When you're yearning for a taste of home, but your busy schedule doesn't allow you to spend hours in the kitchen, a slow cooker can be your best friend. You can literally put the food in and walk away for several hours or even the entire work day and come home to one of your favorite dishes.
More from MamásLatinas: 40 Great oatmeal recipes we love
There are actually a ton of Latin staples like meat and bean dishes that are well-suited to crockpot cooking, especially since many traditional meals are typically slow cooked anyway.
Click through our gallery to see if any of your favorite Latin dishes can be adapted to the slow cooker and to get ideas for other delicious slow cooker meals, snacks and even drinks.
Meats: Barbacoa is the perfect slow cooker dish.
Slow cooker barbacoa is juicy, tender and flavorful every time.
Get the full recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
Meats: Slow cooker chicken carnitas are finished in the broiler for awesome texture.
Beer and chipotle powder make this crispy chicken carnitas recipe super flavorful.
Get the full recipe from Gimme Some Oven.
Meats: Try this restaurant-style chicken sofrito in your slow cooker.
If you're a spicy food lover, this slow cooker chicken sofrito recipe is for you. The chicken is cooked in fire roasted tomatoes, chipotles in adobo, poblano peppers and other herbs and spices.
Get the full recipe from Strength and Sunshine.
Meats: These crockpot pork chops are loaded with Cuban flavors.
This crockpot Cuban-style pork chops recipe couldn't be simpler, and it's loaded with typical Cuban seasonings like oregano, orange and lime juices, cumin and garlic.
Get the full recipe from Favorite Family Recipes.
Meats: You can make the famous Peruvian-style chicken in the crockpot.
Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken has become really popular where I live, and there are several restaurants in my neighborhood that make it. But, I can't afford takeout all the time, so here's a crockpot version I love.
Get the full recipe from The Levantess.
Meats: Venezuelan asado negro comes out amazing in the slow cooker.
Traditional asado negro is slow cooked in a wine sauce for a rich, hearty dinner.
Get the full recipe from Mommy's Home Cooking.
Meats: These slow cooker Colombian short ribs are fall-off-the-bone good.
These Colombian-spiced slow cooker short ribs are made with lots of vegetables and spices to make them ultra-flavorful and tender.
Get the full recipe from My Colombian Recipes.
Meats: Traditional mole is easily re-created in the slow cooker.
Mole is a recipe that typically takes all day to make, but if you do it in the slow cooker most of that time is hands off.
Get the full recipe from The Stay at Home Chef.
Meats: Skip the grill with these crockpot chicken fajitas.
I love fajitas, but I love them even more when I don't have to worry about flipping, or overcooking or undercooking. Making fajitas in the crockpot solves all those problems.
Get the full recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.
Meats: Let your Dominican meatballs simmer in the slow cooker for hours.
You can serve these delicious slow cooker meatballs full of Dominican flavors over rice or pasta.
Get the full recipe from Hub Pages.
Meats: With a slow cooker, you can eat Puerto Rican pernil any day of the week.
Puerto Rican pernil is usually reserved for holidays or special occasions, but if you use a slow cooker you can have pernil whenever the mood hits.
Get the full recipe from I Was Born to Cook.
Meats: This slow cooker picadillo is so easy and tasty.
I never would have thought to cook picadillo in a slow cooker, but it totally works. It's actually even more flavorful since the meat sits in all of the delicious spices for a few hours.
Get the full recipe from Aggie's Kitchen.
Meats: This tender Cuban mojo pork is a must-try.
This mojo-soaked, slow cooker Cuban pork is full of flavor. Cutting slits into the meat before cooking allows all of the delicious seasonings and aromatics to soak in.
Get the full recipe from Lemon Blossoms.
Meats: This slow cooker pork carnitas recipe looks so succulent.
Just looking at this slow cooker pork carnitas is making me hungry. Instead of broiling, this recipe suggests pan frying the meat after it's cooked to add a crispy texture.
Get the full recipe from Recipe Tin Eats.
Meats: Slow cooker carne asada makes a great taco filling.
This classic dish is made so much easier by using a slow cooker. You could even make a big batch of carne asada and freeze the leftovers for another day.
Get the full recipe from That Skinny Chick Can Bake.
Soups & Stews: Classic Cuban black bean soup is so easy in the slow cooker.
With a few adaptations, you can cook authentic Cuban black bean soup in the slow cooker while you sleep.
Get the full recipe from MamásLatinas.
Soups & Stews: The hearty Costa Rican stew, Olla Carne, is simple to prepare in a slow cooker.
Olla carne is a hearty beef and root vegetable stew from Costa Rica that can be easily cooked in a slow cooker. It would be perfect for a sick day.
Get the full recipe from Pura Vida Moms.
Soups & Stews: Slow cooker tortilla soup is one of those recipes you should always have on hand.
This recipe for slow cooker chicken tortilla soup is so easy and can easily be modified to your preferences, or to use items you already have in your fridge and pantry.
Get the full recipe from Cooking Classy.
Soups & Stews: Black Bean and chorizo soup is a new take on a classic.
Adding sliced chorizo to the old standby black bean soup and slow cooking it together with plenty of herbs and spices is a great way to jazz up a classic.
Get the full recipe from Real Housemoms.
Soups & Stews: Make your Colombian chicken sancocho in the slow cooker for a less labor-intensive process.
