When you’re craving a meal that’s as easy as it is satisfying, slow cooker beef recipes really hit the spot. We’ve gathered our collection of comforting, hands-off meals that let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting while you get on with your day.

Most Southerners are a little bit in love with their slow cookers. The small appliances have an honored spot at holiday meals, they come along to tailgates, and when filled with hot appetizers, they are the life of the party.

Everyone has their favorites at the Thanksgiving table, and heaven help the cook who takes one of them away. A colleague summed it up perfectly: “You can always add, but you can never subtract.” That creates a conundrum for ambitious cooks tired of making the same things over and over — and over again.

When it comes to holidays that are stressful to prepare for, Thanksgiving probably ranks No. 1 on the list. For one thing, roasting a turkey isn’t exactly the easiest thing to perfect. Not to mention the fact that other staples like impeccably seasoned stuffing and rich homemade gravy rank pretty high up on the difficulty