By using the low and slow crockpot cooking method, you'll get moist, delicious turkey that melts in your mouth! As an extra plus, the juices make an easy, flavor-packed gravy. Cranberries and seasonal herbs are a beautiful yet ultra-simple garnish.

This rotisserie-style seasoned chicken is cooked with carrots, onions and Yukon gold potatoes for fantastic flavors and a gorgeous, holiday-worthy presentation! You can optionally make an easy gravy to accompany the meal for an extra-special touch.

Incredibly rich and tender slow cooker short ribs are a celebration-worthy dinner with so little effort. The beef is prepared with a trio of mushrooms, carrots and onions that adds a nice, fresh counterbalance to the otherwise rich meal. Fabulous served over potatoes!

This tender and juicy turkey slow-cooks right along with onions and carrots – it's a main course with a built-in vegetable side dish, all in one pot! If you want, you can use the delicious cooking juices to make a gravy, too.

Besides freeing up space in your oven, this slow cooker method retains moisture to keep your ham from drying out, so you end up with a juicy, delicious Christmas ham. And, the bonus secret here is a rich, thick homemade glaze that's easy to whip up using ingredients you have on hand, yet adds tons of flavor and additional moisture!

Duck Confit may sound like a complicated dish, but it's all about time and patience, rather than complex methods – and time and patience is what crockpots do best. A unique and impressive Christmas dinner that's still low-stress and surprisingly simple to pull off!

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts and just a few kitchen staples come together for an effortless main course. A great option if you don't want to cook a whole chicken, but note that you can sub thighs if you like them better than (leaner) white-meat breasts.

With just 5 minutes of prep time (no browning required!), roast is a go-to dish for easy, stress-free holiday entertaining. You can even make it ahead of time, to be re-warmed later! Serve it with plenty of veggie sides for a healthy yet special-feeling Christmas meal.

Elegant but simple, featuring a delicious combination of orange juice, garlic, honey, soy sauce, and brown sugar ... plus a finishing touch of festive Grand Marnier sauce!

This easy slow cooker recipe takes just 10 minutes to prep, and the result is a tender roast with a lovely rosemary and thyme aroma. Rutabagas are a lower-carb stand-in for the traditional potatoes, along with green beans, red pepper, and red onion, but the author gives great suggestions for other vegetable options to cook with your pork and round out your meal.

A holiday staple in many homes, these Ukrainian-style cabbage rolls take a beloved comfort dish and make it even better, even easier! Note that, because you won't be able to drain the fat from this recipe, lean ground beef is the ideal choice.

Lots of people like to serve seafood for Christmas, but you might be surprised that you can cook it in your crockpot! In fact, the low, slow cooking method is ideally suited to your crockpot, producing that "poached" texture that's still flaky but also more moist, soft and tender than oven-baked. And the long cooking time offers plenty of opportunity for the salmon to be infused with flavorful seasonings.

For those of you who like serving an Italian Christmas feast, this is a wonderfully easy addition to the menu, with just 7 simple ingredients! To keep it light and lean, make sure to note that you can use chicken or turkey sausages instead of the typical pork.

This super-easy side dish calls for a flavorful combination of paprika, garlic and oregano. But, there are lots of ideas for switching up the flavors and customizing your slow cooker potatoes to pair perfectly with the rest of your Christmas menu!

You only need 10 minutes of prep time and a few pantry staples for this must-have holiday side dish. Includes lots of great ideas for flavor variations, but start by trying it with the highly recommended combo of toasted pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and a homemade balsamic reduction made from light brown sugar and balsamic vinegar.

Only 4 ingredients, but these carrots are a definite crowd-pleaser with their buttery, brown sugar glaze. For added convenience, use baby carrots so there’s no chopping involved. Or for a pop of color, go with rainbow carrots.

When it comes to Christmas side dishes, Green Bean Casserole just might be the iconic king. This updated, slow cooker version of the holiday classic is made with fresh beans and doesn’t use canned soup. It’s a yummy, easy upgrade, and making it in your slow cooker frees up precious oven space!

