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    Home > 5 Ingredients or Less > Easy Southern Slow Cooker Recipes

    Easy Southern Slow Cooker Recipes

    Published: Aug 21, 2024 by Kathleen · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See full disclosure

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    These easy Southern slow cooker recipes are perfect for busy weeknight meals or even holidays when you are short on time. Although the Crockpot itself is a shortcut, I share even more shortcuts in this collection of simple slow cooker recipes.

    Six southern slow cooker recipes: apple butter, ham, peas, figs, chicken lasagna, chicken and dressing.

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    From Christmas ham to summer purple hull peas to apple butter for gift giving all year round, these easy recipes with very few ingredients will become your favorites, too!

    Let your Crockpot do the work while you enjoy more time doing what you want to do! Each recipe in this collection of Southern comfort food combines convenience with flavor to make sure you get home-cooked dishes and food gifts without the fuss.

    Did you know the Instant Pot multi function cooker also has a slow cooker function? If you are new to the Instant Pot in general, check out my collection of easy Instant Pot recipes.

    1. Easy Slow Cooker Apple Butter

    Make your own apple butter in the crockpot! Apples are mixed with a warm spices, brown sugar, and molasses to create a spread that you can enjoy on my 2 Ingredient Biscuits or No Knead Dutch Oven Artisan Bread. It's also gluten-free.

    Several jars of slow cooker apple butter with whole apples scattered around.
    Easy Slow Cooker Apple Butter
    This slow cooker apple butter recipe makes it simple and easy to make your own spiced fruit spread! Store in the fridge or can in a water bath for a longer shelf life.
    Go to recipe!

    2. Slow Cooker Chicken Spinach Lasagna

    Add this to your list of easy one-pot slow cooker recipes with chicken! It's an easy-to- make dinner and you don't even have to cook the noodles ahead of time! Just layer the ingredients and let the crockpot do all of the work for you! Now that's a shortcut!

    chicken spinach lasagna slice on white plate on red cloth
    Slow Cooker Chicken Spinach Lasagna
    For Slow Cooker Chicken Spinach Lasagna, there's no need to cook the lasagna noodles before placing them in the Crockpot! Now that's a shortcut!
    Go to recipe!

    3. Slow Cooker Fig Jam

    Fig Jam is one of those set-it-and-forget-it Crockpot recipes. It only takes a few minutes of prep and it simmers in the slow cooker giving you a hands-off recipe. Enjoy the jam on cornbread, toast or my favorite way to eat it is on a bagel with peanut butter!

    A small open jar of fig jam with a little spoon in it with a fresh fig half leaned on it.
    Fig Jam Recipe (Slow Cooker)
    To make this easy Fig Jam Recipe in the slow cooker, you only need 4 ingredients and less than 10 minutes prep. The Crockpot does most of the work, and even better- it's made without pectin!
    Go to recipe!

    4. Purple Hull Peas

    You can easily cook purple hull peas or black eyed peas in the slow cooker. This method allows you to use fresh or frozen peas and doesn't take much prep time. It's one of my favorite southern style slow cooker recipes.

    Purple hull peas with bacon and ham in white bowl on blue cloth.
    How to Cook Purple Hull Peas: Stove, Slow Cooker, Instant Pot
    Cooking fresh or frozen purple hull peas three ways is super easy! I’ll show you how to cook them on the stove, in the slow cooker and in the Instant Pot-Southern style. The seasonings are the same, but the cooking time and amount of liquid varies a little for each method.
    Go to recipe!

    5. Slow Cooker Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham

    Just 3 ingredients! You'll love this slow cooker ham because it's so easy and frees up space in your oven during the holidays so you can concentrate on making Christmas cookies and candied sweet potatoes.

    Close up of pineapple ham in a slow cooker.
    Slow Cooker Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham
    With just 3 ingredients, this Slow Cooker Pineapple Brown Sugar Ham is an easy holiday dinner main course! Stir together a pineapple brown sugar glaze using pineapple preserves. It's a simple recipe for how to cook ham in a Crockpot with pineapple and brown sugar.
    Go to recipe!

    6. Easy Crockpot Pear Butter

    Great for spreading on your toast or using it in your favorite baking recipes, this pear butter is slow cooked and easy to make and has all the fall feels. It's a great way to use pears if you have a pear tree or visit a U-Pick farm.

