There’s a point every fall when the slow cooker moves from the back of the cabinet to the counter, and I’ve learned to have these six Dollar General grocery staples ready before that week arrives.
1. McCormick Slow Cooker Hearty Beef Stew Seasoning Mix, 1.5 oz
Sunday afternoons smell better when this 1.5 oz packet is involved. It’s a purpose-made herb-and-spice blend that takes beef, carrots, onions, and potatoes from raw to genuinely cozy in one pot — just cube, combine with water, and let the slow cooker do the rest. Nothing to measure or blend yourself.
Taste: The seasoning lands in that classic comfort zone — savory, herby, and warming without any sharpness. It builds a rich, full-bodied gravy around the meat and vegetables as they soften through hours of low heat.
Make It Better: Use beef chuck if you can — it breaks down beautifully with this blend — and don’t skip the potatoes, which soak up every bit of that flavored liquid and become the best part of the bowl.
Parting Thoughts: Anyone who wants a from-scratch-tasting stew without the from-scratch effort will get there with this.
2. Swanson Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton – $1.55-$2.85
Swap the water for broth and the whole pot tastes more intentional. This 32 oz carton brings clean chicken flavor — made without added MSG — that acts as the backbone of soups, stews, and braises during a long simmer. I keep a few in the pantry specifically for slow cooker season.
Taste: It has that clean, slightly golden quality — savory without being salty, with enough body to make bean soups and stews feel genuinely homemade. Nothing off or tinny about it.
Make It Better: Use it in place of water when you cook rice on the side too — the difference is immediately noticeable, and it costs maybe a quarter cup of the carton.
Parting Thoughts: Once you stop reaching for water in your recipes, you won’t go back.
3. ROTEL Original Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies, 10 oz. – $1.25-$1.60
I keep two or three of these in the pantry year-round, but slow cooker season is where Rotel really earns its spot. Vine-ripened tomatoes blended with diced green chilies and spices, it’s the can that does the seasoning work for you in taco soups, chicken chili, and queso. Pour it over chicken breasts with a pinch of cumin and the slow cooker finishes the job — shred right in the pot.
Taste: Bright and a little punchy — the tomatoes are diced and firm, and the green chilies add a mild kick that stays approachable for the whole family. The flavor holds up lively even after hours of low heat.
Make It Better: Dump it in with chicken, beans, and a scoop of cumin, then shred the chicken directly in the pot for taco filling that stretches across three or four meals.
Parting Thoughts: The most adaptable can in this whole list — it earns its place in taco soup, shredded chicken, queso, and classic chili all in the same season.
4. Clover Valley Dark Red Kidney Beans, 15.5 oz – $1.00-$1.35
Firm enough to hold up through a full day of low heat, dark red kidney beans are the protein anchor of any slow cooker chili worth eating. This 15.5 oz can packs 7 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber per serving, so even a single can stretches a pot significantly. Rinse, drain, and dump them in — genuinely zero prep.
Taste: Earthy and robust without going mushy — these hold their shape through hours of simmering and actually absorb the flavors around them rather than getting lost in the pot. The texture lands in that firm-tender zone chili really needs.
Make It Better: Rinse and drain before adding to chili with diced tomatoes and seasoning, then let them go on low — they’ll soak up everything around them and naturally thicken the pot as they cook.
Parting Thoughts: Worth keeping a few cans on the shelf at all times; they’re the bean that makes chili taste like chili.
5. Lea & Perrins The Original Worcestershire Sauce, 5 fl oz Bottle – $3.00
The label isn’t flashy, but a splash of Worcestershire is the move that separates a decent slow cooker beef dish from a genuinely great one. Made with molasses, tamarind extract, white vinegar, chili pepper extract, and sugar, it delivers layered savory depth you can’t quite name but definitely notice when it’s missing. A 5 oz bottle lasts through a lot of pots.
Taste: Tangy, deeply savory, and a little sweet all at once — it doesn’t taste like any single ingredient, just like something rich and long-cooked. Even a small pour does real work in stews and braising liquids.
Make It Better: Add a tablespoon or two to beef stew, pot roast, or chili before the lid goes on — it’s the kind of thing that makes people ask what your secret is.
Parting Thoughts: At $3.00 for a bottle that seasons dozens of meals, this earns more per ounce than most things in the slow cooker pantry.
6. Clover Valley White Rice, 80 oz – $1.65-$3.35
For families who run the slow cooker two or three nights a week, an 80 oz bag of enriched long grain white rice is the kind of bulk buy that actually pays off. It’s the neutral base that turns every stew, chili, and bean dish into a complete meal — one bag covers a lot of ground before you’re reaching for another. The per-serving cost is hard to argue with.
Taste: Mild and clean, with grains that come out tender and separate — nothing competing with whatever saucy thing gets spooned over them. It absorbs slow cooker liquids beautifully on the plate.
Make It Better: Cook a big batch on the side to run all week alongside whatever’s in the pot, or stir a handful of uncooked rice directly into a thin soup or stew near the end of cooking to let it absorb and thicken.
Parting Thoughts: Families running a slow cooker through fall and winter will work through this bag faster than expected — which is exactly the point.
