Slow Cooker & Oven Slow-Cooking Recipes

Truth: There's nothin' better than walking in the door at 40 o'clock and smelling dinner already cooked and read to eat in the slow cooker. Here you'll find my recipes for the special recipes that really work in a slow cooker. Whether you're meal prepping sweet potatoes or taco meat or wondering about the best tricks for a pot roast, I've got you covered.
Plus for cooks who don't own a slow cooker (or whose slow cooker has gone kaput, hello, frequent problem) or like me, are too often disappointed by slow cookers, this page includes recipes that are "slow cooked in the oven" at low temperature for several to many hours. Oven slow cooking is a revelation!

Real Food, Fresh & Seasonal. Budget Friendly Recipes. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special.

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~ Skip Straight to the Slow Cooker Recipes ~

~ Skip Straight to the Oven Slow Cooking Recipes ~

Slow Cooker vs Slow Cooking in the Oven

Regular readers know that I love the idea of the convenience of slow cookers but too-often find myself disappointed by their results.

First, the slow cookers themselves.

Inconsistency Slow cooker temperatures can run both too cold and too hot.
Unreliability Even high-priced slow cookers fall apart: think cracked ceramic, handles falling, quitting in the middle of cooking a meal. Arrrrgh ....

But even if you find a slow cooker you like, there are taste issues.

Muddiness When foods are cooked for long periods all together in an actual slow cooker, a certain muddiness emerges.
Mushiness Certain foods just don't slow cook well. Ever cook zucchini for several hours? Pure mush. (Sorry, dear husband. Last night's beef & hominy stew was delicious but the zucchini was a mess.)

But There's Hope!

Over the years, I've found that several of my recipes overcome traditional slow-cooker challenges. These slow cooker recipes not only withstand slow cooker issues but stand up and make themselves useful! Ever try lentil sloppy joes? So good!

Slow Cooker Alternative: Oven Slow-Cooking

Don't own a slow cooker? Why, yes, you do. It's called an "oven".

For about ten years, my slow-cook recipes are slow-cooked in the oven instead of a slow cooker on the counter.

Why?

Temperature Consistency Just think about it. An oven costs hundreds of dollars, a slow cooker tens of dollars. Which product maintains a steady temperature? You're right, the oven.
Vibrant Flavors Food cooked in the oven just tastes better than food cooked in a slow cooker.

How to Slow Cook with Your Oven: Temperature & Time

If you'd like to convert a recipe from a slow cooker to oven-slow cooking, dig out a heavy Dutch oven or braising pan with a heavy, tight lid that's used for both browning meats and the slow cooking itself. After that it's easy, a simple balance of oven temperature and time.

Low Oven Temperature Water boils at 212F/100C, right? That means we want to slow-cook at 210F or 220F for an all-day cook or slightly higher 240F or 250F for a shorter cooking time. If you want to safely "hold" a dinner that's ready to eat but nobody's home yet, just lower the oven to 180F.
Long Cooking Time The time range can be 8-10 hours or 4-6 hours.

See? Just like a slow cooker! Except with more control and more flexibility than "low" and "high".

So if you don't have a slow cooker, give your oven a shot. My recipes for slow oven-cooking are below but if you'd like to explore still further, we love Andrew Schloss' cookbook Cooking Slow: Recipes for Slowing Down and Cooking More (affiliate link).

Slow Cooker Recipes
Breakfasts
Soups