Cut down on kitchen chaos by reducing the traffic in and out of your oven with these slow-cooker Thanksgiving recipes from Food Network Kitchen.
Slow-Cooker Sausage Stuffing
This hearty stuffing requires no use of a stovetop or oven — simply add cut-up stale French bread, a few vegetables and sweet Italian sausage to a slow cooker and let the machine do the rest. Only a small amount of chicken broth is necessary, because the vegetables and sausage give off so much liquid (and flavor).
The slow cooker takes an already-simple classic recipe and makes it even easier. Simply toss cut russet potatoes, butter and a touch of salt and pepper into a slow cooker, turn it on low and walk away for a few hours. When you return, the potatoes will be perfectly tender and ready to be mashed. Best of all, the slow cooker traps all the potato flavor, making these spuds extra potato-y.
Candied sweet potatoes have long been a celebrated side dish during the holiday season, but we have removed some of the sweetness (no marshmallows!) and made them even easier by cooking them in a slow cooker. We cut the potatoes into thick rounds so they hold up during the cooking process. The resulting tender sweet potatoes glazed with butter and spices are just sweet enough to make them the perfect accompaniment to your favorite poultry or pork dish.
This comforting side dish takes a couple of supermarket shortcuts: Buy presliced mushrooms and canned french-fried onions to save on prep time. The raw cremini mushrooms are thrown right into the slow cooker and release their savory goodness while the green beans cook.
