slowcooker meals

Fall is the unofficial season of the slow cooker. Crisp air and chilly temperatures beckon the kitchen staple out of the cupboard and onto kitchen counters to once again fill the house with savory smells throughout the day.

With food costs and grocery bills at an all-time high, slow cookers are great options for cooking up cheap, budget friendly meals in bulk.

Slow cooker fans came together on Reddit to share their favorite affordable recipes and meal ideas. These are 20 of the best, budget-friendly slow cooker meals for fall.

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"3 chicken breasts, a jar of salsa, 1/4 cup taco seasoning, can of black beans, can of corn. 6-8 hours low, shred. The key to stretching it is the meals you make with it. It's taco salad, it's tacos, it's burritos, it's nachos, etc, It goes a long way since it's the protein and not the whole meal, plus it's versatile." - rem87062597

"Meatball subs and spaghetti. Bag of frozen meatballs, 1-2 jar of pasta sauce, sub buns, box of spaghetti. Make the meatballs on night one in the slow cooker, make meatball subs. Night 2 is spaghetti, which can be made in the slow cooker, but I recommend a stove. Night 2 becomes leftovers for night 3 and 4 if you made enough/are eating alone. You might even have enough in your budget left over for garlic bread." - PokemonBreederJess

"Buy what is on sale. Cheaper cuts of meat work better in the crock pot because of the low and slow nature of cooking., Chuck roast will often go to 4.99/lb. If you can't find a cut under 3 # to get it in your price range then you can ask the butcher to cut you one. You can throw the roast in the crock pot with any liquid you want. Beer and Italian seasonings makes a great Italian beef. There is Coca Cola pot roast, or just water is fine too. Can throw in potatoes and carrots for pot roast style meal. Or use for pulled beef sandwiches or tacos. So versatile." - wi_voter

"Ranch chicken, 2-3 pounds of whatever chicken cut is on sale (thighs, breasts, drumsticks, quarters, cutlets, it doesn’t matter!), 2 large potatoes cut into 4ths or a good helping of mini potatoes, a half cup of baby carrots, ranch packet, cream of whatever soup (personal favorite celery). Low all day or high for 3-4 hours." - LimeCookies

"Sliced Pork loin, diced potatoes, can of diced tomatoes, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cup of water, 2 beef bouillon cubes, 2 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons corn starch & granulated garlic." - Longhorn7779

"Something like this cheesy smoke sausage and potato soup recipe." - CraftyCrafty2234

"Big pot of beans with whatever meat you have - ham, bacon, sausage etc. I then make rice and cornbread. Delicious, comforting, and financially a struggle meal for sure." - Hips-Often-Lie

"I usually pair (2 cans) green beans with (1 pkg/2 links) smoked sausages, or (2 cans) great northern beans (the white ones) with ham (either cut from ham steak or 1 pkg cubed). Both I cook in a can of chicken broth and one can's worth of water. Medium heat, covered for about 15 minutes. If it's low heat you can cook it longer (like if you're making cornbread)." - ComprehensiveZone931

"I love this split pea soup recipe. It's very forgiving, too: I have to omit the onion (spouse can't eat them) so I double the garlic, always comes out fine. If I don't feel like dealing with a ham hock or can't find one, I get a ham steak and cut it up small. Ham steaks tend to be salty so if I'm using one I skip the salt." - chernaboggles

"The first time I ever made this chicken / stuffing amalgamation I ate the entire amount over the course of the night, I just kept going back for more and more. 🔥🔥🔥🔥" - ToeKneeTea

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Mississippi pot roast slaps." - mysteryteam

"Chicken tortilla soup is pretty cheap if you already have the spices and so soooo good. The way i do it is 2 chicken beasts, 1 can of corn, 1 can of black beans (drained), 1 can of diced tomatoes and another smaller can of diced tomatoes with the green Chiles, 1 small can of tomato paste, 2 chipotle peppers (to be plucked out later) plus the juice from the small can, a dash of garlic and onion powder, maybe at least a 1/2 a tbsp of cumin and paprika or smoked paprika, a little bit of chili powder, then shred a whole bunch of cheese into it I used a whole block of jack cheese last time, and fill the rest up with chicken stock. Use low sodium chicken stock so you can add salt to taste, you may want to go light on the salt b/c the nacho chips you add to your bowl will be salty. I let it go for like 8 hours on low but 4 hrs on high would probably do it too. Tastes even better the next day. This is my bastardization of some recipe I saw online then lost, there's lots of different takes on the recipe. The only thing you might have trouble finding are the canned chipotle peppers but it can probably live without it." - Mohander

"Bbq chicken drumsticks. Generously season & dump in bbq sauce. Serve with corn fresh or canned, maybe a baked potato. Both this recipe and the one above are from dinner at the zoo, which I specifically visit for budget slow cooker meals." - CarefulCamel253

"Lemon garlic butter chicken thighs." - CarefulCamel253

"I made this French beef stew last week and it was just soooooo comforting. I did it in the pressure cooker though - 1hr instead PC instead of 8hr in slow cooker." allevana

"My own favorite concoction- slow cooker Salsa chicken Layer Couple boneless chicken breasts, half packet of taco seasoning, small jar of salsa, can of rinsed and drained beans (any kind), corn or hominy, rest of taco seasoning. You can cook it on low or high depending on how much time you have. Shred the chicken when it’s done and mix it all together. Throw in some cooked rice, or eat on tortillas with additional toppings." - snow-haywire

- YouTube www.youtube.com

"Frozen cooked meatballs. Two bottles of chili sauce. 1 bottle of grape jelly. Quick. Easy. So cheap. Can spread for 2-3 meals." - HighJumpingAlien

"Turkey-sweet potato stew can be made fairly cheaply, and is hearty, healthy, and good for leftovers. The amounts below are really just suggestions - if you don't eat meat, leave it out; if you want it more bean-y, use two cans of beans, etc. Dice about half a large onion and sauté in a little oil (I like to use bacon fat for added flavor, but if you don't do pork, it isn't necessary), then add a pound of ground turkey and brown. Peel and finely dice a sweet potato (any size; I usually use a medium to large one). Put the meat, onions, and sweet potato in the slow cooker with a can of lentils or black beans and a can of diced tomatoes (undrained); season with garlic salt. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or until the sweet potato is cooked through. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream."
- DandyCat2016

"Boneless skinless chicken thighs, a can or two of cream of mushroom soup, a teaspoon or two of better than bullion chicken flavor. Low 4-6 hours. Shred the chicken mix back into the gravy, serve over rice with a vegetable on the side. Comfort food for sure. Cheap, easy, and delicious, too." - Little_Season3410

"I like to cook dry-rub pork ribs in the slow cooker. The meat just falls off the bone. I use this dry rub. Here are good directions (but I prefer my dry rub recipe instead of the one they mention)." joesperrazza