Clean-Eating Slow-Cooker & Crockpot Recipes

Find healthy, delicious clean-eating slow-cooker recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell. Our clean-eating recipes are made with real, whole foods and limit processed foods and refined grains. Plus, they are lower in sodium, sugar and calories.

Staff Picks

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Orzo

Rating: Unrated
16
Perk up basic chicken breast and whole-wheat orzo with the vibrant flavors of the Mediterranean, like lemon and olives. This load-and-go recipe makes a complete and satisfying meal; just add a green salad.
By Carolyn Casner

Slow-Cooker Mediterranean Chicken & Chickpea Soup

Rating: Unrated
13
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.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken

Rating: Unrated
5
Browning the chicken and sautéing the aromatics before everything goes into the crock pot is key to building the flavors in our version of this popular curry.
By Adam Dolge

Curried Shrimp with Cauliflower and Chickpeas

In this delicious main dish, cauliflower is slow-cooked with curry powder and aromatic vegetables, and shrimp and chickpeas are added in towards the end of the cooking time. Served over brown basmati rice and sprinkled with cilantro and peanuts, this dish will get a thumbs up from anyone eating it!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

Rating: Unrated
4
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.
By Carolyn Casner

Savory Bean Spinach Soup

Rating: Unrated
1
Let a slow cooker complete this vegetarian soup. Serve it in cups as a sandwich side or ladle it into bowls for a light meal.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Middle Eastern Lamb Stew

Rating: Unrated
10
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.
By Patsy Jamieson

Slow-Cooker Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Rating: Unrated
1
A winter classic, this crock pot version of minestrone is heavy on the vegetables and light on the pasta, keeping carbs in check while providing plenty of flavor.
By Laura Walsh

Slow-Cooker Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Rating: Unrated
1
Turn classic chicken parm into meatballs with this easy load-and-go appetizer recipe with a cheesy surprise inside. Making meatballs for a party? Switch your crock pot to warm for serving all party long.
By Devon O'Brien

Slow-Cooker Vegetarian Chili

Rating: Unrated
3
Grab your crock pot for this delicious and easy slow-cooker vegetarian chili with beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, bell peppers and sweet potatoes. The recipe requires just 20 minutes of active time: after a bit of chopping, you just dump the ingredients in the slow cooker and let it do the work. Adding a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of cilantro just before serving brightens up the flavors. Top it with some shredded cheese, if you'd like, or serve it as-is to keep it vegan. Either way, this healthy chili is sure to become a go-to when you want a satisfying and healthy dinner.
By Robby Melvin

Slow-Cooker Dal Makhani

Rating: Unrated
4
Using a slow cooker for this dal curry recipe is brilliant--the lentils cook until they're perfectly tender. For the creamiest results, use whole urad dal (versus split), which you can get online or at Indian markets. This particular bean breaks down beautifully, giving the dish its rich, creamy texture. For a stovetop variation, see below. Serve it over rice with Indian-style green chutney and a side of plain yogurt.
By Shefaly Ravula & Amee Meghani

Slow-Cooker Vegan Chili

Rating: Unrated
2
Grab your crock pot for this hearty and easy vegan chili, which is chock-full of great-tasting and good-for-you ingredients, including pinto and black beans, red pepper, tomatoes and butternut squash. Once a little chopping is done, all you have to do is dump the ingredients in the slow cooker, making this colorful veggie chili the perfect weeknight dinner. A garnish of fresh avocado and chopped cilantro is a nice touch.
By Carolyn Casner

Inspiration and Ideas

Eggplant & Chickpea Stew

Eggplant & Chickpea Stew

Rating: Unrated
7
This tasty vegetarian stew, studded with plenty of eggplant and protein-rich chickpeas, is reminiscent of ratatouille. The eggplant breaks down and makes a saucier stew if you peel it before cooking, but you can certainly leave the peel on if you prefer. Serve over quinoa or soft polenta with sautéed spinach on the side.
Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Slow-Cooker Curried Butternut Squash Soup

Rating: Unrated
4
Skip the roasting in this butternut squash soup recipe and let your slow cooker do the work instead. Just load up all the ingredients into the crock pot, set it and forget it for an easy, healthy dinner or packable lunches.
Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Pozole

Vegetarian Slow-Cooker Pozole

Rating: Unrated
1
Vegetable Chili Con Queso

Vegetable Chili Con Queso

Hungarian Beef Goulash

Hungarian Beef Goulash

Rating: Unrated
20
Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Soup

Rating: Unrated
3

Chicken-Corn Tortilla Soup

Using bone-in chicken thighs in this soup ensures the meat stays moist over the long cooking time. Not only are chicken thighs inherently juicier than breast meat, but cooking chicken on the bone also helps it stay succulent.

All Clean-Eating Slow-Cooker & Crockpot Recipes

Ratatouille Dip

Ratatouille is normally served as a main dish but here it's served with pita chips and enjoyed as an appetizer. It's made in the slow cooker so if you're serving it at a party just leave it in the cooker on warm while your guests dig in!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Curried Chicken with Naan

Chicken thighs with spicy rub are slow cooked with onions and carrots until tender. The chicken is chopped up and served on warm naan with mango-ginger chutney and spinach.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Irish Lamb Stew

Rating: Unrated
6
Lamb stew is Irish penicillin: a rich stew full of potatoes, leeks and carrots that'll cure whatever ails you. In traditional fashion, nothing here is browned first, just all stewed together--in this case, in a slow cooker to make it extra easy. To keep it healthy make sure to trim the lamb of any visible fat before you cook it.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Coffee-Braised Pot Roast with Caramelized Onions

Rating: Unrated
15
This recipe is reminiscent of a pot roast made with onion-soup mix, but the flavors are true and pure--and nobody misses the excess sodium. (For a slow-cooker variation, see below.)
By Patsy Jamieson

Overnight Oatmeal

Rating: Unrated
19
Here is an easy way to serve a crowd a hearty breakfast before facing the elements for a day of winter sports. You can assemble it in the slow cooker in the evening and wake up to a bowl of hot, nourishing oatmeal. The slow cooker eliminates the need for constant stirring and ensures an exceptionally creamy consistency. It is important to use steel-cut oats; old-fashioned oats become too soft during slow-cooking.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

Packed with protein and fiber, this soup doesn't need meat to be satisfying. Soaking and cooking the beans yourself, rather than opening a can, ensures you'll have wonderful flavor and texture. (And the slow cooker does most of the work!)
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Squash and Lentil Soup

Rating: Unrated
1
After some quick prep, your slow cooker will do the rest of the work. This Indian-inspired, high-protein soup has sweet butternut squash, earthy brown lentils and garam masala, and will delight the whole family.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooked Beans

Rating: Unrated
4
By cooking your own dried beans, you save money, reduce sodium and get better flavor along with, surprisingly, more vitamins and minerals. If you can't use the whole batch, freeze surplus cooked beans for later use in soups, salads and dips. The range of time for cooking beans is wide and varies with the age and the type of beans selected.
By Jerry Anne Di Vecchio

Slow-Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Rating: Unrated
1
This simple slow-cooker mashed potatoes recipe skips tedious peeling and boiling and helps save precious stovetop space by letting the slow cooker do the work. It's a great timesaving set-it-and-forget-it side dish recipe to round out any hearty meal. Buttermilk makes the mashed potatoes creamy while garlic and shallots add flavor.
By Carolyn Casner

Slow-Cooker Quinoa-Summer Squash Casserole

Rating: Unrated
3
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.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Slow-Cooker Turkish Lamb & Vegetable Stew

Rating: Unrated
3
Layers of fresh Mediterranean vegetables, seasoned with an abundance of bay, garlic and oregano, meld with tender lamb into a luscious harvest-time supper. Serve the stew with rice or warm whole-wheat pita.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Apple Confit

Rating: Unrated
6
Sturdy apples are flavored with cinnamon and vanilla in this slow-cooker apple compote. Top with low-fat vanilla ice cream and a sprinkling of toasted walnuts for dessert.
By Patsy Jamieson

Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos with Pico de Gallo

Rating: Unrated
2
Use your crock pot for perfectly tender beef in this easy taco recipe. The quick fresh pico de gallo adds crunch, flavor and color, but your favorite fresh salsa will make a great taco topper in a pinch.
By Devon O'Brien

Slow-Cooker Lamb Stew with Artichokes & White Beans

Fresh dill, lemon, escarole and artichokes give this healthy slow-cooker lamb stew recipe a decidedly springtime flavor. Dried white beans are perfect in this healthy crock pot recipe, but you could also add frozen lima beans at the end.
By Carolyn Malcoun

Slow-Cooker Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Onions

Rating: Unrated
1
Thanks to fresh green beans, an easy homemade cream sauce and crispy onion topping, this green bean casserole recipe is healthier and more delicious than traditional recipes that use canned soup, beans and onions. Plus, the slow cooker saves you time cooking at the stove. Make sure to use fresh green beans, as frozen green beans will become mushy.
By Carolyn Casner

Lamb Tagine with Preserved Lemon

Smoky paprika yogurt and an herb and preserved-lemon salsa verde add pops of flavor to this healthy slow-cooker recipe. If you have extra time, brown the lamb and onions, in batches, before adding them to the slow cooker for increased depth of flavor.
By Sarah DiGregorio

Curried Chicken with Sweet Potatoes & Snap Peas

A slow cooker makes easy work of this colorful coconut curry dinner-but don't just toss everything in at once! Reserving the bell peppers and snap peas until the end keeps the vegetables crisp.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooker Chicken Stock

Homemade chicken broth is easy to make with this slow-cooker chicken stock recipe. With just 5 minutes of prep time, you'll have 10 cups of no-sodium-added flavorful broth to use in soups, stews, pastas and more.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Fragrant Shredded Beef Stew

Rating: Unrated
9
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.
By EatingWell Test Kitchen

Shredded Chicken Master Recipe

This easy slow-cooker method preps chicken for a multitude of recipes. Bonus: Rich-tasting chicken stock to keep on hand in your freezer as well.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Slow-Cooked Pork Tacos with Chipotle Aioli

Add a little spice to your pork tacos with a homemade chipotle aioli. Bonus: the shredded seasoned pork recipe makes enough for leftovers.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Ratatouille with Lentils

Rating: Unrated
1
Add lentils to the traditional ratatouille recipe to make it a vegetarian main dish. And because it's made in the slow cooker, it's easy and convenient.
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Cuban-Style Black Beans and Rice

This classic black beans and rice recipe is loaded with flavor!
By Diabetic Living Magazine

Lentil Taco Salad

Rating: Unrated
1
Lentils are ideal for cooking in the slow cooker. Start this recipe early in the morning and you and your family will be rewarded with a deliciously warm Mexican-inspired taco salad for dinner.
By Diabetic Living Magazine
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