10 Italian Recipes to Make in Your Slow Cooker

The best part about Italian food — aside from how crowd-pleasing it is — is how easy it is to prepare. So it’s no wonder it’s a great candidate for the slow cooker. While a slow cooker is hardly traditional, the relaxed, set-it-and-forget-it nature of the appliance lends itself well to so many Italian favorites. Here are 10 recipes that prove it.

This is the ultimate lazy take on lasagna, thanks to layer upon layer of cheese ravioli, marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna

Brown rice not only holds up better in the slow cooker, but it also makes for even more wholesome Italian-inspired grain bowls.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Italian Chicken and Broccoli Bowls

Homemade croutons add crunch and texture to this classic minestrone, but if you’d prefer more traditional pasta, just cook the pasta separately and stir it in before serving.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Minestrone

Combining equal parts flour and softened butter and stirring the mixture into the lemony sauce at the very end of cooking thickens it and makes it extra velvety.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Piccata

This recipe for meatballs includes a simple homemade marinara sauce, but if you’d really like to streamline things, reach for your favorite jarred sauce.

Get the recipe: How To Make Meatballs in the Slow Cooker

While technically not baked, this four-ingredient ziti is just as cheesy and satisfying and sure to be as well-loved as the oven casserole.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Baked Ziti

A jar of Alfredo sauce plays a starring role in this easy dinner, so be sure to use one you love the taste of — we like Rao’s or Bertolli.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

This recipe makes quite a large batch of soup, which is hardly a problem because it freezes incredibly well. Your future self will thank you.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Pasta e Fagioli

While serving chicken Marsala over pasta is a smart move, a bed of mashed potatoes or creamy cauliflower is equally a good idea.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala

A generous splash of beer gives these sausages, peppers, and onions great flavor, but if you’d like to lean more Italian, try swapping it in for dry white wine.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Sausages with Peppers and Onions