Photos by Joe Lingeman
If you’ve ever had one of those nights where you wish dinner would just cook itself, you’re not alone. We’ve been there, too, and have just the answer you’ve been looking for. These slow cooker dinners come together with just two ingredients — a protein and a jar of store-bought sauce — and rely on the slow cooker to do all the heavy lifting. Just drop everything in and let the slow cooker do the rest. Ready to get cooking?
10 Snapshot Recipes for 2-Ingredient Slow Cooker Dinners
- The protein: Each dinner starts with a protein (we’ve included a mix of chicken, beef, pork, and vegetarian) and makes enough to feed six to eight people.
- The sauce: Each of these dinners is made with a common grocery store sauce, and uses the whole container whenever possible. We’ll give you a suggestion we love for each sauce, but you can use any brand you like.
- Slow cooker: All of these recipes are made using a 6-quart slow cooker.
Chicken Tikka Masala
Season 6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 pounds total) with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the slow cooker. Add a 12- to 15-ounce jar tikka masala sauce, such as Maya Kaimal. Cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours or HIGH 1 to 2 hours.
Green Chile Chicken
Season 6 to 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (2 pounds total) with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the slow cooker. Add an 8-ounce jar or packet of green chile enchilada sauce, such as Frontera Grill. Cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours or HIGH 1 to 2 hours. Shred chicken and mix with sauce from the slow cooker before serving.
Peanut Tofu
Drain and press 2 (14-ounce) packages extra-firm tofu, then cut the blocks into 1-inch cubes. Season the tofu with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in slow cooker. Add an 8- to 10-ounce jar Thai peanut sauce, such as Whole Foods 365 brand or San-J, and stir to coat the tofu. Cook on LOW 4 to 5 hours.
Pizza Chickpeas
Add 4 (15-ounce) cans drained and rinsed chickpeas to the slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Add a 32-ounce jar marinara sauce, such as Rao’s, and stir to coat. Cook on LOW 6 hours.
Coconut Curry Pork
Trim off any large pieces of fat from the surface of a 3- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder or pork butt. Season with salt and pepper, and add to the slow cooker. Add a 10- to 12-ounce jar coconut curry sauce, such as Yai’s Thai or Maya Kaimal.
Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork to a clean cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. When it is cool enough to handle, use 2 forks or your fingers to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir to combine with sauce.
Salsa Chicken
Season 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 pounds total) with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the slow cooker. Add a 16-ounce jar tomato salsa, such as Pace Chunky Salsa.
Cook on LOW 2 to 3 hours or HIGH 1 to 2 hours. Serve chicken whole or shred and mix with sauce from the slow cooker.
BBQ Lentils
Add 1 pound green lentils (about 2 1/2 cups), an 18-ounce jar BBQ sauce (such as Stubb’s), and 4 cups water to the slow cooker and stir to coat. Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours.
Honey Mustard Pork Chops
Season 4 bone-in pork chops (at least 1- to 1 1/2-inches thick, about 2 pounds total) with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker, overlapping slightly. Do not stack the pork chops. Add 8 ounces honey mustard dressing (reserve the rest of the bottle), such as Whole Foods 365 brand or Ken’s.
Cook on LOW 4 to 6 hours for shoulder chops or 2 to 2 1/2 hours for loin chops. Remove chops from the slow cooker. Whisk in the remaining 4 ounces honey mustard dressing and pour over the chops to serve.
Photo by Image credit: Joe Lingeman
Teriyaki Wings
Season 3 pounds chicken wings with salt and pepper. Add to the slow cooker and add a 21-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce, such as Soy Vay. Stir to coat the chicken. Cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours or HIGH for 1 to 2 hours.
Optional: Heat broiler to HIGH. Remove wings from the slow cooker and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil until the skin is brown and crispy, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Return to the slow cooker and toss in the warm teriyaki sauce.
Beef Barbacoa
Trim most of the visible fat cap off of a 3- to 4-pound beef brisket, preferably flat cut. Season the brisket with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the slow cooker with an 8-ounce jar or packet barbacoa sauce, such as Frontera Grill.
Cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the beef to a clean cutting board or rimmed baking sheet. When it is cool enough to handle, use 2 forks or your fingers to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir to combine with sauce.
Kelli Foster is the Food Editor for Plan & Prep content for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals.