Getting dinner on the table in the summertime can be a little tricky to do if you want to keep your kitchen nice and cool.
One great alternative to a hot kitchen in the summertime is to use the slow cooker to prepare dinner.
In addition to keeping your kitchen’s temperature down, the slow cooker can usually shave a lot of time off your dinner preparations and leave you more time for summer fun!
My crock pot gets a lot of use in the summer.
While most people associate slow cooking with cold weather cooking…it’s awesome for soups and stews on chilly winter evenings…you can make some really great summertime food with a slow cooker.
And if you’re planning to head to the pool for a few hours, your crock pot can take over dinner preparations so that you can enjoy your summer activities.
They are also great to take with you on vacation, and can make enough to feed a big crowd.
But best of all, my slow cooker doesn’t make the kitchen unbearably hot for several hours, like my oven does.
We like sandwiches and salads, but most of us don’t want to eat them every night just to avoid turning on the oven.
What can you cook in the crockpot?
Slow cookers aren’t just for soups and stews.
You can make a variety of great meals in a slow cooker, such as:
- roasts
- tender meats that can be shredded for sandwiches, tacos or BBQ
- baked casseroles, like macaroni and cheese or ziti
- breakfast casseroles
- and even desserts!
If you can think of it, you can probably make it in a slow cooker.
Can you leave a slow cooker on while you’re not at home?
One of the best parts about using a slow cooker is that you don’t have to babysit whatever you’re cooking…it’s mostly a set and forget way of cooking.
Most of the time, whatever you cook inside a crock pot will take several hours, so you can leave the house for a few hours and come back to find dinner ready.
You’ll want to make sure that you read any recipe carefully for cooking times to make sure you don’t come back from a day at work to find a crock pot full of burnt mac and cheese!
34 Super Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Summer
Here are 34 super easy summer slow cooker recipes (try saying that 5 times fast!) for you to try out during the hottest months of the year.
Don’t forget to try them out the rest of the year too…they work all year round!
Beef Slow Cooker Recipes
Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches from Recipe Girl
Salsa Verde Beef Tacos from The Girl Who Ate Everything
The Ultimate Crockpot Chili from Mom On Timeout
Slow Cooker Beef Vegetable Barley Soup from The Kitchen McCabe
Cowboy Beans from South Your Mouth
Crock Pot Meatball Subs from South Your Mouth
Crock Pot Cheesesteaks from Raining Hot Coupons
Pineapple and Black Bean Chili from Horses and Heels
Crock Pot Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs from Consumer Queen
Chicken Slow Cooker Recipes
Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore from The Dinner Mom
Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup from Shaken Together
Slow Cooker Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese from Snappy Gourmet
Easy Chicken ‘n’ Dumplings from Spend With Pennies
Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Tacos from Fit Foodie Finds
Chicken Taco Soup from The Girl Who Ate Everything
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken With Homemade Cole Slaw from Cherished Bliss
Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup from The Kitchen McCabe
Crockpot Greek Chicken from A Mom’s Take
Spicy Chicken Sausage and Cabbage Stew from Kicking it With Kelly
Pork Slow Cooker Recipes
Crockpot Sausage Peppers and Onions from I Was Born to Cook
South Carolina BBQ Pork Sliders from Recipe Girl
Sweet and Smoky Crock Pot Pork Tacos from Our Best Bites
Crock Pot Ham and Beans from In the Kitchen With Jenny
Crock Pot Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole from Tammi Lee Tips
Slow Cooked Carnitas Tacos from Recipe Girl
Franks & Beans from South Your Mouth
Sausage Steam Pot With Potatoes and Cabbage from South Your Mouth
Crockpot Breakfast from Shaken Together
Crock Pot Kielbasa and Green Beans With Potatoes from Tammi Lee Tips
Meat-Free Slow Cooker Recipes
Crockpot Layered Bean Burritos from Thrifty Jinxy
Simple Crockpot Vegetable Soup from I Was Born to Cook
Vegetarian Crockpot Chili With Bulgur Wheat from Thrifty Jinxy
Crockpot Baked Ziti from Thrifty Jinxy
Crock Pot French Toast from Raining Hot Coupons
What’s your favorite slow cooker meal to make in the summer?
So many great sounding recipes. I know I’ve been using my slow cooker more often. We like slow cooker beef and bean enchiladas and slow cooker lasagna quite a bit.
Lasagna comes out so nicely in the slow cooker…I was so surprised the first time I tried it! It’s nice to be able to cook it with so little effort.
There are so many great ideas in this list! Thanks for sharing it, Erin.
I need to make using my slow cooker more of a priority, since I only use it maybe two or three times a year right now. I’m sure my family would appreciate it if I used it more. 🙂
Me too…I like using it, but I only had one or two good recipes in my cookbook until now 🙂
Hope you can find something your family enjoys!
I love my crockpot but have a little stumped on what to cook for more “summery” meals. Thanks for the tips! Stopping by from the link up!
You’re welcome Becky! Hope you enjoy the recipes this summer 🙂