10 romantic dinners you can make in a slow cooker this Valentine's Day

• Valentine's Day often calls for dinner out, but cooking in can be just as romantic.

• However, you don't have to spend hours in the kitchen to prepare a swoon-worthy meal.

• From pasta dishes to short ribs, here are slow-cooker dinners perfect for Valentine's Day.

Using a slow cooker is a great tool to help put a romantic dinner on the table this Valentine's Day.

Whether you're craving melt-in-your-mouth short ribs, creamy pork chops, or a cozy, slow-simmered Bolognese, the slow cooker makes it easy to impress your date or significant other, without the stress of cooking over a hot stove or not knowing when something is done cooking. With a Crock-Pot or slow cooker, you can set it, forget it, and focus on enjoying the evening.

From decadent mac and cheese to tender, fall-apart brisket, these 10 slow-cooker recipes are perfect for a date night in.

Bolognese cooks down beautifully in the slow cooker.

Ree Drummond's recipe for Bolognese is an ideal meal to make in a slow cooker because the longer you cook it, the better it gets. Throw your ingredients — such as crushed tomatoes and browned meat — into the slow cooker at the start of the day to have a simmering pot of sauce by dinner time.

Serve with freshly cooked pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Parmesan is a filling and decadent meal to make in a slow cooker.

Taste of Home's recipe for chicken Parmesan is an elegant option for Valentine's Day. For making it in the slow cooker, the process is similar to using the oven or the stove, but there's no frying involved.

You can also prepare a leg of lamb in the slow cooker, but you might want to sear it first.

Cooking a leg of lamb in a slow cooker might sound complicated, but using the kitchen tool actually takes some of the guesswork out of when the meat is done.

"Leg of lamb is so good as it breaks down in the slow cooker," Chef Hugh Acheson previously told Business Insider. "Cooking in the slow cooker and then finishing another way is going to make sure your meat is at its best. Whether that means re-searing the meat or throwing it under the broiler, you might want to think about other steps to really finish off your meal."

Acheson's recipe for slow-cooked leg of lamb can be found in his book, "The Chef and the Slow Cooker."

Salmon becomes flaky and moist when cooked in the slow cooker.

For a simple, fresh date-night dinner, try poaching salmon fillets in a slow cooker with lemon, vegetable broth, and dill, according to one recipe by Delish. Pair with vegetables, mashed potatoes, or some kind of grain to wow your date.

Short ribs become extra tender when made in the slow cooker.

Taste of Home's recipe for slow-cooker short ribs screams "special occasion." Short ribs get very tender in the slow cooker, and this recipe makes a sauce for serving over the meat, mashed potatoes, or other vegetables.

Spaghetti and meatballs is another romantic dinner you can make in a slow cooker.

Meatballs are a perfect match for a slow cooker. Mix your meatball ingredients, form the meatballs, and broil them on each side to brown them before adding them to the slow cooker.

This meatball recipe by Chef Savvy also includes a tomato sauce, meaning all you'll have to do at dinner time is boil the spaghetti.

Pot roast is a classic, home-cooked meal perfect for Valentine's Day.

While pot roast may sound like an old-fashioned dish to make, it's a longtime favorite for a reason. This dish not only evokes feelings of nostalgia but is a filling, stick-to-your-bones meal ideal for a cozy night in with your loved one.

This simple slow-cooker pot-roast recipe only requires five ingredients, including a surprising one: gingersnaps.

Slow-cooker pork chops in a mushroom cream sauce is the height of cozy comfort food.

To make Eat Well's creamy garlic pork chops and potatoes, you'll need pork chops, mushrooms, and potatoes, plus ingredients for the decadent cream sauce that goes on top.

The sauce adds much-needed moisture to both the potatoes and the pork chops while adding flavor from the garlic and Parmesan cheese.

Forget the standard steak for Valentine's Day — brisket is another great meat to make in a slow cooker.

By cooking the piece of meat in the slow cooker over a long period of time, it will get tender while still retaining its moisture. For added flavor, cook it with garlic, carrots, and beef stock, as The Pioneer Woman suggests.

For vegetarians, a creamy pot of macaroni and cheese is a delicious — and easy — option for date night.

Celebrity chef Martha Stewart's recipe for slow-cooker mac and cheese is one easy option.

"It is important to use pungent cheeses, such as sharp cheddar, mixed with a little Gruyere or pecorino Romano for extra bite, since the white sauce and pasta will absorb a lot of flavor," Stewart wrote on her website.

Read the original article on Business Insider