Friday is my burnout day. By the time you’ve gotten into town, gotten through the parking lot, walked through the door, dropped your purse, kicked off your shoes, it’s 5:30 and I’m done.

And then comes the twenty-minute shrug around “what do you want for dinner” if there is no dinner plan.

Thankfully, my husband hovers around me saying he’d be happy to help with anything, all the while failing to see the cutting board six inches from his elbow, and I’m usually gracious enough to accept a few offers. But if I’m being honest, there’s a good chance my mental burnout is preventing me from being able to do much of anything complicated in the kitchen.

Enter the glorious crockpot and these ridiculously delicious Crock Pot Friday Night Meals that will save you.

1. Crock Pot Maid Rites (Iowa Loose Meat Sandwiches)

Get the Crock Pot Maid Rites recipe.

Since we’re from Iowa, Maid Rites hold a special place in our family’s hearts. All you do is load up meat in the crock pot in the morning and wait for magic in the evening.

Then you plop the meat onto a bun with mustard, pickles and cheese. My teenagers ask for Maid Rites on occasion and are always pleased with them.

2. Crockpot Lasagna

Get the Crockpot Lasagna recipe.

If you’re anything like me, lasagna is NOT a one pot meal. Between the pot for boiling noodles, the pan for the meat sauce, the dish for the ricotta mixture, the lasagna pan and all of the dishes you need to prepare all of the components… lasagna is a lot of pots and pans.

But not anymore. With this Crockpot Lasagna, you just plop your ingredients directly into the Crock Pot and enjoy a delicious lasagna just like you’re used to, minus a zillion dishes to wash.

My daughter has even likened this dish to lasagna you’d get in a restaurant.

3. Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Get the Slow Cooker Pot Roast recipe.

Friday nights are prime pot roast nights in our house. It’s comforting and familiar.

It reminds us of simpler times. And it’s another crock pot meal.

Pot roast just screams Friday night dinner to me. The beef, potatoes, and carrots are cooked low and slow, fall apart with a fork, and swim in the most delicious, savory broth.

Start this recipe before you walk out the door for work and you’re golden for Friday night dinner. Plus, your entire house will smell incredible.

4. Philly Cheese Steak Crock Pot Recipe

All of the flavors of a delicious cheesesteak without the hassle of trying to get the beef sliced just right and watching over your pan. This crock pot cheesesteak recipe is one of those amazing slow cooker recipes that takes about FIVE minutes to make and tastes like you slaved over it for hours.

Tender, perfectly seasoned meat falls apart and goes on a hoagie roll and gets blanketed with melty provolone…can’t beat that for less than the cost of takeout. By two o’clock my dog, Gigi, is stationed by the crock pot hoping for a morsel of Philly Cheesesteak goodness.

5. Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches

The roast beef falls apart and swims in the most delicious, savory broth. At six o’clock, you’ll be the picture of perfection while the French Dip sandwiches come together.

Who could guess that the crock pot did all of the hard work? These sandwiches need to be dunked in the au jus.

Trust me…you’ll thank me later. This recipe has been added to my husband’s top five list of meals I’ve ever made, not a difficult feat to accomplish.

6. Crockpot Hawaiian Chicken

This crockpot recipe for Hawaiian Chicken is perfect for those Friday nights when you’re looking for something with some flavor. The tangy pineapple sauce is sweet and savory and the chicken is perfectly cooked.

Serve it over rice and dinner is a breeze. The unique flavors of Hawaiian Chicken make it taste like a special occasion.

It reminds me of takeout and is such an easy weeknight meal.

“The pineapple chicken.” Those are the exact words that escape their little mouths. And yes, Pineapple Chicken is one of our go-to slow cooker Friday night recipes.

It’s a meal they know by name and ask for by name. In my book that means success.

7. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Tender pork simmered to perfection, slathered in smoky barbecue sauce and piled high onto soft buns. This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe is an easy family favorite.

Just toss everything into the slow cooker in the morning, shred the meat in the afternoon and “serve it three different ways” when you get home. Serve it on a bun, over a baked potato or pile it high on nachos.

One slow-cooker meal to satisfy everyone’s requests without cooking three different dinners.

8. Beef Stroganoff in Crock Pot

Tender beef simmers hands-free in a rich, creamy, mushroomy sauce. Serve over egg noodles and pass the bread for sopping up any extra sauce.

It tastes like you worked hard preparing it, when really you did nothing but let your crock pot shine. Taking credit for preparing this easy crock pot recipe is a parent’s privilege.

Enjoy!

9. Buffalo Chicken Crock Pot Sandwiches

Spicy shredded chicken piled high on a bun with a dollop of creamy ranch or blue cheese dressing is a combo you have to try. These easy slow-cooker sandwiches take about 5 minutes of your precious Friday night dinner prep time.

