8 Easy, Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes to Try Tonight
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Winter is peak slow cooker season. The low-and-slow cooking method is ideal for so many comforting, cold-weather favorites, including soups, stews, chili, and roasted meats. And if you choose healthy proteins like beans or chicken and add in plenty of veggies, your slow cooker can help you whip up nutritious, home-cooked meals while keeping dinnertime stress to a minimum. In case you’re short on ideas, here are eight easy recipes loaded with good-for-you ingredients to help you make the most of your slow cooker.
1. Barbecue Pulled Chicken Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this 2-ingredient “recipe.” Simply combine 5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts with 1 ½ cups of your favorite barbecue sauce (I like Stubb’s because it’s low in sugar and has a nice vinegary tang). Add some sliced onions, too, if you like. Cook the chicken on low for 6 to 8 hours, then shred the chicken right in the pot with a pair of forks. Serve the pulled meat over toasted whole-grain buns, and pair with a simple coleslaw made from bagged shredded cabbage mix, low-fat Greek yogurt, a squirt of mayo, and a few dashes of cider vinegar.
2. Split Pea Soup This lovely, stick-to-your-ribs soup is adapted from a 5-star Cooking Light recipe. You can add all the ingredients to the cooker at once: a 1-pound bag of dried split green peas, 1 ham hock (omit for a vegetarian version), 1 diced medium onion, 3 diced carrots, 2 diced ribs of celery, 2 diced and peeled Yukon gold potatoes, 1 tablespoon dried thyme (just eyeball it), 2 bay leaves, and 6 cups of water. Cook the soup on low for 8 hours, then season to taste with salt and pepper. You can shred the meat on the ham hock and stir it into the soup, or discard it if you prefer to use it only as a flavoring agent.
3. Minestrone Soup You can adapt this basic recipe to use any fresh or frozen vegetables you happen to have on hand — no need to make an extra trip to the store for carrots or zucchini. In the slow cooker, mix together 6 cups low-sodium broth, 2 cups water, a 28-ounce (oz) can of diced tomatoes, a few sliced carrots and celery stalks, 1 medium diced onion, 2 (15-oz) cans of beans (such as cannellini or kidney, rinsed and drained), 1 bay leaf, and a heavy sprinkling of dried basil and oregano. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. About a half hour before you’re ready to eat, stir in one diced zucchini, ¾ cup whole-wheat elbow pasta, and a few handfuls of roughly chopped baby spinach leaves, and cook until the pasta is al dente. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan cheese.
4. White Chicken Chili This super easy, 5-ingredient recipe from the blog Gimme Some Oven is a dinnertime godsend. Just fill the pot with 6 cups water (or low-sodium chicken broth), 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 2 cups (typically 1 jar) salsa verde, 2 cans of low-sodium white beans (rinsed and drained), and about 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. You can add in a chopped onion for extra flavor, or cayenne for a kick. Shred the chicken before serving, and dish up this mildly spicy chili with scallions, cilantro, avocado, or low-fat plain Greek yogurt as toppers.
5. Turkey Meatballs in Sauce To save time, don’t bother browning your meatballs first — just plop them right in the sauce and let them simmer to perfection. If you’re looking for a foolproof recipe, check out this one from the blog Skinnytaste. The ingredients list is short and sweet, and the meatballs are cooked in a simple homemade marinara sauce made with canned crushed tomatoes. I recommend adding a bag of roughly chopped baby spinach to the sauce about 20 minutes before you’re ready to eat for an extra dose of veggies.
6. Vegetarian Red Beans and Rice I make a mean vegetarian red beans and rice that gets its deep, smoky flavor from chipotle peppers, smoked paprika, and cumin rather than fatty sausage (you can get the recipe here). Though my version does require a fair bit of chopping, you can prep the peppers and onions in advance or use a frozen blend to save a step. The beans, which don’t require pre-soaking, cook on high for 7 to 8 hours. Make a quick pot of brown rice when you get home in the evening and you’ll have dinner on the table in a jiffy.
7. Chicken Fajita Soup Here’s another slow cooker soup recipe you can throw together in a flash: Combine 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 1 can black beans (rinsed and drained), 1 can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 bag of frozen peppers and onions, and about a cup of frozen corn kernels, and season with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne (optional), salt and pepper to taste. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred the meat into the soup with a pair of forks and top with a little grated cheddar for a cheesy finish.
8. Overnight Slow Cooker Oatmeal Take 2 minutes to set this up the night before and you’ll have hot, creamy oatmeal waiting for you the next morning (and you can stash the extras in the fridge for quick, microwavable breakfasts during the week). Just add 1 cup steel cut oats and 4 cups water to your slow cooker, along with optional fresh or dried fruit like chopped apple, raisins, cranberries, or cherries. Cook on low for 8 hours and top with nuts or seeds and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, if you like. Make this when you have guests staying over — everyone can help themselves as they wake up and personalize their bowl with their favorite toppings.
This article originally appeared on EverydayHealth.com: 8 Easy, Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes to Try Tonight
By Johannah Sakimura, RD, Everyday Health Columnist
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