10 Valentine's Day date-night meals you can make in a 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 for a romantic dinner, without the heavy lifting.

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

"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.

Taste of Home's recipe for chicken Parmesan is a crowd-pleaser and 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.

Meatballs are a perfect match for a slow cooker. Simply 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.

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.

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.

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.

Taste of Home's recipe for slow-cooker short ribs screams "special occasion," making them perfect for Valentine's Day. Not only do short ribs get very tender in the slow cooker, but the dish also makes a delicious sauce for serving over the meat, mashed potatoes, or other vegetables.

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.

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."