11 Slow Cooker Recipes for Father’s Day

Red meat and booze are okay for some dads, others feel better celebrating Father’s Day with foods they won’t feel bad about chowing down on. This diverse group of CHOW recipes—all 11 cooked in the crockpot—represent a gentler, healthier holiday repertoire. Added bonus: They essentially cook themselves, so you and Dad can go do something fun together.

1. Steel-Cut Oats

CHOW

If you’ve got health-nut Dad, make him a bowl of creamy steel-cut oatmeal to start his big day. The long cooking time makes these oats hard to execute on a weekday morning. Top it with dried fruit, nuts, and/or maple syrup—remember, it’s his day. Get our Slow-Cooker Steel-Cut Oats recipe.

2. Chicken Tacos

CHOW

Tacos are the ideal kickback thing to serve Dad on his day. No fuss, forks. Serve this delicious, moist shredded chicken in warmed tortillas, with Tomatillo Guacamole Salsa and other taco accessories. Get our Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos recipe.

3. Collard Greens

CHOW

Greens aren’t something you automatically think to drag out the crockpot for, but on Father’s Day—while you take Dad out to the ballpark—your slow cooker can be doing the important work of making an amazing vegetable side. Get our Slow Cooker Collard Greens recipe.

4. Ranch Beans

CHOW

Soak the beans overnight and then put them in the slow cooker with beef broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, ancho chile, garlic, jalapeño, and a ham hock for some rich, smoky flavor Dad will dig. Get our Ranch-Style Pinto Beans recipe.

5. Ramen

Eva Kolenko

You could spend three days making ramen for Dad, or you could spend 30 minutes, with a nine-hour unsupervised simmer in the crockpot. It’s a win-win: Dad gets something delicious, you get more quality time with Dad. Get Kim Laidlaw’s Slow Cooker Pork Ramen recipe.

6. Veggie Stew

CHOW

Squash, chickpeas, Yukon golds, carrots, parsnips, spinach, even raisins, for added sweetness—this is a slow-cooked vegan feast for the kind of yoga-loving Dad who craves nothing more than to share a healthy, compassionate meal with his loved ones. Get our Slow Cooker Root Vegetable Stew recipe.

7. Shrimp Gumbo

CHOW

Let your crockpot do most of the heavy lifting. All you have to do is brown some all-purpose flour in the oven, whisk it into a smooth roux with chicken broth, quickly brown the andouille sausage, and combine everything but the shrimp in your slow cooker’s crock for a five-hour simmer. The shrimp is added 30 minutes before the gumbo is done. Get our Slow Cooker Shrimp Gumbo recipe.

8. Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup

CHOW

A 4-hour cooking session for the squash, red pepper, carrots, onion, and a bit of cumin and maple syrup yields a nourishing and complex-tasting vegan soup, the perfect centerpiece for a Father’s Day supper with the family. The roasted chickpea garnish adds texture and a nutritional boost. Get our Slow Cooker Butternut Squash and Red Pepper Soup recipe.

9. Chicken Mole

CHOW

With an entire can of chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, along with ancho chiles and almonds, this mole is nicely spicy without being overbearing. Prep is a breeze: Just blend everything up, put it in the slow cooker with some chicken, and forget about it for 4 to 8 hours. The recipe yields lots of extra sauce, so put some out with tortilla chips before serving it for dinner. Cool. Get our Slow Cooker Chicken Mole recipe.

10. Rice Pudding

CHOW

Just stir rice, milk, and sugar together in a slow cooker coated with butter and turn it on high. By the time the dinner dishes are cleared and Dad is craving something sweet, dessert will be ready. Stir in brown sugar, raisins, vanilla, cinnamon, and more milk to bump up the creaminess. Because it’s a special day, first soak the raisins in warm rum for 30 minutes. Get our Slow Cooker Rice Pudding recipe.

11. Peach Crumble

CHOW

Mixing the topping with the peaches and simmering gently in the slow cooker, rather than baking, yields something rustic and relaxed, with an almost caramelized complexity. Give dad a double portion, topped with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. Get our Slow Cooker Peach Crumble recipe.