Eating light doesn't have to be a chore, and for that matter, you don't need to put too much effort into technique to make something that's both healthy and delicious.
These recipes are designed for the slow cooker, so they're healthy and low-effort, but also feel substantial.
Crock-Pot Coconut Masala Chicken with Lime and Spices
Recipe by Bradley Pittman
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Tender chicken leg pieces and potatoes slow-cooked in a creamy coconut masala sauce with warming spices, ginger, and fresh lime.
Crockpot Chicken Fajitas
Chicken breasts are healthy, but can dry out without a little bit of care, and can also be a bit bland. By cooking the chicken breasts whole and then shredding them, you don't have to worry about overcooking, and the flavorful fajita sauce ensures that each bite packs a punch.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix tomatoes, 1 tablespoon lime juice, oil, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add onion and chicken; turn to coat.
- Cover; cook on high 2 hours. Arrange peppers around chicken; cover again.
- Cook on high 45 to 60 minutes more until chicken reaches 165°F and peppers are tender but retain their shape.
- Transfer chicken to a plate; rest 5 minutes. Pull into thick shreds with two forks. Toss with peppers and remaining lime juice, using tongs to leave excess liquid behind.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side.
- Divide drained chicken and vegetables among 8 tortillas; serve 2 per portion.
Crockpot Chicken Tinga
Chicken breast is helped immensely by spice and smoke, and this tinga delivers both. If you're a spice-head, don't be afraid to go nuts with the chipotle peppers.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix tomatoes with juices, onion, garlic, chipotle, oregano, cumin, and salt in a 4-quart slow cooker. Nestle chicken into sauce.
- Cover; cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours until chicken reaches 165°F and pulls apart easily.
- Transfer chicken to a plate; shred with two forks. Stir beans into sauce, mashing about 1/4 cup against cooker wall to thicken.
- Return chicken. Cover; cook on high 10 minutes until beans are hot. Stir in lime juice.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side.
- Divide chicken and beans among 8 tortillas with a slotted spoon; serve 2 per portion.
Crockpot Cashew Chicken
Cashew chicken was my standard Chinese takeout order as a kid, and while I've spent a lot of time exploring the intricacies of regional Chinese cuisine, cashew chicken still holds a special place in my heart. Be sure to save the cashews until the end to maintain crunch (and we won't tell if you throw another handful in).
Ingredients
Method
- Cover; cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours until chicken reaches 165°F.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a plate. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into cooker. Add water chestnuts and snow peas. Cover; cook on high 10 to 15 minutes until lightly thickened and peas just tender.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; return to hot sauce. Stir in cashews just before serving.
- Divide rice, chicken, and vegetables among 4 bowls.
Crockpot Chicken Shawarma
You probably don't have a rotating spit at home, but don't let that stop you. A slow cook followed by a quick broil gets you most of the way there.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix onion, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, oil, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add chicken; coat thoroughly.
- Cover; cook on low about 6 hours until chicken reaches at least 165°F and is tender.
- Transfer chicken to a foil-lined metal sheet pan, leaving excess juices behind. Pull into broad strips. Broil 6 inches from heat for 3 to 5 minutes until some edges brown, watching constantly.
- Mix yogurt with remaining tablespoon lemon juice. Keep cucumber and tomato cold until serving.
- Warm pitas in a dry skillet over medium heat about 30 seconds per side; open pockets.
- Fill each pita with one-quarter of the chicken, cucumber, tomato, and yogurt sauce.
Crockpot Jerk Chicken
Nothing's better for summer grill season than Jamaican jerk chicken, but don't let winter weather stop you. Feel free to finish under the broiler to get some nice char.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix scallions, garlic, ginger, chile, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, allspice, thyme, cinnamon, salt, and broth in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add thighs; turn to coat.
- Cover; cook on low 5 hours. Add green beans around chicken. Cover; cook on low about 1 hour more until beans are tender and chicken reaches at least 165°F.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Toss pineapple with remaining tablespoon lime juice in a small bowl.
- Remove chicken and beans; spoon a little cooking liquid over meat.
- Divide rice, chicken, beans, and fresh pineapple among 4 plates.
Crockpot Kung Pao Chicken
Kung Pao chicken comes in countless varieties across China and in the world of Chinese takeout, but what they have in common is the generous use of peanuts and dried chilis. Feel free to modify the vegetables to taste.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix broth, soy sauce, vinegar, tomato paste, honey, garlic, ginger, and dried chiles in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add chicken.
- Cover; cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours until chicken reaches 165°F.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Transfer chicken to a plate. Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into cooker. Add zucchini and pepper. Cover; cook on high 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and sauce coats a spoon.
- Cut chicken into bite-size pieces; return to sauce. Remove whole dried chiles; stir in peanuts.
