9 Healthy Recipes You Can Make in a Slow Cooker

Slow cookers are often associated with hearty soups, heavy mac and cheeses, and boozy beverages, but their use doesn't end there. These low-fat, low-sugar dishes incorporate lots of vegetables, lean proteins, and tons of fiber, without sacrificing flavor. It's not hard to eat healthy, especially when the slow cooker does all the work for you.

Turkey Quinoa Chili
<a href="http://www.wellplated.com/slow-cooker-turkey-quinoa-chili/" target="_blank">Courtesy of Well Plated</a>

This lean chili is low in maintenance and high in flavor. Get the recipe here.

Key ingredients:

  • Turkey
  • Quinoa
  • Beer
  • Black beans
  • Sweet potatoes

 

Several hours in the slow cooker transforms dried split peas into a thick, naturally creamy soup. It's like magic. Recipe here.

Key ingredients:

  • Green split peas
  • Carrots
  • Celery
  • Ham
  • Broth
Chicken and vegetables
<a href="http://damndelicious.net/2015/06/05/slow-cooker-honey-garlic-chicken-and-veggies/" target="_blank">Courtesy of Damn Delicious</a>

Slow-cooking makes the vegetables super tender, and that garlic sauce penetrates the chicken all the way to the bone. Recipe here.

Key ingredients:

  • Chicken thighs
  • Potatoes
  • Carrots
  • Green beans
  • Garlic

 

Beef broth is all the rage now, but Vietnamese pho has been around forever. Learn how to DIY here.

Key ingredients:

  • Beef bones
  • Steak
  • Rice noodles
  • Fresh herbs
  • Chiles
  • Spices
Red curry lentils
<a href="http://pinchofyum.com/crockpot-red-lentil-curry" target="_blank">Courtesy of a Pinch of Yum</a>

This stick-to-your-ribs stew won't clog your arteries. Get the recipe here.

Key ingredients:

  • Lentils
  • Red curry paste
  • Garam masala
  • Tomato puree
  • Coconut milk

 

However long it takes to pour a gallon of milk into a slow cooker is the prep time required to make your own yogurt. Learn how here.

Key ingredients:

  • Milk
  • Yogurt
Butternut squash soup
<a href="http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/slow-cooker-butternut-squash-soup-with-maple-roasted-chickpeas/" target="_blank">Courtesy of Two Peas and Their Pod</a>

This cream-less butternut soup recipe comes with a bonus recipe for maple-roasted chickpeas, which give the soup a toothsome crunch. Recipes here.

Key ingredients:

  • Butternut squash
  • Carrots
  • Apples
  • Broth
  • Cinnamon
Homemade apple sauce
<a href="http://http://againstallgrain.com/2011/10/29/crock-pot-apple-sauce-refined-sugar-free/" target="_blank">Courtesy of Against All Grain</a>

Applesauce is so much better made from scratch. This recipe uses fresh Honeycrisps and zero refined sugar.

Key ingredients:

  • Apples
  • Honey
  • Lemon juice
  • Cinnamon

Toss stuff into the slow cooker before bed and wake up to the aroma of hot oatmeal. This healthier recipe adds protein-rich quinoa, too.

Key ingredients:

  • Steel-cut oats
  • Quinoa
  • Milk
  • Brown sugar


Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email, and get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.

Perry Santanachote is Thrillist's recipes editor but eats healthy when no one is looking. Follow her at @perrysant.