This lovely side dish combines sweet butternut squash with warm apples, holiday cranberries, cinnamon, and nutmeg, which all make this recipe so fragrant as it cooks ... your whole house will smell amazing!

Crockpots cook stuffing really well, since the bread pieces on the bottom get nice and crispy, just like they would in the oven. This version is made with mushrooms for that meaty, savory umami bomb that you want out of a stuffing. And it’s got walnuts to add nutty flavor and a little crunch to break up the "bread-y" stuffing texture. Yum!

Lusciously creamy and oh-so satisfying! The author suggests lots of variations and add-ins, but most of all, I love her tips for lightening up a dish that is sometimes a bit too heavy. As an added bonus, this great side dish recipe can be made 2-3 days in advance, or even frozen!

Thanks to this foolproof crockpot method, you get ultra creamy, super tender, extra fluffy sweet potatoes every time!

“Roasting” beets in the crockpot is one of the absolute best ways to prepare them! These are perfectly tender and incredibly flavorful, with just a few simple ingredients. Try serving them with crumbled goat cheese and pumpkin seeds for extra flavors and great texture.

This winter-y rice pilaf is packed with veggies like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, and celery. A last-minute sprinkling of sliced almonds adds a pop of crunchy texture.

Made almost entirely from vegetables, this easy soup recipe is filled with carrots, onion, apples, sweet potato, and butternut squash (of course!), and is flavored with fresh garlic cloves and ginger. Cozy and delicious, creamy and nourishing ... and so good alongside practically any type of main course. You can even leave out the splash of half-and-half to keep it healthier.

Flavored with apples, onions, caraway, and honey, this is a delicious, comforting sweet-and-sour dish that pairs beautifully with the holiday's roasted meats.

A Christmastime favorite that's a snap to make in your crockpot! With the addition of orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, and a crunchy pecan topping, this lightened-up spin on a beloved side dish is sure to make your family and guests happy!

We're talkin' easy homemade applesauce with none of the work or hassles (no peeling!) and no added sugar. Mix in some cinnamon and holiday spices, or keep it plain as an accompaniment to roasted meats. The final product is up to you, but will always be delicious!

These are even easier to make than oven-baked potatoes, and they're already seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper, for a baked potato with the perfect amount of flavor and tenderness. Top 'em any way you like!

Winter squash bumps up the cozy and festive flavors of traditional mac and cheese, and even helps make it lighter and more flavorful, too. Lots of great tips, variations and ideas for tasty add-ins!

Remember those old-school meatballs with grape jelly sauce? This is a similar concept, expect the cranberry sauce is so much more holiday-ish! The author notes she prefers to use turkey meatballs since turkey and cranberry are a classic combo, and since turkey meatballs are a little lighter and healthier.

This pretty winter sipper starts with apple cider and cranberry juice, then kicks up the flavor with sliced oranges, apples, fresh cranberries, and aromatic spices. It takes just 10 minutes to prep and will stay warm in your slow cooker as long as you like!

Perhaps the #1 most quintessential party dip, this appetizer just never gets old! Ideal for Christmas potlucks, holiday football parties, or even to kick off a casual family dinner party. (Psssst ... for more appetizer ideas along this line, check out our collection of Appetizers for a Christmas Potluck.)

This ultra rich and creamy recipe is a terrific alternative to "typical" hot chocolates since it can be enjoyed even by guests with certain dietary restrictions. It's actually dairy free, gluten free, paleo, and can be made keto ... but nobody would ever guess! Plus, it's so easy – simply dump everything in your slow cooker, whisk it up, then set it on high and you're good to go!

Made with lean ground turkey, parmesan cheese, herbs and spices, these party meatballs are slow simmered to tender perfection in an easy tomato sauce, right in your crockpot. Set out festive toothpicks for a simple but hearty appetizer everyone will love!

This easy cider recipe is bursting with orchard-fresh apple flavor, mulled with cinnamon and warm spices. It makes your house smell absolutely amazing, welcoming all your Christmas guests with cozy aromas!

