As the weather begins to cool off, many of us crave heartier dishes and more comforting foods. It’s a great time of year to dust off our slow cookers and put them to good use. I use my slow cooker at least once a week to get healthy meals on the table in a (slow-paced) hurry. I just add all of the ingredients before leaving for work (I may prep ingredients the night before if time will be tight in the morning), and then dinner is done when we walk in the door at the end of the day. You can’t beat that!

One of the most popular slow cooker dishes this time of year is chili—after all, October is National Chili Month. Below are some slow cooker chili recipes that are in regular rotation at my house:

• Slow Cooker Turkey, Lentil and White Bean Chili
• Slow Cooker Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili
• Slow Cooker Turkey Pumpkin Chili

Delicious chili recipes aside, the slow cooker is a much more versatile appliance than most people realize and are great to use year-round, especially when you don’t want the oven heating up your kitchen. Below are a few more of my family’s favorite slow cooker recipes:

• Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie
• Slow Cooker Chicken Ramen Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker Pork Roast and Black Beans
• Slow Cooker Tacos