Photo credit: Beef. It's What's For Dinner.

Cold winter weather is setting in, which means staying inside and warming up with our favorite comfort foods.

Hearty soups and stews provide the perfect meals for chilly days, and letting your slow cooker do the work for you frees up some of your time.

Whether you prefer beef, chicken or pork, here are two recipes to try out with your slow cooker, and a third that can be made in a stockpot.

Lazy Day Beef and Vegetable Soup

2½ pounds beef stewing meat, cut into ¾” cubes
2 14.5-ounce cans reduced-sodium beef broth
15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup water
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup ditalini pasta, uncooked

In a 5-quart slow cooker, combine beef, broth, chickpeas, tomatoes, water, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, stirring to coat well. Cover, and cook on the high setting for 5 hours or on the low setting for 8 hours.

Once cooked, stir in vegetables and pasta. Cover, and cook for an additional hour or until beef and pasta are tender. Stir well before serving. If desired, add salt and pepper to taste.

Source: Virginia Beef Council

Pork, Sweet Potato and Black Bean Stew

3-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and cut into 3” pieces
3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1” pieces
1½ cups onions, chopped
2 15.5-ounce cans diced tomato and chiles
15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons chili powder
2¼ teaspoons cumin
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups Swiss chard, roughly chopped

In a slow cooker, combine pork, sweet potatoes, onions, tomatoes, black beans, chili powder and cumin. Cover, and cook on low setting for 7½ hours.

Once cooked, remove and coarsely chop the pork. Add peanut butter to the slow cooker, stirring to combine well.

Mix in the pork and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add Swiss chard, and cook for 5-6 minutes until the chard is tender, but still bright green.

Source: National Pork Board

Brunswick Stew

4-6 quarts chicken broth
2 pounds boneless, cooked chicken, roughly chopped
2 quarts canned, diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
3 cups fresh or frozen white potatoes, peeled and diced
1 quart frozen or canned butter beans, drained
1 quart frozen or canned whole kernel corn, drained
5 tablespoons sugar
kosher salt to taste
coarse ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste

In a large stockpot, mix 4 quarts of broth with the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. 

Cook, uncovered, 1½ to 2 hours, until desired thickness. Add remaining chicken stock, if desired, one quart at a time. Return to simmer for an additional half-hour before serving.

Source: Chef Tammy Brawley, Real Virginia