My son likes them with some coleslaw piled high for a cool, crunchy addition that offsets the heat of the chicken perfectly.

10. Crack Chicken (Instant Pot)

I get it…it’s delicious.

Crack chicken combines two of my favorite foods – chicken and bacon. The recipe is creamy, cheesy, delicious.

Crack chicken can be served over rice, on a bun, in a wrap, or simply eaten out of the bowl with a fork. This version uses the Instant Pot making it super simple and quick.

This recipe has to be on this list because it’s SO GOOD. The combination of chicken, cream cheese, ranch, and bacon is perfect.

I made this recipe over a holiday and took it to my mom’s house. She texted me three times asking me if I left something out of the recipe.

It’s that good.

11. Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

Some nights just call for sloppy joes. These Philly cheesesteak sloppy joes take that classic hamburger based recipe and kick it up a notch.

All of the flavors of cheesesteaks – meat, peppers, onions, cheese – on a soft bun. They’re the perfect Friday night meal when you didn’t plan on making dinner.

My son – the teenager who communicates mainly in shrugs and one-syllable grunting sounds – will say, “can we have it again tomorrow,” when he’s done with his plate. That’s good enough praise from him.

12. Walking Tacos

Walking Tacos have been our Friday night football game dinner for several years now. They’re easy to customize, crowd pleaser, and there’s NO CLEAN UP.

Once you’ve eaten all of your seasoned taco meat, cheese, sour cream and other fixin’s you just toss the bag. Done.

They’re perfect for casual Friday nights whether it’s a football game, a movie night, a game night, or just a random Friday.

13. Taco Crescent Bake

When you want taco meat and cheese and a side of carbs, this is the recipe for you. This recipe only takes 20 minutes start to finish, including baking time, and comes out bubbly and golden.

Serve with salsa, sour cream, guacamole or all three and cut pizza style. YUM!

I just wanted to shout out how much I LOVE using pre-made crescent roll dough in recipes. Especially on nights where I’m running a tad too short on time but still want to make something that will have the family wondering where I learned to make such an awesome meal.

14. Sheet Pan Oven Quesadillas

The only thing better than quesadillas is SHEET PAN quesadillas. Basically, instead of cooking them individually , you lay out all of the quesadilla fixins’ on a sheet pan and pop ’em in the oven.

Then, you pull them out, slice into wedges and serve up with your favorite toppings like salsa and sour cream. They’re super easy to make even for larger groups and require very little babysitting.

Bonus: you won’t be eating dinner alone, cold, when everyone else is done.

15. Steak Fajitas (Restaurant Style)

If you’re anything like us, there’s nothing like serving up fajitas on a Friday night, or any other night for that matter. Sliced steak + peppers and onions seared to perfection + tortillas and guacamole to top it all off = restaurant style steak fajitas, minus the restaurant.

It does require a little more work, like slicing and searing meat, but it’s such an awesome dinner to make. Especially for my husband who LOVES fajitas.

You just can’t go wrong serving up something special because it shows them you care and says “we deserve a nice Friday” all at once.

16. Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

If fajitas sound like they’re calling your name, but you’d prefer to use the trusty crock pot…we’ve got you covered. Chicken, peppers, and onions simmer away all day long making “build your own” fajitas possible at dinnertime.

Everyone chooses their own fillings and picks from the toppings including tortillas, sour cream, guacamole, shredded cheese, and more. Trust me when I say this is the number one meal to make when you KNOW dinner will result in arguments.

Especially since each and everyone loves their own fajita build differently.

17. Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Chicken + crispy bacon + ranch + baked cheese = amazing. Especially in casserole form.

This one’s so easy to make ahead of time, perfect for a crazy busy week. My kids could eat this every single night of the week, so I’m glad we save it for Fridays; it’s too good to serve more than once a week.

18. Crockpot Ravioli Casserole

Another family favorite. Just layer it in your Crockpot and go.

This is my go-to recipe on Fridays that I haven’t planned ahead for AND the teens have practice. Seriously, you just layer frozen ravioli and sauce and cheese.

Done! About 10 minutes of hands on time tops.

19. Crockpot Baked Spaghetti

Spaghetti + meat sauce + cheese. Sounds like your typical Friday night recipe, doesn’t it?

Well, with this recipe you throw them all in your Crockpot instead. The spaghetti picks up all the amazing flavors of the sauce, giving it a completely different taste than making it on the stove top.

You can leave this cooking all day long, which is perfect for those crazy busy weeks. Now, I’ll be honest, I was hesitant to try this one.

I thought cooking pasta in a Crockpot would result in the worst-tasting spaghetti in history. But, I was wrong.

It’s kind of like spaghetti casserole because of how the pasta picks up all of the sauce while it’s cooking. Definitely a recipe that was worth a try.

20. Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Okay, this recipe isn’t technically an entire meal… But, I’ve found that we eat fettuccine alfredo about once a week, so it seemed appropriate to include it.

This recipe just covers how to make the alfredo sauce: toss it with fettuccine noodles and you’re in business. We’ll occasionally add in some grilled chicken as well.

The whole recipe takes about 15 minutes on the stove, not counting the time to boil the fettuccine, of course. Trust me when I say that alfredo sauce couldn’t be easier to make.

Once you try it, I’m sure you’ll never go back to that jarred stuff again either, as this stuff is SO much better.

Scratch-made alfredo is ridiculously easy to make with just three ingredients: butter, cream and parmesan and goes together SO much quicker than you think it will. Trust me on this one…once you make it from scratch, you will never look at jarred alfredo the same again.

It’s an “a-ha!” moment.

21. Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Pasta

It’s ranch-y, creamy, cheesy, BACON-y pasta and it’s made in the SLOW COOKER?! What’s not to love?!

This recipe is one of those recipes that my kids ask for by name and it’s a winner for easy, creamy, kid-approved Friday night dinners.

22. White Bean Turkey Chili

If you’ve been searching for a recipe that incorporates white beans with ground turkey, look no further than this deliciously spiced and perfectly seasoned White Bean Turkey Chili. Hearty yet light, it’s a winner.

Add some shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips and dinner is SERVED. It also makes an awesome leftover the next day.

This is a regular in our house in May and September months when we’re not quite ready to give up on chili yet, but want something a tad lighter than beef chili.

23. Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

This Copycat Panera Chicken and Wild Rice Soup is rich, creamy, thick, deliciously textured goodness. Make this easy-to-make chicken and wild rice soup at home, save money AND make a HUGE pot of soup in comparison to the small bowl you’d purchase from Panera.

Serve it up with some grilled cheese or those leftover crusty sourdough loaves and I promise you won’t believe the difference in price and simplicity.

24. Beef Stew

If you’re craving hearty comfort on Friday night, try out this recipe for Beef Stew.

Beef stew is another crowd-pleaser with tender chunks of beef and vegetables, especially carrots and potatoes, simmering in a thick and savory broth. It’s another slow cooker recipe, but I promise it’s going to smell AMAZING all afternoon.

25. Biscuits and Gravy Casserole

Can you believe that teenagers LOVE breakfast for dinner?! And while breakfast is NOT my favorite meal to cook, biscuits and gravy is the exception.

With fluffy biscuits layered over savory sausage gravy, this casserole bakes up in one dish and is practically begging to be served. It’s a bit of a special occasion meal, since breakfast for dinner always feels special, yet is easier than easy.

Friday night dinners are supposed to make everyone happy. No one wants to complain about dinner, no one wants to be unhappy, and most importantly NO ONE wants to be exhausted from making said dinner.

That’s where these easy Friday night dinner recipes come in. Almost half of them are slow cooker recipes, which means that you get to load up a crock in the morning and walk away.

Friday nights have been easier now that I’ve taken advantage of my slow cooker. It’s one of those appliances that makes me think, “I have my life together” when I’m making a recipe in it.

I typically eat dinner in relative silence around here, but Friday is going to be different. We’re going to ooh and ahh over dinner, comment on how wonderful it smells, and appreciate what’s being served.

Save this post and come back later this week when you start planning out your menu.

Friday Night Questions, Answered

Which of these can I start the morning of?

If it’s a slow cooker recipe then yes. Load up the crock before you take off for the school run.

You may need to add a couple ingredients before dinner, like potatoes into the beef stew above, but you’ll be shocked at how little work is involved by dinnertime.

Which ones work when the kids have friends over?

Any of them that are build-your-own style. This is a fail-proof way to accommodate unexpected extra teenagers.

Walking tacos, sheet pan quesadillas, crockpot fajitas are all great. Everybody can build their own plate and visiting kids won’t tell you they don’t like something but will go out of their way to get the things they DO like.

What’s the cheapest dinner on this list?

Walking tacos are hands-down the winner. You have chips, buy a pound of beef and seasonings and use up random toppings from the fridge.

Maid rites and baked spaghetti are also super-cheap options. Friday is already expensive since it’s end-of-the-week/end-of-the-grocery-budget dinners so I like to have some super-cheap options up my sleeve.

How do I rotate these without a spreadsheet?

Honestly, pick three, one sheet pan meal, one crockpot meal and one breakfast-for-dinner. Repeat them until you’re sick of one, then pick another sheet pan meal, or whatever needs replacing.

You’ll be surprised how long three will last, you can go a whole month on one set with no complaints and I’m usually the first to say we need something different. That’s the beauty of these dishes though, you don’t need a different meal EVERY Friday.

Getting rid of decisions is key.