Although this popular party dip can also be prepared in the microwave or oven, the crockpot is a great way to keep it warm and perfectly dip-able all throughout the party. With all the classic flavors you want, plus sneaky tweaks to keep it lighter and more waistline-friendly, too!

A beautiful blend of winter spices with red wine and brandy. And, besides being ridiculously easy to make in your crockpot to begin with, it can also be made ahead and reheated at party time ... or even frozen!

A delicious, rustic dessert that'll feed a crowd and is such a snap to make – with no need to even turn on the oven!  Sweet apples are cooked until tender with cinnamon and sugar, and finished with a crumbly oat topping. It’s a perfect dessert for entertaining and makes a wonderful addition to your holiday menu!

This bread pudding makes the typical holiday pumpkin pie look BOR-ING. Plus, this clever recipe substitutes half of the usual heavy cream with Greek yogurt, and also cuts back on the sugar a bit, for a nice, lightened-up treat at the end of a heavy Christmas meal!

This decadent, warm chocolate cake is kind of like a crockpot "dump cake" ... with a delightful combination of cake-y and fudgy. Scoop it straight from your slow cooker for an easy way to get your holiday chocolate fix!

These could honestly be a breakfast, too ... if you can resist topping them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! Delicious, no matter when you serve them!

Why wait until dessert time to enjoy your Christmas pie?!? This recipe takes the flavors of maple and brown sugar and pairs them with creamy steel cut oats. Add in crunchy pecans on top for some texture and crunch, and you've got a yummy breakfast you can prep the night before, for a low-stress Christmas morning!

Ham, red bell pepper, onion, and mozzarella cheese are a yummy filling, and a garnish of fresh green parsley and pretty red tomatoes adds a final touch of Christmas colors!

Did you know you could bake bread in your crockpot? How fun is this?!? Vanilla, cinnamon and a touch of maple syrup make it extra cozy for the holidays.

With a long, slow cook time, this overnight crockpot recipe will awaken your family with enticing breakfast smells. It cooks to creamy perfection while you're sound asleep, with visions of sugarplums dancing in your head!

A scrumptious, warm and comforting breakfast recipe that’s ideal for a snuggly Christmas morning. With a prep time of only 5 minutes, it'll get you out of the kitchen and back to the fun FAST!

This egg casserole frees you up to do something else while it's cooking, which is fantastic when you're busy entertaining holiday houseguests. And this type of crockpot “baking” infuses the egg with the flavors of the other ingredients a bit more than simply cooking it in the oven.

Filled with the beloved flavors of banana bread, this oatmeal takes just a few minutes to prep ... and then you wake up to a hot, healthy, yummy breakfast just in time to see if Santa Claus visited!

Just toss everything in the slow cooker ... so ridiculously easy! This creamy, satisfying soup has the sweetness of corn and just a hint of smoky bacon. It's warm and hearty for blustery winter evenings. A perfect way to welcome your family to the dinner table this Christmas season!

This dump-and-go recipe totally doesn’t taste like it only took 10 minutes of effort! Offer rice and lots of different toppings, and your whole family will be happy customizing their own Mexican dinner masterpieces (and you'll be stress-free and enjoying every moment of the holidays)!

This contest-winning chili recipe has an amazing flavor twist that people go crazy over!

Lean into pantry staples you can easily keep on hand, and you can throw this dinner together any time. Tender chicken, potatoes, and carrots and a rich, creamy, tomato-based sauce add up to a comforting dinner with virtually no effort at all!

Featuring a quick homemade Caesar dressing, these popular sandwiches are both delicious and healthy. Great for weeknight dinners!

This is my family’s go-to, classic chili recipe! It's boldly flavored without being too spicy (but don’t worry – we’ve got tips for you if you like it hot).

One of the most popular dinner recipes I've ever shared here on my site, these super-easy, super-yummy tacos are a true family favorite and absolutely perfect for busy nights. Let everyone top 'em any way they like ... even set out a taco bar for a casual, Christmas season get-together!