As fall approaches, with its shorter days and busy evenings, having a collection of reliable and healthy recipes becomes essential. Crockpots, also known as slow cookers, are invaluable kitchen tools that simplify meal preparation while ensuring a delicious and nutritious outcome. This article explores a variety of healthy fall crockpot recipes, offering options for diverse tastes and dietary preferences.
The Allure of Crockpot Cooking in the Fall
Fall is the perfect time to embrace crockpot cooking for several reasons:
- Convenience: Simply combine ingredients, set the timer, and let the slow cooker do the work. This is a game-changer for busy weeknights.
- Comfort: Slow-cooked meals are often hearty and comforting, perfect for chilly fall evenings.
- Flavor: The slow cooking process allows flavors to meld and deepen, resulting in exceptionally delicious dishes.
- Healthy Eating: Crockpots can be used to prepare a wide range of healthy meals, packed with vegetables, lean proteins, and wholesome ingredients.
Soups and Stews: Warmth in a Bowl
Soups and stews are quintessential fall dishes, and they thrive in the slow cooker. Here are some standout recipes:
Stuffed Pepper Soup
This hearty soup captures the essence of stuffed peppers in an easy-to-eat format. It’s packed with vegetables and protein, making it a satisfying meal.
Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
This soup requires no pre-cooking, making it incredibly simple. Just combine butternut squash with apples, onion, carrots, ginger, curry powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and broth in your slow cooker. Once cooked, blend until smooth and stir in coconut milk.
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Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
For a cozy dinner that practically makes itself, try creamy chicken tortellini soup. Combine onion, celery, carrot, Italian seasoning, salt, broth, water, and chicken in the slow cooker. Cook until the chicken is tender, then add tortellini and cook until done. Shred the chicken, return it to the slow cooker, and stir in cream.
Crockpot Vegetarian Chili
This chili is easy to make with basic pantry ingredients, three types of beans, vegetables, and spices.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
Prepare this soup effortlessly with canned pumpkin.
Slow Cooker Lasagna Soup
Enjoy all the flavors of lasagna in a comforting soup form, complete with tender ground beef, regular noodles cooked in the pot, and a creamy ricotta topping.
Crockpot White Chicken Chili
This recipe has earned rave reviews for its simplicity and flavor. It features chicken breasts (or thighs), white beans, and cream cheese for a hearty and creamy chili.
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Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup
This is an easy one-pot meal that’s both nutritious and delicious.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Stew
This comforting stew is packed with flavor and is the kind of meal you’ll want to make again and again.
Slow Cooker Sweet Potato, Apple & Turmeric Soup
This recipe is a simple chop-and-drop affair that yields creamy, nourishing results.
Chicken Minestrone Soup
This soup brings all the comfort of the classic minestrone, with a protein boost from tender chicken and pantry-friendly beans.
Homemade Chicken Soup
Whether you use an Instant Pot or a slow cooker, this soup is comforting, nourishing, and delicious. It’s made with carrots, celery, onions, and potatoes.
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Slow Cooker Pumpkin Chili
This hearty chili is loaded with ground beef, onions, bell pepper, canned pumpkin, and spices, without any beans. The pumpkin adds a rich, velvety texture and a boost of fiber and nutrients.
Slow Cooker Lentil Chili
This chili is made with brown or green lentils, beans, turmeric, simple spices, and coconut milk for creaminess.
Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
Combine sweet potato, chickpeas, cauliflower, spinach, coconut milk, and Indian-style curry powder for an easy and hearty meal.
Slow Cooker Lentil Soup
This soup is made with simple pantry ingredients like green lentils, celery, carrot, and spinach, making it a hearty vegan and vegetarian option.
Chicken Parmesan Soup
Slow-cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts in crushed tomatoes, garlic, and aromatic spices for a comforting and flavorful soup. Parmesan cheese and gemelli pasta add heartiness.
Beef Stew
This classic stew is rich, cozy, and packed with tender chunks of beef and root vegetables. Brown the beef, sauté aromatics, and combine with vegetables and broth in the crockpot.
Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili
This chili is thick, cozy, and loaded with fall flavor. The sweet potatoes bring sweetness, while the black beans add texture and heartiness.
Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Chickpeas and butternut squash simmer in a spiced tomato broth with cumin, cinnamon, and coriander.
Creamy Cauliflower & Sweet Potato Soup
This vegetarian option is incredibly easy, with only one step: combine cauliflower and sweet potato in the slow cooker.
Lentil & Root Veggie Soup
This hearty soup features French green lentils and black lentils, Parmesan rinds for savory flavor, and a garnish of crispy pancetta.
Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes)
This traditional Greek lentil soup is often served with vinegar and feta cheese.
Main Courses: Effortless Entrees
Crockpots are excellent for preparing main courses with minimal effort. Here are some delicious options:
Mississippi Pot Roast (From Scratch)
This version of Mississippi pot roast skips the packets and uses ingredients like chuck roast, dried parsley, granulated garlic, onion powder, kosher salt, beef broth, pepperoncini, butter, and cornstarch.
Slow Cooker Apple Chicken
This simple dish requires only 5 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. The combination of apples and chicken creates a sweet and savory flavor profile.
Slow Cooker Chicken Burritos
This is the easiest burrito filling to make in the slow cooker. Combine chicken thighs or breasts with beans, corn, rice, enchilada sauce, and cheese.
Crock Pot Lasagna
This no-chop, no-boil noodle recipe results in a bubbly, cheesy, and craveable one-pot meal.
Crock Pot Spaghetti Sauce with Meat
Made from scratch with ground beef, diced onions, and canned tomatoes, this slow cooker meat sauce is rich in flavor and perfectly seasoned with fresh herbs like basil.
Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs
These meatballs are packed with protein and made without breadcrumbs or eggs. They are slow-simmered in a simple marinara sauce.
Slow Cooker Taco Meat
This dump-and-go recipe is incredibly easy to prepare.
Slow Cooker Turkey Tacos
Combine ground turkey meat with tomato sauce and simple spices for an easy taco filling.
Slow Cooker Pulled Beef for Tacos
This recipe is incredibly easy to prepare.
3-Ingredient Crockpot Salsa Chicken Stuffed Potatoes
This wildly simple recipe requires no chopping, and everything cooks together in the slow cooker, even the potatoes.
Chicken Breasts With Creamy Mustard-Leek Sauce
The creamy leek sauce, based on a classic French preparation, is rich and flavorful, with a tinge of acidity from whole-grain mustard. This keeps the chicken breasts moist.
Chicken Breasts With Lemon, Sage & Milk
These milk-braised chicken breasts can be made in the slow cooker for meal prep.
Mediterranean Chicken Thigh Stew
This popular recipe features chicken thighs and Mediterranean flavors.
Italian-Braised Pork
Red wine and fennel seeds give this slow-cooker pork shoulder recipe an Italian accent.
Pot Roast With Chickpea Salad
The pot roast is a classic, but the fresh chickpea salad elevates the dish.
Peruvian-American Pork Adobo
Cider and the slow cooker make this pork adobo tender and flavorful.
Shredded Chicken with Apple Butter BBQ Sauce
This chicken is juicy and tender, thanks to a sweet and smoky sauce made with apple butter and BBQ sauce.
Chicken Cacciatore
This simple recipe is inexpensive and loaded with vegetables.
Chicken Mole
Experiment with this versatile Mexican sauce in a chicken mole recipe.
Apple Pork Loin
This sweet and savory dish is perfect for chilly fall dinners.
Moroccan Lamb Stew
This stew features Moroccan spices and is easy to make in the slow cooker.
Pork Chops with Cherry Sauce
The sweet and savory cherry sauce makes these pork chops a keeper.
Teriyaki Pork Roast
This juicy teriyaki-seasoned pork roast is a family favorite.
Chicken with Curry and Cumin Rub
This dish features a curry and cumin rub and a splash of coconut milk.