9 Slow-Cooker Recipes You'll Definitely Want To Make This Winter Slideshow

A slow-cooker is the perfect tool to use on busy nights. You just put all your ingredients in the vessel and walk away. No sweating over the stove rushing to get dinner done —the slow-cooker does it all for you. The best part about a slow-cooker is that you can use it to make hearty soups, appetizers, main dishes — you can even make dessert. The traditional uses for this wonderful appliance are to make a soup like that offered by Food Fash, or a vegan chili like Sweet and Spicy Monkey's. But you can also get creative and use a slow-cooker to make a coconut cake. Living Sweet Moments just dumped the batter in and walked away. That's the best part — walking away. 

This beef stew is made with hearty chunks of tender beef and delicious vegetables that marinate in rich and flavorful beef broth. — The Cozy Cook

For the Crock-Pot Beef Stew recipe, click here.

I have learned that the easiest way to feed a crowd is to break out the slow-cooker. You can make a simple four-ingredient chicken taco, and kept it warm in the slow-cooker so your friends can assemble tacos whenever they want. — The Kiitchen 

For the 4-Ingredient Taco Chicken recipe, click here.

This slow-cooker coconut cake is sinfully delicious, silky, and exotic. If you've never baked in your slow-cooker, it's a great recipe to start out with. The perk of this cooking method is that it does not need baby-sitting. Dump the batter in the machine and go on about your day. — Living Sweet Moments

For the Slow Cooker Coconut Cake recipe, click here.

Pour all of your soup ingredients escept the garnish in the slow-cooker and let it cook for three-and-a-half hours. When the soup is done, top it with cilantro and avocado for a spicy and warming recipe.

For the Slow-Cooker Sort-of Tortilla Soup recipe, click here.

With the convenience of using things like taco seasoning, jarred salsa, V8 Juice, frozen corn, and canned black beans, this soup was a snap to throw together and brought so much flavor without all the work.  Also, by taking advantage of the crock-pot, I was able to let this simmer on low while I was at work. —Platter Talk

For the Slow-Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup recipe, click here.

It's so hearty and full of flavor, you'll never miss the meat. This recipe uses four different types of beans: black, red kidney, pinto, and small red beans, along with quinoa and barley to give this chili its heartiness. — Sweet and Spicy Monkey

For the Vegan Chile recipe, click here.

How in the world can I get my fix of everything bagels minus all the carbs?  It didn't take long for me to turn to one of my healthier favorites, hummus.  After a little creativity and waving of the culinary wand, I am bringing you this mash up of a recipe –lox & "everything" hummus.

For the Slow-Cooker Everything Hummus and Lox recipe, click here.

Here's another take on slow-cooker vegan chili, also so good that you will not miss the meat. What makes this chili special is not the three kinds of beans, nor the colorful bell peppers; it is the star ingredient...butternut squash. —Watch Learn Eat

For the Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili recipe, click here.

There just isn't a better way to describe this recipe — it tastes just like the baked version and it looks like it came out of the oven too. It's just a whole lot easier to make this three-cheese pasta favorite in a slow-cooker.—Dinner Mom

For the Crock-Pot Baked Ziti recipe, click here.