10 Easy 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Dinners for Busy Nights

When you walk through the front door after an exhausting 9-hour workday, the last thing you want to do is stand over a hot stove chopping vegetables. These 5 ingredient slow cooker dinners require zero browning or advanced cooking techniques: just dump the ingredients into the crockpot, set the dial to Low, and let gentle heat do all the heavy lifting.

Why 5-Ingredient Crockpot Meals Win

• 5-minute morning prep: Measure 5 basic pantry staples into the insert before leaving for work.
• Tenderize budget meat cuts: Inexpensive chuck roasts and bone-in chicken thighs become fall-apart tender after 8 hours of slow simmering.
• One ceramic pot to wash: Use a slow cooker liner or non-stick ceramic pot for effortless 60-second cleanup.

10 Delicious Dump-and-Go Dinners

1. Salsa Verde Pulled Chicken: 2 lbs chicken breasts + 1 jar salsa verde + 1 diced onion + 1 can black beans + 1 tbsp cumin. Shred and serve over rice or in warm tacos.
2. Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches: 3 lbs beef chuck roast + 1 packet au jus gravy mix + 1 packet onion soup mix + 1 cup beef broth + 1 sliced onion. Serve on crusty hoagie rolls with melted provolone.
3. Creamy Tomato Basil Tortellini: 1 bag frozen cheese tortellini + 1 jar marinara sauce + 4 cups chicken broth + 1 block cream cheese + 4 cups fresh baby spinach.
4. Honey Garlic Pork Chops: 4 boneless pork chops + 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce + 1/2 cup raw honey + 4 minced garlic cloves + 1 tbsp grated ginger.
5. Vegetarian Sweet Potato & Chickpea Curry: 2 cubed sweet potatoes + 2 cans rinsed chickpeas + 1 can coconut milk + 3 tbsp yellow curry paste + 1 can diced fire-roasted tomatoes.
6. BBQ Pulled Pork Carnitas: 3 lbs pork shoulder + 1 bottle favorite BBQ sauce + 1 diced red onion + 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar + 1 tbsp smoked paprika.
7. Lemon Herb Garlic Chicken & Red Potatoes: 1.5 lbs chicken thighs + 1 lb baby red potatoes halved + 1/4 cup olive oil + 1 packet ranch seasoning + juice of 1 whole lemon.
8. Creamy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes: 2 lbs chicken breast + 3/4 cup buffalo wing sauce + 1 packet ranch dip mix + 4 oz cream cheese + baked sweet potatoes for serving.
9. Hearty Beef & Bean Chili: 1 lb ground beef (crumbled raw) + 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies + 1 can kidney beans + 1 can black beans + 2 tbsp chili seasoning.
10. Teriyaki Chicken and Broccoli: 2 lbs chicken breast + 1 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce + 1 bag frozen broccoli florets (stirred in during the last 20 minutes) + sesame seeds + cooked jasmine rice.