Four slow-cooker meals for cooler autumn evenings

Topic:Recipes

Monday 16 MarchMon 16 Mar 2026 at 4:58am

Cooked lamb leg in a slow cooker surrounded by carrots and potatoes, an easy weeknight family meal. — A meal that can feed eight with very little prep. (ABC Everyday: Lina Jebeile)

With autumn comes cooler weather — the perfect time to dust off that slow cooker and get into some hearty, simple dinners.

We've pulled together four lovely recipes that make weeknight meals a little easier (and quite budget friendly, too).

Slow-cooker lamb leg with sumac, potatoes and carrots

You don't need a fancy slow cooker for this one, and the prep time is quick and easy enough to do in the morning. Truly a set and forget meal.

Vegetarian slow-cooker corn chowder

Bowl of creamy corn chowder topped with fried potato skins and coconut cream, vegetarian slow cooker meal. — Let this sunny soup bubble away in your slow-cooker. (ABC Everyday: Alice Zaslavsky)

You don't even need to peel the spuds for this meal. Once they're cooked, you can just go back in and the skins will slip right off … Ready to be turned into crispy bits of spuddy snap-crackle on top with a little time and a shallow fry.

Set and forget slow-cooker bolognese

A plate of slow-cooker bolognese served with rigatoni and sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and finely chopped parsley. — Set up this slow-cooker bolognese the night before you plan to eat it and look forward to it all day. (ABC News: Samantha Parish)

The vegetables are blitzed with a holy trinity of tomato paste, parmesan cheese and Worcestershire sauce. There's no stirring required (except for a final mix at the end).

Slow-cooker pumpkin, lentil and coconut curry

A plate of pumpkin, lentil and coconut curry, topped with coconut cream and tadka. Slow cooker visible with more curry. — Enjoy this creamy pumpkin, coconut and lentil curry with warm flatbread and tadka. (ABC News: Samantha Parish)

This dish draws inspiration from South Asian flavours, with tamarind providing a tangy twist. The low, steady heat gives the spices time to meld and the lentils and pumpkin time to soften to perfection.