What's Cooking in the Crockpot? 68 Hands-Off Family Meals

When a pasta bake is Mama's best bet, fill the rice cooker with a handful of ingredients to create a creamy, crusty, and quick mac and cheese. Weelicious's Catherine McCord suggests adding tossed greens served alongside to complete the kid-friendly meal!

Talk about easy: these crockpot ribs require just five ingredients!

Source: Flickr user tkd540

Need to feed a crowd? This crockpot breakfast is an easy and cost-effective way to fill a whole bunch of bellies!

Whether you're trying to sneak in the veggies or you've got a table full of known veggie lovers, this crockpot vegetable ziti really packs in the nutrients.

Serve some fresh Summer tomatoes on your table with this easy tomato chicken recipe.

Photo: Susannah Chen

If your kids like a little kick in their dinner, whip up Food Fanatic's jalapeño popper chicken sandwich.

Dinner is in the palm of your child's hand! Fold some slow-cooked pork shoulder into tortillas for Weelicious's pulled pork tacos, which are a pleasant alternative to the chicken and steak varieties that are popular with tykes.

Make a big batch of this crockpot oatmeal at the beginning of the school week to ensure a hot and hearty breakfast for your family from Monday through Friday.

Here's a slow-cooker chicken parmesan recipe from Full Bellies, Happy Kids that will have you coming back for more. This recipe sticks with tradition using breadcrumb-coated chicken and lots of parmesan cheese for a wonderfully tasty slow-cooker dinner.

This Italian crockpot recipe yields more than six chicken parmesan sandwiches, which is perfect for a large family or kids who love leftovers.

There's something that's oh so satisfying about sticky, sweet monkey bread that appeals to grown-ups and kids alike.

There's nothing more comforting than a thick bowl of potato soup, and this recipe for corn and potato chowder from Mama Loves Food is guaranteed to really hit the spot. Add cooked, shredded chicken for extra protein, or serve with a big salad for a family-friendly Fall dinner.

While we generally associate slow-cooker meals with heartier fare, this Southwestern quinoa is light and bright and makes a yummy side dish alongside barbecued chicken, burgers, or ribs.

Source: Betty Crocker

These tender turkey meatballs simmer all day for a tasty spaghetti dinner the whole family will love. And Mommy Hates Cooking shows you how easy it is with simple, step-by-step directions.

With only a few ingredients, these sloppy joes from Budget Gourmet Mom are on the table and ready for noshing after a day of cooking slow and low, thanks to your crockpot. And leftovers do double duty as lunch the next day.

On a cold and windy night, Weelicious's beef stew will warm kids from head to toe!

Throw these easy breakfast potatoes into the slow cooker in the evening, and have a hearty, decadent morning side dish ready to go when you wake up.

Who said you can't make pizza in a slow cooker? Simple Organized Living shares this recipe for slow-cooker pizza pasta that takes all of your little one's favorites and simmers them together into one amazing dish.

After 10-plus hours of them simmering in the slow cooker, we can pretty much guarantee that these baked beans will have the best depth of flavor of any you've ever made.

Source: How Sweet It Is

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma's The New Slow Cooker, this
curried chicken salad is easy to make and serve.

Source: Flickr user Einahpets32

This simple dish will remind you of Chinese takeout, but with a healthy twist. Your kids will love their servings of sweet teriyaki chicken!

This all-in-one savory breakfast casserole combines eggs, breakfast potatoes, bacon, and cheese — yum!

Stew's on! Give your youngster a heaping helping of protein and nutrients with a piping-hot bowl of Weelicious's chicken chili. A corn muffin or bagel chip is an ideal edible instrument for dipping!

Love lasagna, but not all the prep work? Make it simple by letting your slow cooker do all the work. Simply layer your ingredients and let them simmer all day for an easy lasagna dinner. And you can easily tailor the recipe by adding your family's favorite lasagna ingredients.

Warm up any night of the week with a big bowl of slow-cooker chili. And you can tailor this recipe to fit your family by adding different types of beans, using ground turkey instead of the beef, or going vegetarian for a really healthy dinner!

Photo: Katie Sweeney

We know kids love creamy macaroni and cheese, which makes this seriously easy recipe from Culinary Cory perfect for busy Fall days. Serve with roasted chicken and fresh steamed veggies for a complete meal.

In a fraction of the time that it would take to make on the grill, this slow-cooker pulled pork is delicious on a bun with a green salad or coleslaw.

Source: Flour on My Face

If your kids' taste buds lean more toward the sweet than the savory, a yummy crockpot french toast will be right up their alley!

Sometimes, the simple things are the absolute best. This slow-cooked Italian chicken recipe only calls for eight everyday ingredients, but the results will wow both you and your family.

Baby loves them baby back ribs! Your kiddos will be licking their fingers after filling their bellies with Weelicious's juicy slow-cooker ribs.

Feeling like Mexican? Here's a recipe for slow-cooker burritos from Food Pusher that will definitely spice up any night of the week. Full of flavor and melty cheese, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite.

In a fraction of the active prep time that it would take to make on the grill, this apple cider pulled pork is delicious on a bun with a green salad or coleslaw.

Source: Gimme Some Oven

Skip the processed freezer nuggets and serve up Weelicious's BBQ chicken sammies for your wee ones. The shredded meat topped with the tangy sauce is best served between a bun.

With this recipe, you'll get plenty of cream cheese chicken for your buck! While it yields enough to serve eight adults, feel free to halve the ingredients for fewer servings.

Betty Crocker's white chocolate raspberry and cream cake is elegant enough to serve with a holiday dinner but easy enough to make for your family on an average weeknight — all it takes is a little advance work.

If your kids love s'mores, elevate the campfire favorite to new heights with Betty Crocker's three-ingredient fudgy s'mores cake.

The secret behind this Mexican pulled pork shoulder recipe is that it can be made weeks in advance. Just freeze all of the ingredients together in a ziplock bag, pull it out when you are ready to cook, and voilà — dinner is served!

Proving that chicken doesn't have to be boring, this Cuban chicken recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Slow Cooker Cookbook incorporates citrus and herbs for a crave-worthy, easy-to-make dinner.

Don't be afraid; this pulled pork may look like it took tons of time and effort, but thanks to the Fearless Homemaker's easy directions — and the help of your slow cooker — your family can enjoy a pulled pork dinner with hardly any fuss or muss.

If chicken parm is a family favorite, try mixing things up a bit with Foxes Love Lemons' recipe for chicken parmesan soup. It has all of the saucy, cheesy goodness of the Italian staple but can be thrown together in the morning and have your whole house smelling heavenly by dinner!

It may not be the purist's approach to BBQ ribs, but cooking them in the crockpot offers up loads of flavor and fall-off-the-bone goodness while allowing you to do just a little bit of prep work before going about your day.