A Slow-Cooker Dish A Day: February

Spend 20 minutes in the kitchen prepping this gorgeous, hearty sauce. Once the sauce simmers in the cooker, all that's left to do is cook a pound of pasta, and serve.

This is no ordinary pot roast. First, it's rubbed with coffee. Then it simmers in dark stout beer and beef stock, yielding a deeply delicious gravy. Small carrots with tops and pearl onions elevate it further. Just be sure to pile the veggies on top of the beef after all other ingredients are in your cooker, so they'll cook perfectly and keep a vibrant color.

This fun dish is two recipes in one: delicious, easy meatballs and a slow-simmered tangy tomato sauce. If you have any extra sauce, toss it with your favorite green vegetable, spoon it over a bowl of creamy grits, or pair it with pork chops or other meats.

Classic cafeteria-style goodness, this recipe yields enough to serve as a side for a crowd, or it could be dinner for a family of four.

Fresh tomatillos look like small green tomatoes wrapped in thin papery skin. Remove skin, and rinse before chopping. Garnish with Chipotle Cream, corn chips, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.

The meat simmers in the slow cooker for 5-7 hours, creating the luscious dipping sauce at the same time. All you have to do is shred the meat, pile it atop crusty sandwich rolls, and serve.

When ready to serve, just whip up a fresh batch of polenta. Pack any leftover pork in an airtight container and pop into the freezer for a quick and flavorful supper down the road.

Classic posole, a delicious slow-simmered Mexican pork stew often reserved for special occasions, is typically a time-consuming labor of love. But this one gives you all the comfort and flavor of the old-world version made in your slow cooker.

Craving delicious Tex-Mex flavors? This slow-cooker version of the fan favorite King Ranch Chicken Casserole is sure to please the whole family.

Nothing says comfort like the aroma of these apples cooking…unless, of course, it’s sitting down to enjoy them. Bonus: They only require 5 ingredients!

Start these fall-off-the-bone baby back ribs in the slow cooker, then baste with a sweet-and-smoky homemade sauce and grill until nicely charred.  Serve with steak fries. 

Chipotle chiles add a kick, but sweet potatoes balance the heat. Adjust the spice in this homey chili by increasing or decreasing the amount of chipotle to suit your taste.

These make-ahead tacos are an ideal way to showcase slow-cooked pork. Browning the pork roast before adding it to the slow cooker adds rich flavor.

For Valentine's Day, treat your sweetie to an elegent, yet low-maintenance meal of braised lamb over egg noodles. Reducing the wine before placing it in the slow cooker gives the dish a more rounded flavor.

Beef shank works beautifully for slow-cooked soups, breaking down during long simmering to render the aromatic broth meaty and flavorful.

Veal shank is usually a tough cut of meat. But after cooking it several hours in a slow cooker, you'll be surprised at how tender it can be. Serve over creamed potatoes.

Celebrate Fat Tuesday with a Cajun classic. This is the ultimate in thriftiness and convenience - beans in a slow cooker. The long, slow cooking time coaxes all the flavor from the sausage into the beans for a mild yet full-flavored dish.

This classic red chili has chunks of stew meat and ground beef along with tomatoes, red beans, and spices. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a note of smokiness to the mix. 

Because no evaporation takes place, the slow cooker makes an especially moist and tender meat loaf. The mushrooms add moisture as well.

A crunchy topping of raw fennel and bell peppers makes an ideal accompaniment to the mellow flavors of this slow-simmered stew of beans and vegetables. You can make and refrigerate the relish up to a day ahead to save time.

Inexpensive veal shanks become a succulent meal in the slow cooker. Even if you aren't an anchovy lover, don't omit the anchovy paste--it adds immeasurably to the flavor. Use the remaining broth mixture in soups and stews.

The secret is in the name of this recipe–it's so easy to make! Just combine all of the ingredients, set your slow cooker for 8 hours and serve this stew with your favorite side of bread.

This heartier version of black bean soup gets added protein with the addition of shredded pork. Amp up the flavor by adding salsa to the mix and serve with warmed corn tortillas for dipping.

Diced tomatoes, red wine, kalamata olives, and rosemary add Mediterranean flavor to this easy dinner recipe. Always use dried herbs in the slow cooker, and then top with fresh herbs just before serving.

Soft corn or flour tortillas are the ideal vehicle for eating succulent beef chuck pot roast. The recipe says to top them with lettuce, sour cream, and avocado, but feel free to add more of your favorite toppings if desired.

After a hectic day at work, hearty bowlfuls of Vegetable-Lentil Soup await you in the slow cooker. This version requires minimal effort and tastes so much better than the canned variety!

In this recipe for Char Siu, the Chinese version of barbecue, the pork is cooked in the slow cooker for an extra tender, juicy, and stress-free meal. Serve with sticky or long-grain white rice and a steamed or stir-fried medley of bell peppers, carrots, snow peas, sliced baby corn, and water chestnuts.

Slow cookers make more than meaty dinner dishes. Make a sweet, rich apple butter spread that goes perfectly on a toasted English muffin or served over pork chops. One taste and you'll never believe it's fat free.