Slow Cooker

Chickpeas are the basis for this savory Italian stew, which gets an extra kick from a spoonful of intensely flavored pesto at serving time.

These pressure cooker enchiladas are all about the tortillas and the ancho chile sauce. Shredded chicken and cheese round out the Mexican-American favorite.

Don’t just reserve black-eyed peas for New Year’s luck. The combination of sweet, smoky and hot and the freshness of the greens is delicious any time of the year.

You’ll never miss the beans with this “stick to your ribs,” paleo, grass-fed ground beef–and–sausage version of the hearty Southwestern stew.

Pressure-cooked carnitas take a lesser cut of meat and turns it into the most delicious savory shredded pork, perfect for rolling up in a homemade, grain-free tortilla!

Waking up to the same breakfast day after day can be convenient and reliable, but it can get a bit boring. This breakfast cobbler is a great way to use pressure cooking in a less obvious way, and it simultaneously brings a delicious variation to your morning meal!

Get the richly flavored comforting broth of traditional pho in half the time when you use your Instant Pot.

You get great flavors in this Cajun dish from the spices. Be sure to smash some of the cooked beans to thicken up your stew. Serve over brown rice, quinoa or sorghum for a change of pace.

Cauliflower is a magical vegetable. It’s tasty on its own, but it can transform into oil-free creamy sauces and even replace meat. In this recipe, it’s the base for a creamy, cheesy take on queso dip. This is great on chips but even better on top of burritos and enchiladas. Best of all, you can get the pickiest of eaters to eat their veggies this way.

This cultured coconut milk yogurt is lightly sweetened and perfectly topped with grain-free granola!

You’ve heard it said that the best spaghetti sauces are simmered all afternoon. If that’s true, why not let the slow cooker do the cooking for you? This sauce takes 5 minutes to make and is loaded with vitamins. Make a double batch and freeze half for another day.

I’m sort of a snob when it comes to trying new recipes. I just seem to like my old tried and true ones best, and it takes a lot for something new to grab my attention. I had to have the recipe for this dip after I tried it on Super Bowl Sunday 2006. Garth is a die-hard Steelers fan, so it was an exciting day. Everybody always brings something for the party, and this was my friend Kim’s contribution. Being a good southern girl, I love anything with black-eyed peas in it, but for you folks who are right now turning up your noses at the idea of eating black-eyed peas, all I can say is just try it. In fact, maybe I should name it something else for those skeptics. How about Pea Dippy?

Change up your typical pasta casserole with these fun vegetarian lasagna rollups—they’re like individually portioned mini lasagnas. The pasta tends to soak up a lot of the liquid while it cooks, so you’ll want to reserve about a half jar of marinara sauce to add at the end for a properly saucy dish.

The beauty of oven omelets and frittatas is that they need no crust (unlike a quiche). Fortunately, the slow cooker does this job well—the eggs stay moist and tender thanks to the steady, low temperature. Be ready to serve and eat the frittata as soon as it is done cooking; for the best texture and flavor, do not let it stand on keep warm. The frittata needs maximum surface area to cook, so it works best in a large oval slow cooker. Serve with fried potatoes, or fruit salad and ciabatta toast.

Move over boxed mac and cheese; this version is just as simple and a whole lot tastier.

Knowing you have a bubbling hot breakfast waiting for you on a chilly morning makes getting out of bed so much easier.

This cassoulet is filled to the brim with white beans, lamb, garlic sausage, and smoked sausage (and breadcrumbs), but you can make yours with pork or ham, goat, or duck. Whatever you use, keep the proportions similar to those listed below, and you can’t lose.

For easy, hands-off dinner prep, throw chicken thighs, green chiles, white beans, and a flurry of spices into your slow cooker and come home to a hearty, flavorful meal.

Cuban pulled pork—or lechon asado—meets traditional Cuban ham and Swiss sandwiches in these zesty, melty paninis.

Radiating the aromas of toasted cumin and coriander, and spiked with the salty-sour pucker of cured lemons and olives, this chicken stew produces a heady effect. If you can’t find preserved lemons in your local food markets (high-end stores usually stock them), you can order them or make them yourself.

This chili pleases all palates in my house—it's not too spicy or too mild, but it's loaded with flavor. I love the combination of black beans and chickpeas, but you can use any type of legumes you like. What really makes the chili, in my opinion, are the toppings! Some sharp cheddar, a dollop of cumin-cilantro sour cream, and diced red onions are a must. Sometimes I even add some crushed tortilla chips.

This meltingly tender pork shoulder is the ultimate make-ahead summer dinner party main. A fresh chimichurri-style basil sauce balances the rich pork with bright zesty flavors.

Arguably, some of the best ‘cue in the country can be found in North Carolina, where two distinct types of slow-cooked pig prevail. The first is Eastern barbecue, which is distinguished by slow-cooking a whole hog and including both the white and dark meat in chopped sandwiches and platters. Eastern ‘cue boasts just a hint of vinegar and red pepper, which is added to the meat mix rather than used as a sauce. Western North Carolina ‘cue (aka Lexington-style) is made from pork shoulder only. In addition to incorporating plenty of vinegar, sugar, and spices, it also mixes in a good amount of ketchup to create an actual sauce for the pork. This slow-cooker recipe falls somewhere in between.