15 Splendid Meals from the Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker Recipe: Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine

Ain't the slow cooker grand? You can load it up at night or early in the morning with a few ingredients, then come home after work to a hot meal waiting for you. It's almost like having your own private chef. Well — not quite (you still do some of the work!), but it's still pretty great.

But the slow cooker isn't just for supper. You can make terrific breakfast grains, and great make-ahead lunch staples. Read on for 15 of our favorite slow cooker meals, from ginger pork and barbecue chicken that make great lunches, to spiced porridge for breakfast and chickpea stew for supper.

But first, some slow cooker tips!

• Want to convert a recipe to the slow cooker? Here's how. How To Convert Dutch Oven Recipes to Your Slow-Cooker
• No slow cooker at all? Use your oven. Technique: Slow Cooking Without a Slow Cooker
• New to the slow cooker? Back to Basics: How to Use a Slow Cooker
• A basic technique we use all the time: How to Cook Beans in the Slow Cooker

SLOW COOKER SUPPERS
• 1 Slow Cooker Recipe: Peppered Beef Shank in Red Wine
• 2 Slow-Cooked Bolognese Sauce
• 3 Slow-Cooker Black Bean Enchiladas
• 4 Curried Vegetable and Chickpea Stew
• 5 Rich and Meaty Lamb Ragù
• 6 Slow-Cooked Hoisin Pork Wraps with Peanut Slaw
• 7 Slow-Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken
• 8 Weekend Pot Roast
• 9 Collard Greens Stew with Chorizo and Garlic
• 10 Lemon Braised Chicken and Beans with Mint Pesto

MAKE-AHEAD LUNCH MEATS
• 11 Slow-Cooker Carnitas
• 12 Barbecue Shredded Chicken
• 13 Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

HOT BREAKFASTS
• 14 Slow Cooker Spiced Porridge for a Crowd
• 15 Overnight Oatmeal with Apricots and Buttermilk

What's your go-to slow cooker meal?

(Images: See linked recipes for full image credits)