Ever wish you could come home from work and know that dinner was already taken care of? Dream of entering the house and being greeted by the intoxicating aromas wafting from your crock pot? Check out these 5 slow cooker dinners that will be ready when you get home and taste incredible.

Beer & Beef Slow Cooker Stew

• 2 lbs. stew beef
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 2 large carrots chopped
• 1 lb. potatoes chopped
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 T parsley
• 1 cup dark beer
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1 can Rotel
• 2 t salt
• 1 t pepper

Instructions:

Season beef with salt & pepper.  Place all ingredients in large freezer bag except beer and beef stock.  When ready, place stew mixture in crockpot, add beer and beef stock and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Recipe found here.

Crockpot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 2/3 cup chunky applesauce
• 2/3 cup BBQ sauce (I used Brown Sugar/Hickory)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t chili powder

Instructions:

Spray Crockpot with non-stick cooking spray, or use a Crockpot liner for easy clean-up. Place chicken breasts on bottom. Mix all remaining ingredients together, and pour over chicken. Cook 6-8 hours on low setting. Serves 4.
If freezing beforehand, place all ingredients in gallon-sized freezer bag. Freeze. Thaw overnight in refrigerator prior to placing into slow cooker. Recipe found here.

Crock Pot Chili

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tablespoons chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
• 1 large can (798 mL) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 large can of plain tomato sauce
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Prep:

Brown the beef in a large pot. Add onions, peppers, garlic and chili powder. Cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cool a bit and transfer to a large freezer ziplock bag. To the bag add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans.
Remove as much air as you can and freeze.

Instructions:

Dump the contents into your crock pot and turn it on low for the day. (Every slow cooker is different, so you might have to adjust cooking times–aim for 8 hrs on low for a frozen meal). Recipe found here.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

• 3 lb pork roast
• Half a bottle of Bullseye Chicken and Rib BBQ sauce
• 1/2 small onion, thinly sliced

Prep:

Stick it all in a freezer bag, remove air, and freeze.

Instructions:

Dump it all in the crock pot, add 1/2 cup water, set cooker to low and cook for 8 hours.

Sweet and Sour Meatballs

• 1 pkg cooked meatballs
• 1 diced onion
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1 cup diced red pepper
• 1 bottle sweet and sour sauce
• add one hour before serving
• 1 can pineapple tidbits
• Rice, cooked

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve over rice.

Those are the 5 best slow cooker dinners for having dinner ready when you get home. Know any great, simple slow cooker dinners we should add to our list? Please share in the comments below! We’ll update the article to include more of our readers’ favorite recipes.