Low-Carb Slow-Cooker Recipes

Making turkey breast in the slow cooker guarantees moist, juicy meat every time. And it creates intensely flavorful drippings for homemade gravy. This slow-cooker turkey breast is perfect for Thanksgiving but it's easy enough that you can pull it together anytime you're in the mood for a turkey dinner (or a sandwich stuffed with leftover turkey).

Brown sugar makes this slow-cooker beef stew a tad sweet, which beautifully complements the spicy kimchi. You can make this soup ahead and refrigerate it until ready to eat. If you opt to make it ahead, wait until you reheat the soup to add the cabbage.

Treat dinner guests to this premeal soup loaded with earthy, umami flavor from the mushrooms and soy sauce. Puréeing only some of the slow-cooker mushroom soup gives the dish complex texture and eye appeal. Garnish with additional black pepper and chopped fresh thyme, if desired.

This is a salty, sweet and smoky onion jam with a noticeable pork and black pepper flavor. It may seem slightly runny when hot, but when cooled it's thick and tender. Eat this tasty slow-cooker jam on burgers, especially with blue cheese, or serve on a cheese board. It will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Don't expect this slow-cooker chutney to be like the American version, which is jam-like and almost a preserve. This recipe is true to the original Indian style of chutney, which is more of a thick sauce. With spices and tomato, it's both slightly hot and sweet. It's best eaten warm or at room temperature on crackers or grilled meats, and it will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

These slow-cooker onions are an ideal condiment for burgers, steaks, a grilled chicken breast or sautéed fish. They also make a pleasing addition to a cheese board or topping for Brie. They're best eaten cold or warm, but not hot.

In addition to being a great stand-alone side, these slow-cooker mushrooms are also excellent tossed in a salad or stir-fry. Be sure to buy whole cremini mushrooms so they will retain their texture and not turn mushy during the long cook time. If you don't want to wait for the mushroom mixture to concentrate during the 1 hour and 30 minutes of cooking it uncovered, then cook it, uncovered, just long enough for the mushrooms to brown. Then drain the liquid and bring it to a boil in a saucepan. Once the liquid has thickened, stir in the mushrooms and vinegar and sprinkle with the scallions.

Collard greens have large, dark green leaves that are dense with vitamins, calcium and fiber. The briny pepperoncini and salty pancetta add enough brightness to this dish to balance the collards' vegetal flavor. These slow-cooker collard greens pair perfectly with braised meat or barbecue.

Brussels sprouts are a versatile accompaniment for so many entrées. Here, the burst of lemon juice and the addition of pine nuts and pecorino Romano keep the flavor profile interesting. Furthermore, broiling the sprouts after slow-cooking caramelizes them and gives them crispness.

We've discovered the perfect pairing for this moist, lemony, slow-cooker salmon--slightly chewy leeks. Like other alliums, leeks become sweet and rich when roasted slowly for a long time. When cooked in the slow cooker they "melt," becoming jam-like but still retaining pleasant chewiness. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and thyme sprigs, if desired.

As a true dump-it-and-leave-it dish, this slow-cooker salmon is a weeknight-dinner go-to. The lime and scallion flavors will soak into the salmon, leaving it with a light Asian flavor. Be sure to spray the foil with cooking spray before adding food to the slow cooker to ensure that nothing sticks to it.

Cooking swordfish in a slow cooker ensures an uber-moist steak. Be sure to remove the bloodline--a particularly strong-flavored muscle--from the fish as well as any skin and dark meat, or better yet, have your fishmonger do it for you. Garnish this slow-cooker swordfish with fresh oregano sprigs and leaves, if desired.

Mellow, slightly sweet and devoid of the overt fishy flavor that's polarizing for so many, this slow-cooker cod is perfect for pairing with a show-stopping sauce like this tomato-balsamic jam. Diced pancetta provides a salty counterpart to the sweet onion, tomatoes, vinegar and honey and gives the jam complexity. Garnish with fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Poaching fish is a smart use for your slow cooker. The wine mixture cooks for 2 hours to get hot and mingled before the sea bass is added to the slow cooker for 15 to 25 minutes. The relish, with its slightly acidic tomatoes, briney capers and crunchy fennel, is a great complement for the fish. This dish also makes a fantastic topper for salad greens. Garnish with additional fresh thyme sprigs, if desired.

Depart from the expected roasted whole turkey for Thanksgiving dinner, and serve this succulent, slow-cooker turkey breast instead. You'll delight guests with a new dish and also save yourself hands-on time and effort. As a bonus on Turkey Day, this recipe leaves your oven free for stuffing and casseroles. If whole turkey breast isn't available, ask your butcher to cut up a whole turkey and give you the whole turkey breast. To make this recipe gluten free, use

Those who love tender, moist dark meat will love these slow-cooker turkey thighs. If turkey thighs aren't available, ask your butcher to cut up a whole turkey and give you the bone-in thighs. Feel free to substitute an equal weight of chicken thighs for the turkey thighs, if desired. This pairs well with a simple side of steamed green beans.

Sichuan peppercorns give this brothy slow-cooker chicken dish a distinctive lemony, mouth-numbing flavor. Unrelated to peppercorns, they're the dried berries of the prickly ash tree. Look for them in specialty markets and online. If you've never had them before, try one first and add more or less to taste. Serve with sesame baby bok choy (which takes just a few minutes to prep) and Chinese noodles for an easy, healthy dinner that'll get you out of your same-old-chicken-dish rut.

Serve this slow-cooker tomato dip warm with assorted vegetable dippers or toasted baguette slices.

There's nothing more delicious than tomatoes roasted with tart balsamic vinegar and fragrant herbs. Before serving, remove the tomatoes from the slow cooker and be sure to allow a full ten minutes for the cheesy breadcrumb topping to soak into each savory tomato half.

Boneless pork shoulder shreds easily after spending ten hours in the slow cooker. A fruit relish served with the cooked meat offers tropical taste to this entree. Serve it alone, or with warmed corn tortillas.