- Divide rice and chicken mixture among 4 bowls.
Crockpot Chicken Mole
In Mexico, mole is very much a labor of love, with dizzying lists of ingredients and complex technique. This simplified version is more approachable, with pumpkin seeds delivering the nuttiness and a satisfying hit of cocoa.
Ingredients
Method
- Toast pepitas in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring, for 3 minutes until fragrant. Blend until smooth with tomatoes and juices, onion, garlic, raisins, cocoa, ancho powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and broth.
- Pour sauce into a 4-quart slow cooker; add chicken and turn to coat. Cover; cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours until chicken reaches 165°F.
- Transfer chicken to a plate; shred and return to sauce. Cover; cook on high 10 minutes.
- Toss cabbage with lime juice; keep separate from hot chicken.
- Warm tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat, 20 to 30 seconds per side.
- Serve one-quarter of the chicken mole and cabbage with 2 tortillas per portion.
Crockpot Beef and Broccoli
Typically, flank steak works either cooked in a flash in the wok or low and slow. This recipe takes the latter approach to a dish normally done with the former: a classic takeout-style beef and broccoli.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix broth, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger in a 4-quart slow cooker. Add steak strips, separating in sauce.
- Cover; cook on low about 6 hours until beef is tender and reaches at least 145°F.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; stir into cooker. Add broccoli; cover and cook on high 20 to 30 minutes until florets are tender and sauce lightly coats beef.
- Stir in sesame oil; rest 3 minutes.
- Divide rice, beef, and broccoli among 4 bowls.
Crockpot Beef Bourguignon
Beef bourguignon is one of those dishes that the slow cooker is practically designed for. Quickly brown the beef in a frying pan, and then let the slow cooker work its magic.
Ingredients
Method
- Pat beef dry; season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown beef in 2 batches, about 8 minutes total; transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add wine to skillet; scrape up browned bits. Simmer 3 minutes; stir in broth and tomato paste. Pour over beef.
- Add mushrooms, potatoes, carrots, onion, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover; cook on low about 8 hours until beef reaches at least 145°F and beef and potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove bay leaf. Mix cornstarch with cold water; stir into cooker.
- Cover; cook on high 10 to 15 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Divide beef, vegetables, and sauce among 6 shallow bowls.
Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
Most of us make ragu with store-bought ground beef, but that wasn't a luxury available in Italy in the old days, so what's a nonna to do? Do it old school — big chunks of beef chuck simmered low and slow.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix tomatoes, broth, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oil, oregano, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Nestle beef into sauce.
- Cover; cook on low about 8 hours until beef reaches at least 145°F and shreds easily with two forks.
- Transfer beef to a plate; shred into short strands, discarding obvious fat. Return to sauce.
- Boil noodles in a large pot according to package directions until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain.
- Toss noodles with beef sauce. Add reserved water a tablespoon at a time only if needed to loosen.
- Divide evenly among 6 bowls, distributing both meat and pasta.
Slow Cooker Pork Adobo
Filipino food is criminally underappreciated outside the islands, with its signature counterpoint of tangy sauces and rich meats. Pork adobo is a perfect example, with slow-braised pork in a vinegary broth.
Ingredients
Method
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown pork for 5 minutes, turning; transfer to a 4-quart slow cooker.
- Add vinegar, soy sauce, 1/3 cup water, garlic, bay leaves, and pepper. Cover; cook on low about 6 hours until pork is fork-tender and reaches at least 145°F.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Transfer pork to a plate; remove bay leaves. Pour liquid into a small saucepan and skim excess fat. Simmer 5 to 8 minutes until reduced to about 3/4 cup; return pork to sauce.
- Steam cabbage, covered, over simmering water for 8 to 10 minutes until tender.
- Divide pork, sauce, rice, and cabbage among 4 plates. Rest cooked pork at least 3 minutes before eating.
Slow Cooker Pork Paprikash
Goulash is undoubtedly Hungary's best-known dish, but I actually prefer paprikash, which adds sour cream to the paprika stew. This recipe lightens things up a bit with Greek yogurt instead.
Ingredients
Method
- Cook onion in oil in a skillet over medium heat for 6 minutes. Stir in garlic and paprika for 30 seconds; immediately add broth and tomato paste.
- Pour into a 6-quart slow cooker. Stir in pork, peppers, salt, and pepper.
- Cover; cook on low about 6 hours until pork is fork-tender and reaches at least 145°F. Mix cornstarch with cold water; stir into sauce. Cover; cook on high 10 minutes.
- Boil noodles according to package directions until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
- Turn off cooker; let bubbling stop for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup hot sauce into yogurt; stir into cooker without boiling again.
