12 Crocktober Beef Slow Cooker Dinners to Make This Season

Here are 12 of my favorite Crocktober Beef Slow Cooker Dinners, including pot roasts, stews, soups, chili, sloppy joes, and cabbage rolls. Most take 15 minutes or less to prep and then simmer on low, so they fit right into busy fall weeknights.

October is when my slow cooker comes out of the cabinet and stays on the counter. Cooler mornings make me want something simmering all day, and beef is what I reach for first. So I pulled together twelve of my beef slow cooker dinners from the Crocktober posts on the blog, the ones I keep coming back to.

You’ll find pot roasts, a cube steak with buttermilk gravy, a couple of stews, a cabbage roll supper (huge hit), sloppy joes, chili, and a creamy hamburger soup. Most of them go in the pot in ten or fifteen minutes and cook on low while you’re off doing something else. Some need eight hours and a few need only two or three, so you can plan around your week. Plenty of them use cheap cuts and pantry staples like cream of mushroom soup, onion soup mix, and Ro-Tel.

Scroll down and pick the one that sounds like supper tonight. Then go get the lid off the crock and let it do the rest.

• 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Roast Beef with Brown Gravy Mix
• Crock Pot Unstuffed Beef Cabbage Rolls With Onion Soup Mix
• 6-Hour Crock Pot Poor Man’s Steaks with Mushroom Gravy
• 6-Ingredient Crock Pot Beef And Mushroom Stew
• My Go-To Crock Pot Pot Roast (Tender Every Time)
• Crock Pot Beef And Cabbage Stew With Potatoes
• 5-Ingredient Mississippi Pot Roast
• Crock Pot Cheesy Sloppy Joes with Velveeta
• Crock Pot Cube Steak with Buttermilk Gravy (8 Hours)
• Creamy Crock Pot Hamburger Soup With Ro-Tel
• Crock Pot Cowboy Beans With Beef And BBQ Sauce
• Crock Pot Beef and Black Bean Chili (No Browning)

1. 5-Ingredient Crock Pot Roast Beef with Brown Gravy Mix

 

Chuck roast, a packet of onion soup mix, and a can of mushroom soup do all the work in this one. It cooks 8 hours on low and serves 4 to 6, and the leftovers make a good hot sandwich the next day. It’s the easiest way I know to get a fork-tender roast on the table with just five ingredients.

2. Crock Pot Unstuffed Beef Cabbage Rolls With Onion Soup Mix

Cabbage rolls without the rolling. Ground beef, chopped cabbage, diced tomatoes, beef broth, and one packet of onion soup mix make up this supper with a 20-minute prep. Chop the cabbage into 1- to 2-inch pieces so you get real cabbage bites instead of tiny bits.

3. 6-Hour Crock Pot Poor Man’s Steaks with Mushroom Gravy

Thick ground beef patties cook low and slow in mushroom gravy for 6 hours, so you get meat and gravy without much fuss. Press a little dimple in the center of each patty before it goes in so it cooks flatter. Serve it over mashed potatoes, because that’s where the gravy belongs.

4. 6-Ingredient Crock Pot Beef And Mushroom Stew

This stew is the one to start in the morning when you want a real sit-down supper. Stew beef, cream of mushroom soup, brown gravy mix, onion soup mix, and beef broth cook for 8 hours on low. Don’t cut the time short, or the beef can turn a little chewy.

5. My Go-To Crock Pot Pot Roast (Tender Every Time)

My go-to pot roast takes about 15 minutes of prep and eight hours on low. Chuck roast and onion soup mix make the broth, and the potatoes soak it all up. If your family doesn’t leave leftovers either, this is the one to keep in your rotation.

6. Crock Pot Beef And Cabbage Stew With Potatoes

Cabbage and frozen potatoes turn a beef stew into a full meal in one pot. Stew meat, half a head of cabbage, a can of petite diced tomatoes, beef broth, and a packet of beefy onion soup mix go in without peeling or browning. It feeds six to eight after 8 hours on low.

7. 5-Ingredient Mississippi Pot Roast

Five ingredients get you a Mississippi pot roast: boneless chuck roast, ranch seasoning, au jus gravy mix, butter, and pepperoncini. The tangy peppers are the surprise, and they add a flavor that folks don’t expect. It’s a good pick for picky eaters who like a classic dinner.

8. Crock Pot Cheesy Sloppy Joes with Velveeta

Velveeta does the heavy lifting in these sloppy joes. Ground beef, ketchup, mustard, and 16 ounces of cubed Velveeta cook for 3 hours on low in a 6-quart slow cooker, so this one is an afternoon job. Toast the buns so they hold up, and pile on cold coleslaw to balance the hot cheese.

9. Crock Pot Cube Steak with Buttermilk Gravy (8 Hours)

Cube steak is budget-friendly, and the slow cooker is what makes it tender. Whisk buttermilk, flour, and water until smooth, pour it over the steak, and cook on low for 8 hours. It takes about 5 minutes to get in the pot and gives you thick, tangy gravy for 4 to 6.

10. Creamy Crock Pot Hamburger Soup With Ro-Tel

Creamy hamburger soup with Ro-Tel, sweet corn, and cream cheese cooks 7 hours on low in a 6-quart slow cooker. Break up the ground beef well before it goes in so you don’t end up with big clumps floating around. Pick mild Ro-Tel if your crowd doesn’t like much heat.

11. Crock Pot Cowboy Beans With Beef And BBQ Sauce

Cowboy beans are sweet, smoky, and hearty, with ground beef, bacon, beans, and BBQ sauce all in one pot. Cook them for 2.5 hours on low, and they stay saucy instead of drying out. They travel well to a potluck, and Jiffy cornbread on the side is my pick.

12. Crock Pot Beef and Black Bean Chili (No Browning)

Raw ground beef goes straight into the pot for this chili, so there’s no skillet and nothing to drain. Three cans of black beans, a can of Ro-Tel, a chili seasoning packet, and water cook for 8 hours on low. It’s a thinner, soupy chili, so this one is for folks who like it that way.

Pick one of these and give it a try this week. Your slow cooker is already out, so let it earn its keep this October. When you’ve made one, come back and tell me which one your crowd liked best.