Colombian chicken sancocho is comfort food made easy when you let it simmer in your slow cooker all day.
Get the full recipe from SkinnyTaste.
Soups & Stews: You really can make posole in a crockpot.
Traditional Mexican posole rojo can be made in a slow cooker, for an incredible meal any night of the week.
Get the full recipe from The Lemon Bowl.
Soups & Stews: Puerto Rican stewed chicken is made quick and easy with a slow cooker.
With just a handful of ingredients and your slow cooker, you can make a pot of flavorful Puerto Rican pollo guisado with minimal effort.
Get the full recipe from Caribbean Trading.
Soups & Stews: Nutritious Colombian meatball stew is an ideal slow cooker meal.
Colombian meatball stew can simmer for hours in your slow cooker and be ready for dinner whenever you are. Just add a side of rice.
Get the full recipe from MamásLatinas.
Soups & Stews: Slow cooker posole verde is so easy to make.
You can use chicken or pork to make a hearty pot of posole verde in your slow cooker. It's almost as easy as placing everything into the pot and walking away.
Get the full recipe at Sweet Life.
Soups & Stews: This slow cooker navy bean soup is full of flavor.
The smoky-spicy flavor profile of this healthy slow cooker navy bean soup is a winner. Plus, it can be made in the crockpot overnight.
Get the full recipe from MamásLatinas.
Soups & Stews: This flavorful Spanish chicken stew is perfect for those nights you work late.
The addition of saffron and roasted red peppers elevate this classic Spanish slow cooker chicken stew. Plus, it's loaded with veggies.
Get the full recipe from Sweet Peas & Saffron.
Main Dishes: This Cuban pork casserole isn't traditional, but it is tasty.
Not so much traditional and not as simple as most slow cooker meals, but this Cuban pork casserole takes classic Cuban flavors and uses slow cooked pork to create a healthy dish that can be made ahead and eaten all week.
Get the full recipe from Fed + Fit.
Main Dishes: Slow cooker tamale casserole takes all of the work out of your favorite dish.
OMG! You can have all the flavors of tamales with the most minimal amount of prep work with this slow cooker tamale pie casserole.
Get the full recipe from Buns In My Oven.
Main Dishes: You really can make paella in the slow cooker!
By cooking on low and adding the seafood in the last half hour, you can make perfect paella in your slow cooker.
Get the full recipe from LCBO.
Beans: Puerto Rican black beans come out so well cooked in the slow cooker.
These slow cooker black beans are steeped in Puerto Rican seasonings including sofrito and cilantro, and come out super-flavorful. Perfect alongside some ripe aguacate.
Get the full recipe from The Perfect Pantry.
Beans: A recipe for basic crockpot pinto beans is one you should always have on hand.
A big pot of pinto beans is easy and affordable to make in the slow cooker. You could even freeze them to eat later.
Get the full recipe from Eat Well Spend Smart.
Beans: Classic frijoles Colombianos are easily adapted into a slow cooker recipe.
You can make the most traditional style Colombian beans in a crockpot with just some basic ingredients in a few hours' time.
Get the full recipe from My Colombian Recipes.
Beans: Why buy refried beans when the crockpot can make them for you?
Store-bought refried beans don't always have the most desirable ingredients. When you make them at home in the crockpot though, they make for an easy and healthy addition to any meal.
Get the full recipe from Don't Waste the Crumbs.
Side Dishes: It might be surprising, but you can actually make plantains in a slow cooker.
I've been eating platanos maduros my whole life and I never would have guessed you could make them in a slow cooker. You can though, and the ripe plantains come out just as sticky sweet and delicious as frying them.
Get the full recipe from Our Everyday Life.
Sides: You can make elote while you work or sleep or get stuff done around the house.
I'm obsessed with elote. I could eat cob after cob. By wrapping the corn cobs individually and adding the toppings before cooking, you can actually make elote in the slow cooker. It would be great for a crowd or for one elote-obsessed eater.
Get the full recipe from Thirty Handmade Days.
Desserts: This crockpot tres leche bread pudding sounds incredible.
This crockpot tres leches bread pudding basically combines two classic Latin desserts: tres leches cake and budin de pan. How can that not be delicious?
Get the full recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen.
Desserts: Arroz con leche is a classic made much easier by a slow cooker.
Arroz con leche was a staple dessert in my house growing up. I remember my mom standing at the stove stirring big pots of it with a wooden spoon. Using a slow cooker instead, definitely cuts down on the work.
Get the full recipe from Lexi Michelle Blog.
Desserts: Let your flan gently steam in a slow cooker instead of worrying about it in the oven.
You can easily make individual portions of classic caramel flan by letting the custard mixture steam gently iin your slow cooker.
Get the full recipe from The Magical Slow Cooker.
Drinks: Make a big pot of Mexican-style hot chocolate in your crockpot.
I recently discovered that the best way to make hot chocolate for a crowd is to do it in a slow cooker. I can't wait to try this spicy Mexican version that features cayenne and cinnamon.
Get the full recipe from Jar of Lemons.
Drinks: This warm winter slow cooker sangria sounds like a cold-weather treat.
I love spicy mulled wine, and I love the idea of adding fruit and other sangria fixings to it to make a big crockpot full to enjoy with friends.
Get the full recipe from The Foodie Affair.