- Divide noodles, pork, and pepper sauce among 6 bowls.
Crockpot Cabbage Soup
Cabbage soup has long been maligned as a poverty food — after all, it's what Charley Bucket was forced to subsist on before he found the golden ticket. However, it makes a great base for slow-cooked vegetarian soups, with potatoes and cannellini providing heft, and while this recipe uses caraway as a main flavor, you have a lot of freedom here when it comes to herbs and spices.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine cabbage, beans, potatoes, carrots, onion, and tomatoes with juices in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Add broth, garlic, caraway, oil, salt, and pepper; stir to distribute vegetables.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until potatoes and cabbage are tender.
- Mash about 1/2 cup potatoes against cooker wall; stir into broth.
- Stir in vinegar; rest uncovered 5 minutes.
- Divide vegetables, beans, and broth evenly among 6 bowls.
Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup with Red Lentils
Cooked together, squash and lentils make a beautifully creamy blended soup without needing to add any cream. This recipe is loosely inspired by Indian dal, with spices to balance the sweetness of the squash.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine squash, lentils, onion, ginger, garlic, curry powder, oil, broth, water, and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until squash breaks easily under a spoon and lentils are completely soft.
- Turn off cooker; let bubbling stop for 5 minutes. Blend smooth with an immersion blender, keeping blade fully submerged.
- Stir in lemon juice; check for remaining firm squash pieces.
- Divide among 6 bowls; top each with 2 tablespoons yogurt.
- Serve each bowl with one whole-grain roll.
Crockpot Carrot Soup
Carrot and orange go great together, but they can also be cloyingly sweet in a soup. The addition of white beans to the puree adds balance, and I think it improves the texture too.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine carrots, beans, onion, ginger, garlic, broth, oil, salt, coriander, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until carrots crush easily with a spoon.
- Turn off cooker; let bubbling stop for 5 minutes. Blend smooth with an immersion blender, keeping blade submerged.
- Stir in orange juice; rest 2 minutes.
- Toast bread until crisp without butter.
- Divide soup among 6 bowls; serve each with one toast slice.
Slow Cooker Cauliflower Potato White Bean Soup
Vegetable purees are a great format for both slow cookers and healthy food. This recipe rather unusually uses a whole cauliflower head, not just the florets.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine cauliflower, potatoes, beans, onion, garlic, broth, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 6 to 7 hours until cauliflower and potatoes are very tender.
- Turn off cooker; let bubbling stop for 5 minutes. Blend smooth with an immersion blender, keeping blade submerged.
- Stir in mustard; rest 2 minutes to distribute flavor.
- Toast bread without butter. Divide soup among 6 bowls; top each with 2 teaspoons Parmesan.
- Serve each bowl with one whole-grain toast slice.
Crockpot Black Bean Quinoa Chili
I rarely make the same veggie chili twice — all sorts of things can go into it, with different textural contrasts. This recipe focuses on black beans, quinoa, and sweet potatoes, with fire-roasted tomatoes and chipotles for a little smoky goodness.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, onion, pepper, broth, chili powder, cumin, chipotle, and salt in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 5 1/2 to 6 hours until sweet potatoes are nearly tender.
- Stir in rinsed quinoa. Cover; cook on high 45 to 60 minutes until grains are tender and their pale rings open.
- Turn off cooker; stir in lime juice. Rest 10 minutes to finish thickening.
- Stir from bottom to distribute quinoa and beans evenly.
- Divide among 6 bowls; top each with 1 tablespoon yogurt.
Slow Cooker Ratatouille
In French tradition, each vegetable for ratatouille must be cooked separately, so while this might not be a true-blue ratatouille, it is a good vegetable stew. The chickpeas and couscous add a North African twist.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine eggplant, peppers, onion, tomatoes with juices, chickpeas, garlic, oil, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 5 hours until eggplant is mostly tender.
- Stir in zucchini. Cover; cook on low 1 1/2 to 2 hours more until vegetables are tender but intact. Stir in vinegar.
- Boil 1 1/4 cups water in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous, cover, remove from heat, and rest 10 minutes.
- Fluff couscous with a fork; divide among 6 shallow bowls.
- Spoon ratatouille and chickpeas over couscous, adding a little tomato cooking liquid to each serving.
Slow Cooker Lentil Bolognese
Replacing ground beef with lentils in a bolognese makes this a sauce that you could just as readily eat as a stew. Walnuts provide a necessary textural variation.
Ingredients
Method
- Combine lentils, tomatoes, broth, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, oil, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low 7 to 8 hours until lentils are tender. Stir once after 6 hours; check a few grains before proceeding.
- Stir in walnuts and balsamic vinegar; keep covered on warm while pasta cooks.
