Low-Calorie Slow-Cooker & Crockpot Recipes

This slow-cooker chicken recipe makes a perfect alternative to standard tomato-based barbecued chicken. Both kids and adults will devour these drumsticks, doused in a honey-sweetened sauce spiked with orange, ginger and garlic.

As this layered slow-cooker squash casserole recipe cooks, the liquid from the tangy tomatillo salsa and summer squash is absorbed by the quinoa, adding tons of flavor to the final dish.

Black beans, earthy mushrooms and tangy tomatillos combine with a variety of spices and smoky chipotles to create a fantastic full-flavored chili. It can simmer in the slow cooker all day, which makes it perfect for a healthy supper when the end of your day is rushed.

This stew has a simple list of ingredients, but plenty of great flavor thanks to flank steak, a cut that's known for its excellent meaty flavor. The flank is also known for its long grainy, and sometimes tough texture. In this stew the texture is a great asset--the meat shreds apart into tasty strips after it's cooked in the slow cooker.

This slow-cooker dal recipe has a range of pleasing textures: red lentils and millet break down as they cook, and the toor dal, which are split pigeon peas, stay toothsome. Look for all three ingredients at Indian markets or natural-foods stores. The crock pot does most of the work for this healthy vegetarian recipe, and a quick herbed yogurt added just before serving brightens up the flavors. Bonus: Both the dal and the yogurt can be made ahead and the leftovers are wonderful.

Use your crock pot all year with this healthy slow-cooker chicken soup recipe with fresh spring ingredients. Adding the asparagus and peas to the slow cooker for the last 20 minutes of cooking and leaving the lid off ensures that the vegetables stay bright green and are perfectly done without getting mushy.

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 substance, protein and fiber. Chewy hominy--corn that has been treated with lime to remove the tough hull and germ--is integral to the stew. Look for it in cans in the Latin section of your supermarket. Serve the stew with shredded cabbage, radishes, fresh cilantro and sour cream.

This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker recipe simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken is the key to making rich soup without adding broth.

Saucy tinga is most often made with chicken, but we opted for pork shoulder, which becomes meltingly tender in the slow cooker. Either way, it features a smoky chipotle-laced tomato sauce and a crispy chorizo topping. Serve with Greek yogurt or sour cream, if desired.

This simple recipe for slow-cooked sloppy joes is perfect for vegetarians as the traditional beef is replaced with heart-healthy lentils.

In this main-dish recipe, the pot roast is slow-cooked with carrots and low-sodium beef broth. Toward the end of the cooking time, shredded cabbage is added in to round out the meal. Each of the two servings has just 215 calories.

Sometimes the best meals are the ones that are the easiest to prepare. This pot roast is simple to make--a quick searing on the stove and then a long simmer in the slow cooker with vegetables and stewed tomatoes. Served over hot noodles, this flavorful recipe is one you'll love.

Healthy fats, plant protein, vitamins and minerals are just some of the benefits to this delicious vegetarian main dish.

The addition of lemon and dill adds a welcome twist to this classic, slow-cooked chicken noodle soup recipe.

Perfectly seasoned red potatoes and baby carrots accompany this filling brisket dish.

A tagine is a Moroccan stew that is named after the earthenware dish it is cooked in. We use a slow cooker for this tasty version, which features lamb, sweet potatoes, dates and olives.

The sauce in this recipe is a heavenly mixture of tomatoes, spices, herbs and mustard. It provides amazing flavor to the lamb as they spend up to 12 hours together in the slow cooker.

This twist on a traditional Shepard's Pie recipe uses lentils and is garnished with fresh mint.

This easy, slow-cooker recipe will have you planning a trip to the islands. Moist, Jamaican-jerk chicken thighs, hearty black beans, tropical pineapple and a hint of jalapeño are served up over brown rice for a truly tasty and satisfying meal.

Use your slow-cooker to make this tasty appetizer.

Barley is an excellent source of fiber, and in this slow-cooker recipe it's paired with nutrient-dense spinach and butternut squash. Topped with shredded Parmesan cheese, this side dish will be happy sharing a plate with whatever else you're serving.

This Italian-inspired dinner is the perfect choice for any weeknight. Spend 20 minutes in the morning prepping the dish, and let your slow cooker work its magic while you're at the office all day. The beef round steak is slow-cooked with aromatic vegetables, tomatoes, and Italian seasoning and served over pasta. It's a great meal to come home to!

Layer the vegetables, meat and tomato mixture in your slow cooker in the morning and let it cook it until dinner. All you'll need to do is prepare the noodles and this beef stew will be ready to serve.

Pepper steak is a classic French dish in which a sirloin steak is coated with cracked black pepper, seared in a hot skillet and served with a simple sauce. This variation is similar but after the steak is seared, it's finished off in a slow-cooker and served over multi-grain pasta with a creamy-Dijon sauce.