Food and Recipes Slow Cooker Recipes Our Favorite After-Church Slow-Cooker Recipes By Jenna Sims Jenna Sims Jenna Sims is a Digital Editor for Southern Living and joined the team in 2014. She writes, produces, and ideates content with a focus on email growth and commerce content. She covers a range of topics in the lifestyle space from holiday gift guides to new product launches to tips for cooking with your air fryer. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 8, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Victor Protasio Throw these meals in your slow cooker when you wake up on Sunday morning, and you'll have lunch ready when you get home from church. Whether it's just your family or the Sunday school group coming to gather, these slow-cooker meals mean less prep time when you walk in the front door, but still deliver wildly delicious results. After all, who wants to wait around in a crowded restaurant after church when you can gather around the dining room table and enjoy a home-cooked meal instead? And fuss-free, with no standing over the stove is even better. Four-Ingredient-Slow-Cooker Pot Roast, Spaghetti Casserole, Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings, and more will have everyone coming around for seconds. These meals are crowd-pleasing, family-friendly, and welcome no matter the time of year or season. The best part about these slow cooker recipes? You're going to love them for their simple, stress-free appeal. 01 of 34 Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Melina Hammer Recipe: Four-Ingredient Slow-Cooker Pot Roast With just four ingredients—chuck roast, oil, beer, and Italian dressing mix—you'll have a company-worthy meal everyone will love. 02 of 34 Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes Jennifer Davick Recipe: Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Potatoes This recipe allows you to cook your main and sides all at one time—and is much more budget-friendly that taking the whole family out to a restaurant after church. 03 of 34 Spaghetti Casserole Jennifer Davick Recipe: Spaghetti Casserole You'll enjoy spaghetti even more in casserole form, topped with sharp Cheddar cheese 04 of 34 Turkey Breast and Herb-Cornbread Stuffing Photo: Oxmoor House Recipe: Turkey Breast and Herb-Cornbread Stuffing This comforting meal can be served any day of the year. 05 of 34 Soulful Chicken Soup Iain Bagwell Recipe: Soulful Chicken Soup Cooking your chicken low and slow will allow it to fall off the bone without any effort. 06 of 34 Slow-Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf Victor Protasio Recipe: Slow-Cooker Tomato-Basil Meatloaf Parchment paper will not only help your meatloaf keep its shape in the slow cooker, but will also make cleanup a breeze. 07 of 34 Chicken-and-Spinach Lasagna Oxmoor House Recipe: Chicken-and-Spinach Lasagna Toss together a side salad to serve with this lightened-up lasagna. 08 of 34 Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken Caitlin Bensel Recipe: Slow-Cooker Salsa Chicken Serve with rice or in taco shells—any way you do it, it's sure to be a hit. 09 of 34 Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Victor Protasio Recipe: Sweet Potato Breakfast Casserole Hearty Sunday brunch, coming right up. 10 of 34 Slow Cooker Venison Stew Photography: Caitlin Bensel, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis, Food Styling: Rishon Hanners Recipe: Slow Cooker Venison Stew Hearty veggies, like mushrooms, potatoes, and turnips, plus venison stew meat make for a comforting dish that'll greet you as soon as you walk through the front door. 11 of 34 Slow Cooker Goulash Jennifer Causey Recipe: Slow Cooker Goulash This beef stew is just the thing you need on a chilly winter Sunday afternoon. What is goulash? A delicious mixture of boneless chuck roast, fire-roasted tomatoes, and veggies. 12 of 34 Slow Cooker Lentil Soup Jennifer Causey Recipe: Slow Cooker Lentil Soup Though we live in a region that enjoys a good barbecue, may we suggest this delicious, meat-free lentil soup? It's a nice, light dish to serve after church along with some cornbread. 13 of 34 Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow Cooker Vegetable Soup with Bacon Eating vegetables has never tasted so good. But we're not surprised, because it's a well-known fact that bacon makes everything better. 14 of 34 Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce Start this sauce before you walk out the door to church, and when you come home, all you need to do is boil up a fresh batch of pasta for a quick, easy, family-friendly lunch. 15 of 34 Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork Jennifer Davick Recipe: Slow Cooker Barbecue Pork You can serve this dish many ways—on hot cheese grits, with toasted cornbread, or on buns with a side of slaw—and that's just to get you started. 16 of 34 Slow-Cooker Short Ribs with Pork Rind Gremolata Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Short Ribs with Pork Rind Gremolata Hosting the after-church Sunday lunch? This show-stopping recipe will show off your hostess chops, but truthfully, most of the work is done by your slow cooker. 