    Square featured image of pear butter spread on triangular pieces of toast with two mason jars of pear butter in the background.
    Easy Crockpot Pear Butter
    Hands off and easy to make, this Crockpot Pear Butter recipe is a great way to make your own homemade pear butter with just 5 ingredients in your slow cooker!
    Go to recipe!

    7. Crockpot Chicken and Dressing

    An easy dinner for special occasions or weeknights, this chicken and dressing dish is made in the slow cooker. It's a flavorful easy slow cooker recipe for a crowd. See how simple it is to make with my shortcut tips!

    Serving of chicken cornbread dressing on plate with broccoli and salad.
    Crockpot Chicken and Dressing
    Crockpot Chicken and Dressing, an easy slow cooker chicken casserole for your Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter dinner using rotisserie chicken and cornbread stuffing mix.
    Go to recipe!

    8. Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup

    I'd call this vegetable soup one of those easy cheap slow cooker recipes everyone needs in their recipe box. Made with ground beef, fresh or frozen vegetables and pantry ingredients, it's a comforting weeknight dinner idea that is easy on the wallet. It serves a crowd or tastes even better the next day.

    Half of an enamel-coated pot full of vegetable soup
    Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup (Shortcuts and Variations)
    Easy Hamburger Vegetable Soup is the ultimate comfort soup made with what you have on hand in the pantry, fridge or freezer. I give you plenty of shortcuts and variations so you can make it quickly and inexpensively on the stovetop, Instant Pot, and slow cooker.
    Go to recipe!

    9. Turnip Greens Soup (Beans and Greens)

    One of my favorite easy slow cooker soup recipes, this beans and greens recipe is a dump and go dinner that's perfect for busy weekdays or lazy weekends. It's a classic Southern food slow cooker recipe that I've made even easier with mostly canned vegetables!

    We Southerners love our greens-turnip greens. This dump and stir soup gets you in and out of the kitchen but tastes like you cooked them low and slow all day. Served in a white bowl.
    Shortcut Turnip Green Soup
    We Southerners love our greens-turnip greens, collard greens and mustard greens. This dump and stir Turnip Green Soup gets you in and out of the kitchen quickly, but tastes like you cooked it low and slow all day. It's also easy to make in the slow cooker.
    Go to recipe!

    10. White Bean and Chicken Chili

    This recipe for "white chicken chili" is a filling dish that's perfect for when you're craving a bowl of hearty chicken stew or soup using rotisserie or leftover chicken. You'll love this easy slow cooker soup recipe on cooler days or when you just want something comforting and delicious!

    Shortcut White Bean Chicken Chili has all the flavor of slow cooked beans and chicken but uses canned beans so you can get dinner on the table quicker!
    Shortcut White Bean and Chicken Chili
    Shortcut White Bean Chicken Chili has all the flavor of slow cooked beans and chicken but uses canned beans so you can get dinner on the table quicker!
    Go to recipe!

    From dinners that will feed the whole family to making jams and fruit butters at home, these easy slow cooker recipes will help you create flavorful Southern dishes everyone will love.

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    More 5 Ingredients or Less

    • Pecan pie balls on a wooden board, some topped with chocolate drizzle and others sprinkled with chopped pecans
      Date Nut Balls
    • Apple pie dip topped with chopped apple pie filling in a green apple-shaped dish
      Apple Pie Dip
    • Mummy brownies on white platter with skeleton shaped spoons.
      Mummy Brownies
    • A small open jar of fig jam with a little spoon in it with a fresh fig half leaned on it.
      Fig Jam Recipe (Slow Cooker)

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Teresa Sims

      January 17, 2025 at 5:54 am

      Looking for a crock pot OR instant pot recipe for Chicken noodle Soup

      Reply
      • Kathleen

        January 17, 2025 at 6:56 am

        Hi Teresa! I don't have a recipe for chicken noodle soup in the Crockpot or Instant Pot, but Spend With Pennies and Budget Bytes both have one and their photos look yummy if you want to check them out with a search on the internet. I hope you will try some of my slow cooker recipes in this roundup, too!

        Reply

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    Hi y'all! I’m Kathleen. I share Southern shortcut recipes! I’m a food stylist, cookbook author, and former test kitchen director in Alabama. I take traditional Southern recipes you know and love (and a few new ones) and make them with shortcuts so you can enjoy them faster.

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    Hi y'all! I’m Kathleen. I share Southern shortcut recipes! I’m a food stylist, cookbook author, and former test kitchen director in Alabama. I take traditional Southern recipes you know and love (and a few new ones) and make them with shortcuts so you can enjoy them faster.

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