10 Hands-Off Slow Cooker Dinners for the Holiday Rush

Let your slow cooker handle dinner so a hot, comforting meal is ready the moment you get home.

By Robin Shreeves
Published December 04, 2025
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J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

The words “hustle and bustle” are associated with the holidays for a good reason: December is often the busiest month of the year for many. There’s extra shopping to tackle, parties to attend—both the grown-up kind and the “get to the school gym by 2 p.m.” kind—plus big meals to plan, cookies to bake, decorations to put up, and a dozen other tasks competing for your time. That’s exactly when the slow cooker earns its spot on the counter.

Throw the ingredients in, head out to conquer your list, and come home to one of these 10 dinners—including comforting soups, warm stews, tender pulled pork, and more—each one filling your home with incredible aromas as it simmers away, ready when you are.

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  • Braised Chinese-Style Short Ribs With Soy, Orange, and 5-Spice Powder

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    Emily and Matt Clifton

    Before adding the ribs to the slow cooker, sear them, then cook the onions and spices on the stovetop. Transfer everything to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients. Start early in the day—this dish needs 6 to 8 hours on high to finish. Serve over mashed potatoes or polenta.

  • Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup With All the Fixings

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    Jennifer Olvera

    Brown the chicken and sauté the vegetables to build flavor before adding them to the slow cooker. Stir in the chicken stock, canned tomatoes, and remaining soup ingredients. Cook on low for 4 hours, then shred the chicken, return it to the slow cooker, and serve in big bowls with your favorite toppings.

  • Slow-Cooker Leftover Turkey and Andouille Gumbo

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    Jennifer Olvera

    Holiday leftovers open up countless culinary possibilities, and this gumbo is one to consider. Sauté the vegetables and make a roux on the stovetop. Then, simply add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours. Just before serving, make some rice to complete this comforting, smoky, slightly spicy meal.

  • Slow-Cooker Leftover Turkey, Lemon, and Couscous Soup

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    Jennifer Olvera

    Take turkey leftovers in a lighter, brighter, more lemony direction with this slow-simmered soup. Sauté the vegetables to deepen their flavor, then add them—along with everything except the couscous—to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6½ hours. Stir in the couscous and cook for 1½ hours more before serving.

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  • Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork With Dr Pepper

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    Stephanie Stiavetti

    It takes just 10 minutes to brown the pork on all sides before adding it to the slow cooker for this recipe, which really does use a can of Dr Pepper—along with barbecue sauce, honey, and balsamic vinegar—to make the sauce. Cook on low for 7 hours, then remove the meat, shred it, and return it to the slow cooker for 1 hour more before serving on burger buns for a crowd-pleasing meal.

  • Slow-Cooker Pork Paprikash

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    Jennifer Olvera

    If you love chicken paprikash, you’ve got to try this pork version. Add stovetop-browned pork, onions, paprika, and plenty of other seasonings to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Once the meat is shredded and returned to the slow cooker, stir in sour cream, heat through, and serve over cooked egg noodles.

  • Slow-Cooker Chicken Tomatillo Tacos

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    Jennifer Olvera

    Start by making a salsa-like tomatillo mixture to use as a sauce. Add that, a can of diced jalapeños, and chicken thighs to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken, return it to the slow cooker, and use it as a filling for simple but incredibly flavorful tacos topped with red onions and cilantro.

  • Rich and Creamy Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

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    Jennifer Olvera

    If tender shreds of beef in a rich, meaty sauce over egg noodles sounds like exactly what you need after a long day of hustle and bustle, this is the recipe for you. Brown pieces of chuck-eye roast, then add them to the slow cooker with onions, garlic, stock, dried mushrooms, and other flavor-boosting ingredients. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours. Turn the resulting juices into a Stroganoff-style sauce on the stovetop, and pour it over the shredded beef and cooked egg noodles.

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  • Tender and Juicy Slow-Cooker Meatballs

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    J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

    Sure, you can toss frozen meatballs into sauce in a slow cooker and go about your day—but the results may be lackluster as their moisture seeps into the sauce. This recipe, by contrast, is designed to keep the meatballs moist and flavorful. While the slow-cooked tomato sauce—developed specifically for meatballs—simmers on low for 6 to 10 hours, the homemade meatballs (made in advance and stored in the fridge) aren’t added until the final 30 minutes of cooking.

  • Slow-Cooker Sticky Thai Meatballs

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    Morgan Eisenberg

    Start by making an aromatic paste of lemongrass, garlic, jalapeños, and ginger to form a reduced sauce. Add the sauce to the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 to 8 hours as the flavors deepen. While it simmers, prepare chicken meatballs, brown them under the broiler, and finish cooking them in the sauce for the final 30 minutes. Top with a peanut mixture for added texture and crunch.

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