10 delicious ‘dump dinners’ to toss in your slow cooker

Does anything sound worse after a long day at work than spending hours cooking a complicated dinner? (Answer: No, there is nothing worse.) Everyone’s hungry, the kids are complaining, and it’s all enough to make you want to order greasy takeout and call it a night.

Avoid that whole after-work dinner debacle by saving these 10 dump dinner ideas for those mornings when you know it’s going to be a long day. Or assemble a few over the weekend and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to cook. From sandwiches to soups to stews, you can make all kinds of hearty and delicious dinners in your slow cooker with minimal effort.

1. Creamy Garlic Chicken

“Sometimes the best things in life are covered with cheese and garlic!” We have to agree with blogger Lauren Greutman on this one. The chicken cooks for four hours, and Greutman recommends serving it over pasta. Get the full recipe from Lauren Greutman.

2. Italian Beef Stuffed Peppers

There are two steps to this one, but hear us out—it’s still very simple! Blogger Marye Audet at Lowcarb-ology says to throw the beef in the slow cooker for the day. Then when you gets home, assemble the peppers and set the table while they microwave. Get the full recipe from Lowcarb-ology.

3. Crockpot Ravioli

For this recipe, just dig into your freezer and open a couple of cans. This crockpot ravioli requires only three ingredients, and you can make it with cheese or meat ravioli. Get the full recipe from Lowcarb-ology.

4. Creamy Portabella Chicken

This may be the easiest slow cooker recipe in existence. Dawn Lopez at Cutefetti knows we all need no-fuss options, and her creamy portabella chicken recipe has only three ingredients. Get the full recipe from Cutefetti.

5. Barbecue Pineapple Pulled Pork

Sometimes you need a break from those slow cooker soups and stews. April at mamalovesfood has an incredibly easy pulled pork sandwich recipe. Just get out the bread when you get home from work and these sandwiches are ready to go! Get the full recipe from mamalovesfood.

6. White Chicken Chili

This one’s a true dump dinner. Blogger Lauren Gruetman even encourages readers to throw all the ingredients for her white chicken chili into a freezer bag, so you can toss the whole thing in your slow cooker in one fell swoop. Get the full recipe from Lauren Greutman.

7. Balsamic Glazed Drumsticks

These drumsticks may be the perfect no-worries dinner for game day. You just mix together a simple sauce, then leave them to cook in the slow cooker while you get everything else prepped for your party. Get the full recipe from Who Needs A Cape? bloggers Heather and Lori.

8. Easy Dump & Crock Chili

Blogger Ashley Pichea has brilliant advice: Brown a bunch of ground beef in advance and save it in freezer bags to pull out when you’re ready to cook with it. For her dump chili, she pulls out frozen, cooked ground beef, and the chili’s already almost ready. Get the full recipe from Ashley Pichea.

9. Chicken Fajitas

They’re easy, a little spicy and ready for delicious toppings. Diane from Homan at Home’s chicken fajitas are easy to cook, and then you can just open up containers of salsa, guacamole or whatever else you like to add a little extra pizzazz on top. Get the full recipe from Homan at Home.

10. Meatballs And Marinara

The most difficult part about this meal is boiling pasta when you get home from work! You can prep the rest of it weeks in advance in a freezer bag. Get the full recipe from Paige at The Happy Flammily.