24 Back-to-School Slow-Cooker Recipes For Busy Weekdays By Patricia S York Patricia S York Patricia was the assistant food editor at Southern Living and worked with the Southern Living food team from 2006-2022. She contributed to articles about food, gardening, and pets. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on June 5, 2025 Close Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Between back-to-school shopping, sports practices, and twice-daily school runs, it can feel impossible to make time for eating dinner, let alone cooking dinner. Those long back-to-school days stretch into hungry nights—it's unavoidable. That's when you know it's slow cooker time. The slow cooker is your key to stress-free weeknights this back-to-school season. We've rounded up some of our best kid-approved recipes for you to try in the slow cooker this school year. Never Lose a Favorite Recipe Again With MyRecipes, your personal recipe box, you can save and organize your Southern Living favorites and thousands more in one place. 01 of 24 Slow-Cooker Mac And Cheese Credit: Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Julian Hensarling; Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hausser Make the busy back-to-school season easier with a recipe that will satisfy hungry students. This comforting mac-and-cheese dish has 10 minutes of hands-on time, and a quick salad will round out the meal. Get The Recipe Save 02 of 24 Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup Credit: Greg Dupree; Food Stylist: Ana Kelly; Prop Stylist: Christine Keely Unlike most vegetable soup recipes, this convenient version doesn't require you to stand over the stove stirring all afternoon. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 24 Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken Credit: Caitlin Bensel While we suggest serving this dish over rice, there are so many other ways you can enjoy it for dinner, including but not limited to tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, nachos, and over potatoes. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 24 Slow Cooker Goulash Credit: Jennifer Causey When picking out a roast, we suggest choosing a roast with marbling which is key to making the sauce. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 24 Lemon Chicken Soup Credit: Morgan Hunt Glaze; Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey Using a rotisserie chicken will help this soup come together with little time or effort on your part, but it still delivers plenty of flavor and nutrition. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 24 Slow-Cooker Barbecue Chicken Credit: Morgan Hunt Glaze; Food Stylist: Margaret Monroe Dickey; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Skip the pre-cooked chicken at the grocery store and make your own with this easy recipe. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 24 White Chicken Chili Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez With this chili recipe, once you've gathered the ingredients, you're already halfway to getting dinner on the table. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 24 Spaghetti Casserole Credit: Jennifer Davick Bake your spaghetti into a casserole for a dinner that will double as leftovers all week long. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 24 Meatball Sliders With Tomato Sauce Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez It's the entree that launched a thousand great dinners. Kids can't get enough of these tasty meatball sliders. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 24 Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup Credit: Iain Bagwell Chicken soup isn't just for sick days. It's also a comforting back-to-school supper. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 24 Slow-Cooker Brisket Chili Credit: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Serve with cornbread on the side, and you’ll have a single-pot meal that will please the entire family. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 24 Slow-Cooker Taco Soup Credit: Emily Laurae / Southern Living Pantry ingredients and a pound of ground beef cook slowly all day to create this delicious, hearty soup. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 24 Slow-Cooker Pork Roast Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Cutting your veggies in the recommended sizes will ensure that they are finished cooking at the same time as your pork. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 24 Chicken And Cornbread Dumplings Credit: Iain Bagwell We always love chicken and dumplings for an easy supper, but we're really over the moon for this slow-cooker version that incorporates cornbread. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 24 Easy Enchilada Bake Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez This has all the flavor of enchiladas with none of the labor-intensive prep. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 24 Slow-Cooker Pork Tacos With Fresh Tomato Salsa Credit: Greg Dupree Switch up taco night from the usual ground beef or chicken by serving pork shoulder as the main ingredient. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 24 Uncle Jack's Mac-And-Cheese Credit: Hector Sanchez Mac-and-cheese is comfort food at its finest, and you'll love the easy prep of this recipe that can be served as a main or side. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 24 Chicken Thighs With Carrots And Potatoes Credit: Jennifer Davick This slow-cooker recipe is a no-fail, fuss-free, and kid-pleasing meal that allows you to cook the main dish along with the sides at the same time. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 24 Cheddar Cheese Soup Credit: Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Delight the cheese lovers at your table with this slow-cooker Cheddar Cheese Soup. It's so simple and delicious that it's practically liquid gold. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 24 BBQ Brisket Credit: Hector Sanchez; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro; Food Styling: Margaret Dickey Though this brisket recipe is simple enough to make on any weeknight, you may want to make it the day before; the flavor will continue to develop as it chills overnight. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 24 Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Recipe Credit: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton Your slow cooker can help you enjoy this classic any day of the week. Chop the vegetables into large, even pieces so they'll remain intact during the extended cooking period. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 24 Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Credit: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer Ease into the school year with fresh ingredients from summer's bounty. All you need is 25 minutes, and your slow cooker will take it from there. Get the Recipe Save 23 of 24 Classic Slow-Cooker Beef Stew Credit: Alison Miksch; Food Stylist: Karen Rankin; Prop Stylist: Josh Hoggle This beef stew boasts a sophisticated flavor that is incredibly easy to create. Serve with some French bread so you can soak up every last drop. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 24 Slow-Cooker Salisbury Steak Credit: Jennifer Causey; Food Stylist: Melissa Gray; Prop Stylist: Christina Daley Discover how to prepare Salisbury steak in a slow cooker and rekindle your appreciation for this timeless dish. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Food and Recipes Slow Cooker Recipes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit