Slow cookers tend to see a lot of action in colder temperatures for soups and stews and get shelved in the summertime. But summer is actually a perfect time to use the slow cooker. After all, who wants their oven blazing when it’s 85 degrees outside? And there’s a whole lot more your slow cooker can do than churn out hearty, cold weather fare.
Here are ten ideas:
1. “Rotisserie” Chicken
I’m a big fan of making a whole chicken in the slow cooker because it’s an impressive dinner with very little effort. Get the how-to from Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean here.
2. Lasagna
Hooray, you don’t even have to boil the noodles first! Get this recipe for Slow Cooker Kale & Butternut Squash Lasagna from Kara at The Foodie Dietitian Blog here.
3. Greek Yogurt
Ever wanted to try yogurt in your slow cooker? Serena at Teaspoon of Spice gives you two recipes for homemade Greek yogurt (plus helpful pointers) here.
4. Bread
Put your dough in the slow cooker, turn it on high, and let it rise and bake all at once. Get the step-by-step from The Kitchn here. (Note: My loaf took about three hours to bake and had a brown, crispy crust.)
5. Applesauce
This tastes like pie filling straight out of the slow cooker–and I don’t even add any sugar! Get my simple recipe here.
6. Cake
This orange-date cake from Regan at Healthy Aperture is also gluten-free.
7. Caramelized Onions
Caramelize onions overnight for your dinner the next day (bonus: these can be frozen). Get the recipe for Slow Cooker Caramelized Onions from Robin Plotkin.
8. Baked Potatoes
I love a good baked potato alongside steaks on the grill but don’t want the oven on for an hour when it’s hot outside. I saw this method on The Kitchn and had to try it. Happy to report that it works great. Get the instructions here.
9. Refried Beans
Start with dried beans–no soaking required. Get the recipe from Lisa at 100 Days of Real Food here.
10. Oatmeal
Make this Crockpot Blueberry Pie Steel-Cut Oatmeal for breakfast. (Or dinner.) Get the recipe from Alexis at Hummusapien here.
What are YOUR favorite things to make in the slow cooker?
