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 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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Mississippi Chicken Chili
John Mitzewich
“So good, made as is. We just topped with cheddar cheese and I dolloped a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt once in my bowl. Delicious!” —C Dawson
Stick of Butter Mississippi Chicken Spaghetti
Peyton Beckwith
“This Mississippi chicken spaghetti is a slow cooker dinner that is buttery and cheesy to the max, with a tangy pop from pepperoncini peppers.” —Nicole McLaughlin
Smothered Cajun Chicken
Peyton Beckwith
“This smothered Cajun chicken is an easy slow cooker dinner. Chicken breasts cook with onion, bell pepper, and Cajun seasoning, and green beans are added in the last half hour. Serve over cooked rice.” —Natalie Gravois
Slow Cooker Jalapeño Chicken
Peyton Beckwith
“This was so easy and very flavorful!” —Wendy
Crock-Pot Buffalo Chicken Mac N Cheese
Peyton Beckwith
“Perfect as-is. The kids loved it.” —Pete B
Crock-Pot Garlic Butter Steak Bites
Peyton Beckwith
“Delicious! Very tender and flavorful.” —Patricia
Slow Cooker Beef Enchilada Casserole
Peyton Beckwith
“Delicious, quick, and easy!” —Malia
Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken Sandwiches
Peyton Beckwith
“These delicious slow cooker marry me chicken sandwiches feature slow cooked shredded chicken in a creamy, cheesy, sun-dried tomato sauce on toasted brioche buns with crispy bacon.” —Natalie Gravois
Slow Cooker Beef Tips and Gravy
Allrecipes / Qi Ai
“This slow cooker beef tips and gravy is perfect to serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. There’s nothing more comforting for Sunday dinner than this hearty, yet tender beef dish.” —TheDailyGourmet
Ultimate Crock-Pot Cowboy Casserole
Peyton Beckwith
“Delicious! As I was making this, I started questioning the ingredients – baked beans with kidney beans and potatoes. Sounded different if not bizarre but it lead to a very pleasing combination of flavors. Just the right amount of heat. I used fire roasted tomatoes with green chilies. I’ll definitely make again.” —JLS
Slow Cooker Asian Zing Chicken Noodles
Peyton Beckwith
“These slow cooker Asian zing chicken noodles are amazing—so much flavor with so little effort. Chicken thighs, slow-cooked in sweet spicy chili-soy-ginger zing sauce, are shredded and tossed with quick-cooking fresh lo mein noodles. If your comfort food tends to the spicy, this is for you.” —Natalie Gravois
Slow Cooker Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken
Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Charlie Worthington / Prop Styling: Gabriel Greco
“Serve this slow cooker sweet chili sesame chicken over rice or noodles to soak up the delicious sauce.” —Juliana Hale
Slow Cooker Shepherd’s Pie
Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling: Sue Mitchell
“Tasty ground beef topped with cheesy mashed potatoes – this slow cooker shepherd’s pie hits all the spots if your looking for a hearty comfort dish.” —Juliana Hale
Slow Cooker Chicken and Gravy
Peyton Beckwith
“It was so simple and easy, but so tasty! I loved the chicken gravy flavor. My son loved it and wanted seconds, which is amazing because he’s picky sometimes.” —AquaBagel3250
Slow Cooker Potato Gratin
Jake Sternquist / Food Styling: Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling: Sue Mitchell
“Use your slow cooker to make this cheesy potato gratin and free up your oven at your next gathering.” —Sarah Brekke
Slow Cooker Cowboy Casserole
Jason Donnelly / Food Stylist: Holly Dressman / Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
“This slow cooker cowboy casserole is a family-friendly, budget-friendly layered casserole of ground beef, sliced potatoes, and Cheddar cheese. It’s easy to put together and let the slow cooker do the rest.” —Yolanda Gutierrez
Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie With Biscuits
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This recipe was so good, especially on a cold night,” —Susan Robinson
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Loved this recipe! The flavor was incredible. Easy to prepare. Making it again for sure!” —jrevesz
Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Use your slow cooker to make this easy cheeseburger soup. Don’t skip the toppings—they make the soup!” —Juliana Hale
Slow Cooker Buffalo White Chicken Chili
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“This slow cooker Buffalo white chicken chili features boneless chicken, green chiles, and white beans in a creamy, spicy base. It has a lot of flavor, and needs very little hands-on time to make it.” —Nicole McLaughlin
Slow Cooker Chicken Apple Butter Meatballs
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I love a cocktail meatball, but could never get into the sweetness of the classic jelly meatball. These apple butter meatballs have the perfect amount of sweet and savory flavors. Also, the flavor combinations are surprisingly delish!” —Liz Mervosh
Crock-Pot Lasagna Soup
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“I would give this 10 stars if I could. This recipe is fantastic all the way!” —Elicia Johnson
Slow Cooker Loaded Chicken and Potatoes
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Absolutely delicious! We make it according to the recipe and we also change it up a little. I think that is the beauty of this recipe, it is very customizable.” —Jaskier
Slow Cooker Mojo Chicken
France Cevallos
“This mojo chicken made in the slow cooker with a mixture of orange juice, lemon, lime, garlic, and seasonings is tangy and full of bright citrus flavors. You can shred the chicken to use in other dishes, with a little liquid from the cooker, or you can serve the chicken breasts whole with the yummy sauce.” —Brenda Venable
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Noodles
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Delicious! 10 stars if I could!” —DREGINEK
Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Nicole, you got me again! I saw this today and I knew I had to make this. It was easy and excellent.” —Crustina
Slow Cooker Parmesan Garlic Chicken and Potatoes
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
“Really easy and company worthy!” —Jerri
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings
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.
Crock-Pot Italian Chicken
fabeveryday
“You only need 3 ingredients for this Crock-Pot Italian chicken with Italian dressing and Parmesan cheese. Nothing could be easier than this for a weekday meal that’s ready when you get home.” —LeAnn Haas Gabriel
Slow Cooker Beef Massaman Curry
“Beef massaman curry is a famous Thai beef stew that is the best of 2 worlds – it has the texture of stew with the flavor of curry. The sauce is intensely savory, thick, and luscious. Make sure you are using a good-quality curry paste (like Maesri) so you will get great depth of flavor without a lot of work.” —Karen Rankin
