Getting a healthy dinner on the table is as simple as throwing your ingredients into the slow cooker in the morning and coming home to a comforting meal. These cozy recipes feature seasonal veggies like spinach, mushrooms and sweet potatoes. Plus, they have four- and five-star ratings, so we know you’ll love them. From tasty soups to mouthwatering casseroles, recipes like our Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup and our Slow-Cooker Barbecue Brisket Sliders are delicious and perfect for any night of the week.
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The Best Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This hearty sweet potato and black bean chili has a delightful balance of sweet and spicy flavors. Swap out regular chili powder for chipotle and ancho chile powder, or try using reduced-sodium taco or fajita seasoning for a unique twist.
This Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup Was Inspired by Our Love of Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
If you love spinach and artichokes, this is the perfect soup for you. The creamy base is packed with veggies and shredded chicken, which soaks up the broth while adding a boost of protein. Frozen artichoke hearts have less sodium than canned, but canned can be used in their place. Just be sure to give them a good rinse before adding them to the slow cooker.
Easy Slow-Cooker Potato-Leek Soup with Boursin
Photographer: Robby Lozano, Food Stylist: Margaret Dickey, Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This creamy slow-cooker leek soup showcases leeks’ mild onion flavor, enhanced by plenty of fresh and dried herbs and with potatoes adding texture and body. Boursin is a soft, spreadable cheese, similar to whipped cream cheese, that comes in a variety of flavors. We like how the garlic-and-herb flavor enhances the overall flavor of the soup, but you can substitute sour cream. To prevent the sour cream from curdling in the hot soup, place in a small bowl and slowly stir in some of the hot broth until the mixture is smooth and creamy-looking before adding to the slow cooker.
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This crock pot chicken and dumplings recipe uses store-bought biscuits for dumplings that are moist and tender once stirred into the savory mixture of creamy mushrooms, chicken and veggies. Using 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup cuts down on prep time. To give the chicken stew body, we use a flour and butter paste known as a beurre manié—a classic thickening agent for soups, stews and sauces.
Slow-Cooker Vegetable Soup
This weight-loss vegetable soup fills you up without a lot of calories, plus it’s an easy way to eat more vegetables.
Slow-Cooker Barbecue Brisket Sliders
Serve these slow-cooker brisket sliders when company’s coming–perhaps to watch the big game–for an easy, crowd-pleasing dish. The crisp, tangy coleslaw is the perfect pairing for the tender, rich brisket. Serve with chips, crudités and cold beer to round out the meal.
Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Pozole
This healthy vegetarian take on the Mexican stew pozole gets tons of flavor from poblano peppers, ancho chile powder and dried herbs and spices, while cannellini beans provide protein and fiber.
Slow-Cooker Arroz con Pollo (Chicken & Rice)
This one-pot chicken dinner, inspired by the traditional dish of Spain and Latin America, comes together easily in the slow cooker.
Slow-Cooker Loaded Broccoli & Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This comforting soup is loaded with broccoli and chicken in a creamy, cheesy base and finished off with the classic toppings of bacon and scallions. Frozen onions and rice keep their integrity and texture to the soup, but chopped fresh onions and cooked brown rice (not frozen) can be used in their place.
Slow-Cooker Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi with Delicata Squash & Spinach
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This cozy, hearty slow-cooker dinner features tender gnocchi and veggies in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. The dusting of flour in the gnocchi packaging helps thicken the broth over the long, gentle cooking time—and a swirl of cream finishes the dish. Serve with crusty whole-wheat bread for sopping up the tangy sauce.
Slow-Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tacos with Avocado Crema
A rich, creamy topping made of mashed avocado, sour cream, lime juice and salt takes these spicy slow-cooker chicken tacos to the next level. Lightly toast the tortillas, if desired. Use any leftover avocado cream as a chip dip, and serve with tortilla chips.
Slow-Cooker Chile-Orange Chicken Tacos
A taco night favorite! Boneless chicken breasts cook low and slow in a chipotle-orange sauce until they’re pull-apart tender, then are paired with a fresh avocado-orange salsa.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Pinto Bean Enchilada Casserole
Photographer: Greg DuPree, Food Stylist: Ali Ramee Prop Stylist: Christine Keely
This slow-cooker meal is comfort food at its best: the layers of tortillas, cheese and sauce meld together into a cozy casserole inspired by the flavors in enchiladas. The top tortilla layer gets beautifully crispy in the slow cooker. We use pinto beans, but you could easily swap in black beans.
Slow-Cooker Chicken, Spinach & White Bean Stew
Ali Redmond
Warm up to a comforting bowl of chicken stew scented with thyme, oregano and smoked paprika. Adding spinach and white beans provides a hearty dose of fiber that will keep you satisfied until the next meal.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Ali Redmond
If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.
Southwestern Sweet Potato Stew
This hearty Southwestern-inspired stew may take a while in your slow cooker, but it’s so worth it! Full of sweet potatoes, black beans, and hominy, it will satisfy your tastebuds and keep you full for hours.
Slow-Cooker Lemon-Pepper Chicken Thighs with Broccolini
What if you could have tender, slow-cooker chicken thighs and crisp Broccolini to feed four with 10 minutes of hands-on time and eight common ingredients? Now, you can, and here’s the recipe to prove it. Garnish with fresh oregano leaves and additional kosher salt and black pepper, if desired.
