker dinners totally satisfying, but they're also easy to pull off and can all be made in advance.

One-Pot Recipes to Get My Dinner Mojo Back

Over the past few months my meal plan has been directed almost entirely by recipe testing — both for Kitchn and a cookbook I just finished writing on Buddha bowls. Now that I'm left to my own devices to choose dinner recipes, I'm both excited and slightly overwhelmed with decision fatigue. There are so many recipes I want to cook that it's been tough to decide where to start. I'm easing back in with five of my favorite one-pot dinners for my family of two.

Welcome to This Week's Meal Plan

Planning my weekly meals is a habit I enjoy. Since I'm frequently asked by friends and family what I'm cooking for dinner each week, I thought it'd be useful to share my weekly meal plan here. Whether you're just learning to meal plan and looking for a real-life example of how this works or you're an old pro on the hunt for inspiration, here's a peek at how I'm feeding my family of two this week.

Monday: Tomato-Braised Lentils with Broccoli Rabe

A touch of cream and butter added at the end of cooking gives this wholesome pantry supper a touch of indulgence. Since fresh tomatoes leave a lot to be desired right now, I'll stick with a can of diced tomatoes. I usually skip the broccoli brae topping on this recipe, and instead mix in a couple handfuls of baby spinach.

Tuesday: The Easiest Cheese and Vegetable Frittata

Tonight's dinner is all about using up the bits and bobs of vegetables and herbs in the fridge that are on their last leg. I'll also add some crumbled goat cheese and serve the fritter with a chunk of crusty bread.

Wednesday: Saucy Skillet Salmon

This skillet meal never fails to make me feel like a dinner rockstar. It's surprisingly quick and easy to pull together, yet feels way more fancy than the effort it requires. I'll serve our salmon fillets over the leftover lentils from Monday night with a simple green salad on the side.

Thursday: Lemony Tortellini Spinach Soup

I can't decide what I love about this soup more: the fact that it comes together in under 30 minutes or the fresh lemony tang that fills my bowl and makes me forget it's still below freezing outside. Since I can also count on having a bag of tortellini in the freezer, stock in the pantry, and a mess of vegetables hanging out in the crisper, this soup will be super satisfying and easy to pull together after a post-work yoga class.

Friday: Slow Cooker Salsa Pulled Chicken

Since it's likely I won't feel like cooking on Friday, I'm leaning on my slow cooker for this nearly hands-off one-pot dinner. My husband and I will make our own tacos with shredded cheese, avocado, and Greek yogurt for toppings.