Healthy Winter Crockpot & Slow Cooker Recipes

This rustic stew cooks all day in the slow cooker so you can come home to a comforting, hot dinner. Not a fan of polenta? Try this healthy chicken dinner over pasta instead.

This brothy stew is boldly flavored with a blend of characteristic Middle Eastern spices and finished with fresh spinach and fiber-rich chickpeas. Economical lamb shoulder tenderizes beautifully when leisurely cooked in a slow cooker. If you can't find boneless shoulder stew meat, do not substitute more-expensive lamb leg--it tends to dry out during slow cooking. Instead, purchase lamb shoulder chops and debone them. Serve over bulgur and accompany with a salad.

Got the weeknight "what's-for-dinner" blues? You'll sing another tune when you come home to a slow-cooked, tender beef brisket with a wine-enhanced sauce. Served with mashed potatoes, this is comfort food at its finest.

The slow cooker makes this veggie-packed beef stew super-easy and extra-savory.

This easy slow-cooker soup has all the great flavors of your favorite dish of spaghetti with beef sauce, without a lot of fussy preparation.

Sure, the slow cooker's great for stews and soups, but it also happens to make a mean lasagna! In this ingenious slow-cooker recipe, all you have to do is chop your veggies, then layer the ingredients (raw) into the crockpot. Serve with: Garlic bread and a green salad.

Combine orange juice, cornstarch, soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, salt and crushed red pepper with chicken and butternut squash in this delicious slow-cooker recipe. Serve over high-protein quinoa, which contains all nine essential amino acids.

Load the crock pot and go with this stew recipe that's prepped in the morning and simmers all day so you'll come home to a Sunday-worthy dinner (and your house smelling downright heavenly). Tender beef, melt-in-your-mouth potatoes and carrots in a rich broth--this could be the best and easiest beef stew you've ever made.

Using a slow cooker to prepare this diabetic-friendly, Italian Wild Rice Soup makes this scrumptious recipe easy and low maintenance.

This rich Italian soup, made with ground pork and potatoes, is sure to satisfy everyone who tries it. Using a slow cooker makes this recipe easy to execute.

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.

Serve this cheese, tomato, and mushroom dip warm with freshly-toasted French bread slices for a wonderful party appetizer. The slow-cooker recipe makes enough for a crowd.

This easy soup recipe is inspired by cocido, the hearty stew of assorted meats, chickpeas and vegetables considered a national dish of Spain. Each region, family and restaurant has its own variation, but this slow-cooker soup has enough meat to satisfy the carnivores and enough vegetables to make it healthy. Ask for a 4-ounce slab of Serrano ham or prosciutto at your deli counter instead of buying slices. If you don't have a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker, opt for the stovetop variation instead.

There's something so satisfying about a hearty bowl of beef and barley soup--especially when it's one you've made from scratch with reduced-sodium broth and chunks of delicious sirloin steak. This slow-cooker recipe is simple to prepare, serves six, and is a great alternative to canned soup!

This meltingly tender pork shoulder ragout has a savory broth that's full of fennel. White wine gives the stew a bright edge of acidity.

The apple cider sauce in this slow-cooker pork chop recipe gets extra flavor from chipotle chile peppers. The sauce is absorbed by the butternut squash while cooking, and the end result is a meal the whole family will love.

A classic Vietnamese dish, this Chicken Pho recipe is full of fragrant aromas as well as savory and spicy flavors.

Top this spicy chili with hot sauce if you love the heat.

For this easy slow-cooker split pea soup, look for raw smoky, spicy chorizo. If you can't find raw chorizo, Italian sausage or merguez makes a fine substitute.

The meatballs and sauce are cooked in the slow cooker for this traditional Italian spaghetti and meatballs recipe. You could also serve the meatballs over creamy polenta or on a sandwich with melted provolone.

With its comforting flavors contributed by savory meat, mushrooms, onions, carrots and fresh herbs, this slow-cooker braised beef is a wonderful supper on cold-weather days. Consider freezing it into portions for busy weeknight meals. You could also shred the meat and serve it on sandwiches.

Chicken thighs can take plenty of cooking without getting tough or drying out, which makes them perfect for the slow cooker. Here we braise them in Guinness stout along with hearty vegetables, with just the right amount of bacon for added savoriness.

For a fall open house, make this beef chili in the slow cooker. As guests arrive, set out chips and cheese and let them help themselves to a bowl.

This slow-cooker meal is simple to prepare and will elicit rave reviews from everyone at your table. The wild rice pilaf is started early in the slow cooker and followed up by the chicken and sweet and tangy maple-mustard sauce. It's a mouthwatering combination!