- Boil spaghetti in a large pot according to package directions until just tender, about 9 to 11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain.
- Toss spaghetti with lentil sauce. Add reserved water a tablespoon at a time only if needed to loosen.
- Divide among 6 bowls, distributing lentils and walnuts evenly.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Acorn Squash
This one really depends on the size of your slow cooker. If you have the space, these stuffed acorn squash, finished with a bit of grated cheese, work great.
Ingredients
Method
- Check all 4 empty squash halves fit cut-side up in a 6- to 7-quart oval slow cooker with lid closed. Trim a thin outer slice if needed for stability. Remove while preparing filling.
- Bring quinoa and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; simmer 15 minutes. Rest covered 5 minutes; fluff.
- Mix quinoa, beans, corn, pepper, salsa, cumin, and salt. Brush squash flesh with oil; fill the 4 cavities, mounding extra filling over cut surfaces.
- Add 1/2 cup water to cooker; arrange filled halves cut-side up. Cover; cook on high 3 to 4 hours until a knife slides easily into flesh.
- Sprinkle cheddar evenly over halves. Cover; cook 5 minutes more until melted.
- Lift with a wide spatula; serve one half per portion, leaving water in cooker.
Slow Cooker Dal Makhani
Dal makhani (dal = beans, makhani = butter) is probably the Indian dish I make at home the most: urad dal and kidney beans enriched with butter. If you don't have access to urad dal, try using black beans instead.
Ingredients
Method
- Cover dal with at least 3 inches cold water; refrigerate 8 hours, included in prep time. Drain and rinse.
- Combine soaked dal, canned kidney beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and 3 cups fresh water in a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on low about 8 hours until whole dal is very soft. Mash about 1 cup against cooker wall; stir back in.
- During the final hour, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Stir butter into dal; turn off cooker. Let bubbling stop for 5 minutes. Whisk yogurt with 1/2 cup hot dal; stir tempered mixture back in.
- Divide rice and dal among 6 bowls; add a spoonful of thick cooking liquid to each.
Crockpot Salmon
Since we normally cook fish quickly, this does seem a bit counterintuitive. However, the slow cooker provides a nice slow poach to the salmon, along with potatoes and fennel.
Ingredients
Method
- Layer potatoes and fennel in a 6-quart oval slow cooker; add hot broth. Cover; cook on high 1 1/2 to 2 hours until potatoes are nearly tender.
- Brush salmon with oil; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in one layer over hot vegetables; top with lemon slices.
- Cover; cook on high 20 to 35 minutes until salmon reaches 145°F at thickest part and potatoes are fully tender. Check fish after 20 minutes.
- Carefully lift fillets with a wide spatula. Divide potatoes and fennel among 4 plates.
- Top each serving with one salmon fillet and a little cooking broth.
- Sprinkle each with one-quarter of the dill; serve promptly.
Slow Cooker Fish Curry
Most fish is too delicate for true slow cooking, but a slow cooker can still get you close to the finish line. The slow cooker here handles the main sauce of the curry, with cod and spinach added towards the end.
Ingredients
Method
- Mix coconut milk, tomatoes with juices, onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, and salt in a 4-quart slow cooker.
- Cover; cook on high 2 1/2 to 3 hours until onion is tender and sauce hot throughout.
- During the final hour of sauce cooking, bring rice and 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a covered saucepan. Reduce to low; cook 40 to 45 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Nestle cod into hot sauce. Cover; cook on high 20 to 30 minutes until fish reaches 145°F and flakes easily. Avoid breaking pieces by stirring.
- Fold spinach around fish; cover 3 to 5 minutes until wilted. Gently stir lime juice into sauce.
- Divide rice among 4 bowls; lift fish, spinach, and sauce over it with a broad spoon.
Crockpot Turkey Tenderloin and Gravy
With its nutty-sweet flavor, springy texture, and impressive fiber and protein stats, barley is an underappreciated carb. Here, it acts as a foil to turkey that cooks in its own mushroom gravy.
Ingredients
Method
- Put mushrooms, carrots, onion, and broth in a 4-quart slow cooker. Rub turkey with oil, sage, thyme, salt, and pepper; place on top.
- Cover; cook on high 2 to 3 hours until each tenderloin reaches 165°F at thickest part and carrots are tender. Start checking turkey after 2 hours.
- During the final hour, boil barley and 3 cups water in a saucepan. Cover; simmer on low 50 to 60 minutes until chewy-tender. Drain excess water.
- Transfer turkey to a plate; rest 10 minutes. Bring vegetables and cooking broth to a simmer in a saucepan.
- Mix cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cold water; whisk into broth. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until lightly thickened.
- Slice turkey across grain; divide with barley and vegetable gravy among 4 plates.
