How to use a slow cooker to make your whole Thanksgiving dinner

From a slow cooker Buffalo chicken dip that's ready to reheat and serve whenever you get peckish on Thanksgiving day to easy slow-cooker meatballs guests can pick at throughout the day, making a couple of appetizers in Crock-Pots is a great way to save you tons of time.

Unfortunately, your Crock-Pot or slow cooker probably won't hold an entire turkey, but if you separate the breast from the legs, it can work.

"If you have a 6-quart slow cooker or larger, you still probably won't be able to fit a whole turkey in there, but you can fit a 3-4 pound turkey breast," Kendra Bailey Morris, author of "The Southern Slow Cooker," told Insider. "The beauty of the slow cooker is that it is inherently self-basting. Slow cookers create a very moist environment with the condensation from the cooking process often rising to the top of the slow cooker and then dripping back down onto the meat, which helps to keep things moist."

Her one very important tip? Make sure to inject some fat back into your turkey breast, since the meat is very lean. She suggests using herb butter.

The secret to an easy Thanksgiving prep is preparing some dishes a day or two ahead of time.

"Mashed potatoes are great in the slow cooker, though it does take a bit of time for the potatoes to soften, so plan ahead," Sarah Olson, the blogger behind "The Magical Slow Cooker," told Insider.

Sheana Davis, chef and founder of The Epicurean Connection, added, "Mashed potatoes can be made the night before. Place them in the Crock-Pot, turn on low in the morning, and keep warm until serving. It frees up your stovetop. You can also thin the mixture with milk or cream if they get too thick from the heat."

Stuffing is actually made for the Crock-Pot and doesn't require much tweaking at all for your slow cooker.

"I would say use just about any stuffing recipe you like, just make sure it contains eggs and a liquid, like stock," Sarah DiGregorio, recipe developer and author of "Adventures in Slow Cooking: 120 Slow-Cooker Recipes for People Who Love Food," said. "Prepare it as you normally would, but instead of baking it or stuffing it into the turkey cavity, spoon it into your slow cooker. Cover and cook for about four hours on low. The top won't brown, but the sides and bottom will get nice and crisp and golden, while the center will stay pudding-like and moist."

Sarah Olson said you can use either prepare store-bought boxed stuffing in the slow cooker or homemade stuffing, depending on your preference.

"Apple cranberry relish makes your house smell so good," Sheana Davis said. "Equal parts apples, cranberries, and apple and cranberry juice. Add sugar to taste, a bit of orange zest, and cinnamon. The house will smell wonderful and the relish is delicious."

Sarah Olson's recipe for slow-cooked cranberry sauce requires only a few ingredients: fresh cranberries, marmalade, and brown sugar to taste.

"Sweet potatoes cook really well in the slow cooker," Kendra Bailey Morris said. "Every time I adapt a recipe for the slow cooker that was originally designed for the oven, I season it more generously. The slow cooker has a tendency to dilute flavors due to condensation building up during the cooking process."

Sweet potato casserole topped with marshmallows is a Thanksgiving favorite, and there are multiple recipes out there explaining how to make it in a slow cooker.

One recipe by Damn Delicious explains that the residual heat from the slow cooker is the perfect method for achieving gooey, melted marshmallows on top of your casserole — without taking up any oven space.

When we think of slow cooker vegetables, we probably picture a puree like a mashed sweet potato. But Kendra Bailey-Morris says that green beans can (and should) be cooked in a slow cooker.

"I was raised in the South and grew up eating green beans that were cooked with some kind of seasoning meat (such as fatback, ham hocks or bacon grease)," Bailey Morris said. "I make green beans almost the exact same way as I do on the stovetop in the slow cooker and it's great because cooking the beans in the slow cooker frees up more space on my stove."

"My family can not go without the green bean casserole. It's pretty much the best side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas," Olson said.

This recipe for green bean casserole is perfect for a group of guests — with fewer guests this year, you'll have delicious leftovers for days.

To make, simply toss the carrots into the slow cooker with a little salt, brown sugar, and butter and let sit for four to five hours, until tender.

Olson's recipe for slow cooker macaroni and cheese uses cream cheese, milk, sharp cheddar, and white sharp cheddar to make the noodles super creamy and flavorful.

A necessity on any Thanksgiving table, warm, fluffy dinner rolls in a slow cooker. One recipe from I Heart Eating teaches you how to make the perfect dinner roll dough, then bake them only using a slow cooker.

"The Crock-Pot is great for beverages like mulled wine, spiked cider, or hot chocolate," Jenny Dorsey said. "This is ideal for smaller slow cookers so you can have hot beverages all night and less alcohol will burn off as you're not bringing it to a boil."

Your Crock-Pot is great for desserts too. While a pie might be difficult to make in a slow cooker, you can easily whip up a decadent cheesecake.

"Slow cooker cheesecake has always been a thing," Jenny Dorsey said. "They're really fun to jazz up with pumpkin puree for Thanksgiving. You are essentially using your slow cooker as a bain-marie [cooking equipment that's like a heated bath] by placing the cheesecake molds into the slow cooker and surrounding it with water. The slow cooker will keep the water at an even temp, so your cake cooks uniformly."

When it comes to better Thanksgiving leftovers, it's best to think ahead of time so you aren't stuck eating turkey sandwiches for a week.

"Before we put out the Thanksgiving meal, I place all the turkey drippings, some of the carved turkey trimming, potatoes, carrots, any side vegetables, a quart of chicken stock, and seasonings into the Crock-Pot on low and we have the best Turkey stew for lunch the next day," Sheana Davis said.

New York City-based chef Jenny Dorsey also told Insider she uses her leftover turkey the next day for slow cooker shredded turkey tacos or even a simple turkey broth in the Crock-Pot "for a rainy day."

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