17 of 34 Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Melissa Gray; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Turkey and Dumplings Soup This is the recipe you need the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It repurposes leftover turkey and pairs it with tasty dumplings for a low-effort meal after a big holiday that can still wow the after-church lunch crowd. 18 of 34 Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada What is a guisada? It means "stew" in Spanish—and this one packs in all the good flavors. You'll come home after church to a simmering pot of tender beef perfumed with cumin, chili powder, and oregano. 19 of 34 Slow-Cooker Cheddar Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Slow-Cooker Cheddar Soup You can take this soup over the top by serving it in a toasted pretzel bread bowl. Talk about an added wow-factor. 20 of 34 Slow-Cooker Lemon-Asparagus Risotto Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Lemon-Asparagus Risotto This is a pretty dish you can serve after Easter service. Bright green asparagus added texture and crunch to a creamy risotto that can elevate any after-church lunch or special occasion. 21 of 34 Creamy Slow-Cooker Tarragon Chicken Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Creamy Slow-Cooker Tarragon Chicken Simply make some rice or egg noodles to serve alongside the chicken and you'll have a complete and filling meal. The key to success? Searing the chicken thighs to give them a little color before you let the slow cooker do the heavy lifting. 22 of 34 Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker French Onion Soup Our rendition of the French bistro favorite proves that this dish doesn't have to be tricky. 23 of 34 Slow-Cooker Green Minestrone Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Slow-Cooker Green Minestrone Serve this fresh spring soup on a brisk afternoon. It's packed with goodness in the form of snap peas, baby spinach, sweet peas, and plenty of aromatics. 24 of 34 Slow-Cooker Pork Roast Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl Jones; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Pork Roast If you want perfectly juicy, succulent pork, the key is to not overcook it. It may finish cooking faster than the vegetables, so be sure to keep an eye on your meat thermometer and remove it, allowing the veggies to finishing without rendering the pork tough. 25 of 34 Slow-Cooker Chipotle-Tomato Soup Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling; Heather Chadduck Hillegas; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Chipotle-Tomato Soup It's hard to go wrong with tomato soup. Simply whip up a few grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany it, and you have a full meal. For a little heat, we add chipotle chiles and red pepper. 26 of 34 Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Greg Dupree; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Corn Chowder Our creamy chowder keeps things indulgent, but not too heavy. Fresh, sweet corn gets a turn on the grill before you toss it into the slow cooker with bacon, potatoes, and onions. Serve with plenty of fresh bread for a quick, summery after-church meal. 27 of 34 Tangy Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder Hector Sanchez; Styling: Buffy Hargett Miller Recipe: Tangy Slow-Cooker Pork Shoulder Watch this become your new go-to recipe. The light brown sugar, soy sauce, and white wine vinegar are a fun departure from the usual barbecue sauce. 28 of 34 Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta Photo: Greg Dupree Recipe: Slow-Cooker Bolognese Sauce over Pappardelle Pasta Hearty Bolognese, pappardelle, and fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano create a simple after-church meal that everyone will love. We're sure they'll come around for seconds. 29 of 34 Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Slow-Cooker Collard Greens with Ham Hocks Serve this up with hunks of warm, fresh cornbread and you'll hear no complaints. 30 of 34 Slow-Cooker Brisket Chili Hector M. Sanchez Recipe: Slow-Cooker Brisket Chili A true case study in set-it-and-forget-it. Black beans, beef brisket, all the good veggies, and spices create an easy meal with just 20 minutes of active time. 31 of 34 Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos Laurey W. Glenn Recipe: Slow-Cooker Beef Nachos The best part about this recipe is that everyone can build their own chip. 32 of 34 Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Creamy Potato-and-Ham Hock Slow-Cooker Soup This soup's tagline is big on flavor, low on effort. And that's just what you need after church when hungry kids are asking what's for lunch. 33 of 34 Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Corn Slow-Cooker Chowder Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Ginny Branch Stelling; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Corn Slow-Cooker Chowder Come football season, this chowder is an easy thing to serve at watch party. And if you're hosting on a Sunday, no worries. The slow cooker will do all the work while you're listening to the sermon. 34 of 34 Slow-Cooker Pot Roast Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Mary Clayton Carl; Food Styling: Mary-Claire Britton Recipe: Slow-Cooker Pot Roast It perhaps does not get any more classic than the Sunday pot roast, and this one practically cooks itself. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit