11 game-day foods you can make in a slow cooker

Olson recommends her recipe for slow-cooker meatballs on game day.

“I love grape-jelly meatballs, which only have three ingredients,” she said. “They’re so good everyone will ask you for the recipe.”

Another recipe by Spend With Pennies suggests placing your seasoned, raw meatballs into the slow cooker, topping them with sauce, and letting the slow cooker finish them off.

Brats with onions, peppers, and garlic simmered in the slow cooker along with beer are another one of Olson’s favorite game-day recipes.

“When the guests arrive they get to choose when they want to eat since the slow cooker keeps these brats nice and warm during the game,” she wrote on her website, The Magical Slow Cooker.

Plus, you can even choose peppers to reflect the colors of your favorite team.

“Brisket is a natural partner for the slow cooker, as a gentle braise renders it meltingly tender,” Kim Laidlaw wrote in her cookbook, “Everyday Slow Cooking: Modern Recipes for Delicious Meals.”

Laidlaw’s recipe for slow-cooked braised brisket includes garlic, onion, dry red wine, carrot, and chicken or beef stock, with a chimichurri sauce.

“One dish I think is so versatile is pork shoulder in a slow cooker with broth and a little salt and pepper,” Laidlaw told Business Insider. “I just braise that and then you can turn into so many different things.”

One of the best ways to utilize slow-cooked pork shoulder is to make pulled-pork sliders with all that tender meat. Then, top with barbecue sauce and slaw.

Olson’s recipe for slow-cooked Buffalo chicken wings calls for thawed chicken wings, hot sauce, and unsalted butter. To get the wings super crispy, make sure to remember to remove them from the sauce after 2.5 hours of cooking and broil them in the oven before adding them back to the slow cooker.

One of the benefits of using a slow cooker is starting with a basic protein and jazzing it up.

From Mexican-food-inspired spices to Indian simmer sauces, there are lots of ways to transform shredded-chicken dishes into something show-stopping by adding it to tacos, sandwiches, or salads.

If you want to add some carbs to your game-day menu, look no further than a piping hot pot of mac and cheese. Olson’s recipe uses cream cheese, milk, sharp cheddar, and white sharp cheddar.

Celebrity chef Martha Stewart’s recipe for slow-cooker mac and cheese is also easy to make.

“It is important to use pungent cheeses, such as sharp cheddar, mixed with a little Gruyere or pecorino Romano for extra bite, since the white sauce and pasta will absorb a lot of flavor,” Stewart writes.

One of the benefits of making a slow-cooker Buffalo chicken dip — or any other side dish in a slow cooker — is that the recipe can be prepared well ahead of time and reheated when you’re ready to eat.

“There are so many different dips that can be made in the slow cooker, you can make Buffalo-chicken dip, bacon-cheeseburger dip, cheesy bean dip, Rotel and Velveeta Dip, and even artichoke dip,” Olson said. “I like to serve all these dips with tortilla chips. Can’t choose one dip? Make two or more for a variety for your guests.”

“I often make a queso verde dip in my slow cooker for game days,” Olson told Insider.

Her recipe for queso verde uses white Velveeta cheese, salsa verde, milk, and sour cream.

Spicy chili and chipotle turkey chili is another recipe you can leave simmering all day until you’re ready to dig in. Paired with some cornbread, you’ve got a hearty meal that will last until the final whistle blows.

“I use three slow cookers for a nacho bar, which is a great way to utilize those smaller slow cookers,” Olson said. “I use one slow cooker for nacho cheese (store-bought), one for seasoned ground beef, and one for refried beans. I also make a toppings bar that has salsa, sour cream, guac, olives, onions, and tomatoes.”