12 Crockpot Recipes That Basically Cook Themselves
My crockpot does more parenting than I do some weeks. It feeds the family without supervision, it works quietly in the background while chaos unfolds around it, and it produces consistent results regardless of external circumstances. These 12 recipes are the ones that live on permanent rotation in our house — the ones where I load the crockpot at 8am, leave for the day, and come home to a house that smells like dinner is handled.
The beauty of crockpot cooking aligns perfectly with babcia’s philosophy: slow cooking develops deep flavour. Polish bigos simmers for hours. So does a good pot roast. The crockpot just lets you walk away while it works. Every recipe here is genuinely dump-and-go or requires minimal browning, and every single one feeds our family of six with leftovers.
Soups That Cook Themselves
Lasagna Soup (Crockpot)
All the flavours of lasagna — Italian sausage, marinara, ricotta, mozzarella — in soup form. No layering, no baking, no burning. The crockpot does the simmering, you do the eating. Drop ricotta dollops on top right before serving for that lasagna experience.
Stews & Heartier Meals
Chicken and Dumplings (From Scratch)
Creamy chicken stew with fluffy dumplings that steam on top. The dumplings cook in the last 30 minutes — don’t lift the lid during this time or they won’t fluff properly.
Slow-Cooked Proteins
Pulled Pork (Crockpot)
Pork shoulder, a dry rub, and 8 hours of patience. The meat shreds with a fork and feeds an army. Sandwiches, tacos, bowls, nachos — one batch becomes five different meals across the week.
Birria Tacos (Slow Cooker)
Beef slow-cooked in dried chilli broth. The most complex flavour on this page — dried guajillo, ancho, and chipotle chillies create a sauce that’s smoky, fruity, and deeply savoury. Worth every minute of the 8-hour cook time.
Carnitas (Crockpot)
Mexican pulled pork with orange juice and spices. The crockpot does the braising, then 5 minutes under the broiler gives you those essential crispy edges. Without the broiler step, it’s just pulled pork. With it, it’s carnitas.
5-Flavour Crockpot Chicken Thighs
One base method, five global marinades: Korean, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Polish. Same crockpot, same chicken thighs, different country every night. This is the recipe that makes meal prep effortless.
Stews & Heartier Meals
5-Ingredient Dump-and-Go Crockpot Meals
Five recipes, five ingredients each, zero pre-cooking. For the days when “dump and go” isn’t just a cooking method — it’s an emotional state. These exist to prevent cereal dinners.
Crockpot Soup Rotation (4 Soups)
Four soups covering four cravings: creamy, spicy, hearty, and healing. Set one before work each Monday, rotate through the month. My system for never running out of soup ideas.
Soups That Cook Themselves
Chicken Sausage Kale Soup
Hearty, healthy, and deeply flavourful. Chicken sausage, white beans, kale, and a parmesan rind that melts into the broth and adds umami richness. One of the few recipes all four of my kids eat without negotiation.
Stews & Heartier Meals
Bigos (Hunter’s Stew)
Poland’s legendary stew: sauerkraut, cabbage, kielbasa, pork, mushrooms, and time. The crockpot is perfect for bigos because the long, slow cook is exactly what this stew demands. Better on day two. Better still on day three.
Soups That Cook Themselves
Chicken Noodle Soup (From Scratch)
Not rosol (that requires stovetop attention), but a solid American-style chicken noodle that works perfectly in the crockpot. Add noodles in the last 20 minutes so they don’t dissolve into the broth.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Smoky chipotle, fire-roasted tomatoes, and shredded chicken. The toppings (avocado, sour cream, tortilla strips, cheese) transform it from soup into an event. Part of my four-soup crockpot rotation.