7 Easy Crock Pot Recipes That Are Irresistibly Good

There are nights when cooking sounds less like a normal household task and more like an unreasonable personal attack. Those are the nights the crock pot earns its place on the counter.

The beauty of these recipes is simple: toss in a handful of ingredients, turn the dial, walk away and eventually dinner appears. No complicated techniques, no sink full of dishes and, ideally, no 5 p.m. panic while everyone asks, “What’s for dinner?”

Add chicken breasts or thighs to the crock pot with a packet of ranch seasoning, a can of cream of chicken soup and a little chicken broth. Cook on low for about 5 to 6 hours, then shred the chicken and stir everything together.

Serve it over mashed potatoes, rice or egg noodles. Add steamed broccoli on the side and suddenly your lazy dinner looks suspiciously responsible.

This might be one of the easiest crock pot dinners ever.

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot, pour your favorite salsa over the top and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Shred the chicken and stir it back into the salsa.

Use it for tacos, burrito bowls, nachos or stuffed baked potatoes. Add cheese, avocado, sour cream or your favorite toppings and call it dinner.

Put a chuck roast into the crock pot with taco seasoning, a small can of diced green chiles and a little beef broth. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the beef shreds easily.

Pile the tender beef into tortillas with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa. Leftovers also make fantastic quesadillas the next day.

For the ultimate comfort-food shortcut, layer chicken breasts in the crock pot and season with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add a can of cream of chicken soup mixed with a little chicken broth, then sprinkle dry stuffing mix over the top.

Cook on low for about 5 to 6 hours. The result is warm, savory and very much in the “I worked hard on dinner” category, even though you absolutely did not.

Browned ground beef is ideal, but if you're truly committed to lazy, you can use cooked ground beef you already have in the refrigerator or freezer.

Add the beef to the crock pot with crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and broth. Break lasagna noodles into pieces and add them during the last hour or so of cooking. Stir in ricotta and mozzarella at the end.

It has all the cozy lasagna flavor without requiring you to actually construct a lasagna.

Add chicken thighs or breasts to the crock pot with honey, soy sauce, minced garlic and a little ketchup. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Shred or slice the chicken and spoon the flavorful sauce over rice. Add steamed green beans or broccoli for an easy vegetable. If you like a little heat, add red pepper flakes.

Add diced potatoes, carrots, onion, chicken broth, garlic, salt and pepper to the crock pot. Cook on low for about 6 to 7 hours, until the vegetables are tender.

For a creamy soup, mash some of the potatoes directly in the crock pot and stir in milk or cream near the end. Top each bowl with cheese and green onions.

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The next time dinner feels like too much work, pull out the crock pot. A few minutes of prep in the morning can save you from figuring out dinner when everyone is already hungry.