17 Easy & Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes You AND Your Kids Will Love (We Hope)

This slow cooker recipe was based on this recipe, but I eliminated the half & half and just used the cream cheese. I used chicken thighs, which I had on hand, but I think they were too soft, so I would stick with the breasts that she recommends.

Of course, for the kids we wait on the cilantro and the jalapeño. They just serve as toppings for us:)

I’m sure there are a million good slow cookers out there, but I really do love this one. You can sear or sauté in the bottom before you combine all the ingredients, and it’s extremely user-friendly (not overly complicated and I don’t need a GD app to use it, lol).

I made this for my team before work started, then just chopped up all the ingredients right before. It took 4 hours on high, but didn’t need that much. Next time I would add more cans of beans to make it more of a chili (and add more fiber).

I’m always looking for more, so please drop some of your favorites in the comments!

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Red Curry Lentil Soup (via The NYT)

I made this one last year and put it on repeat. It was a tomato-based lentil curry soup and incredibly delicious.

We didn’t shoot it professionally (just for a reel, sorry!). But I used this recipe (NY Times gifted link), BUT I added chicken sausage first and absolutely loved it.

Oldies But Goodies

Ok the rest of this post is the original post that I did when Birdie was tiny, that I just keep adding to. Be warned, you are about to see my now almost 11-year-old as a 2-year-old. I gasped and cried when I saw these photos again. I can’t. I just can’t. But here is the original post, and the slow cooker recipes are so good!

Today, we’re just focusing on meals you can make in a slow cooker (or Instant Pot if you’re cool, unlike me). Slow cookers/crockpots/Instant Pots are great for so many reasons, but the biggest one is the time they can save you (plus, who on earth wants to turn on their hot stove when it’s exactly 2,000 degrees outside?). You can dump everything in that thing before walking out the door and come home to a dinner that’s basically ready to serve. Slow cookers sound old-fashioned, but they might just be heroes we need in our fast-paced, modern world.

The real question is, do these recipes work (as in, are they yummy, easy, and kids will ACTUALLY want to eat them)? We were a little skeptical. So, I picked a recipe that sounded tasty, and we took it for a test drive in my kitchen. Friends, it was so easy and so delicious.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: White Chicken Chili (via Gimme Some Oven)

We decided to try out a recipe for White Chicken Chili from food blog Gimme Some Oven. It only called for five essential ingredients—chicken breasts, chicken stock, canned great northern beans, salsa verde, and ground cumin. Sara picked up all these ingredients at the Trader Joe’s around the corner from our house on her way over and spent about $30 getting enough for two batches. I also grabbed sour cream, shredded cheese, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes, lime, and chopped onion as garnish options.

The method of attack was this: Pull out the slow cooker, place the raw chicken breasts at the bottom of the pot, pour over the salsa, chicken broth, and cumin, then cover and let cook for 3 1/2 hours on high OR 8 1/2 hours on low (check out the recipe for all the right amounts, etc.). When your timer goes off, add in your canned beans (drained), and let cook for another 30 minutes on low (the perfect amount of time to set the dinner table, pull out the garnishes, and wrangle toddlers). Did it work? Yes. Was it delicious? YES. Any notes? We found the recipe called for a little more liquid in our chili than we would have liked, so we’d recommend omitting 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock for a thicker chili. There’s no dairy or sugar in this recipe, and you can top bowls with extra veggies like diced onion or avocado.

Most importantly, it was 2-year-old approved by Birdie herself. The recipe checked all the boxes. Her real reaction was hilarious (the first thing she said was “what are these?” to the cherry tomatoes, and when I reminded her what they were, she said, “oh, I DO NOT LIKE TOMATOES.” We’ve had this conversation so many times, by the way. Cherry tomatoes are deceptive. I get it.

Now, we haven’t tried the rest of the recipes in this post, but they all sound as simple and delicious as the chicken chili.

Sara took over writing the rest of this post because she did the research and cares far more about food writing than I do. So, here are the other 14 easy, fast, affordable, and healthy recipes she found for you.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Shredded Chicken (also via Gimmie Some Oven) 

Wait, THREE ingredients?! All we’re talking about in this recipe is uncooked chicken breasts, one can of salsa, and one packet of taco seasoning (Trader Joe’s has a GREAT taco seasoning packet, FYI). Let it all simmer in your slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours on low (3 to 4 on high), and then use two forks to get that chicken shredded. This would be great for tacos, in a burrito bowl, or on top of a salad with fresh corn and black beans.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Pork Pot Roast (via SweetPhi) 

This dish is going to make you look so much fancier and put together than you actually are (this is a broad generalization—disregard if you are currently very fancy and put together). All you’re going to need is uncooked pork roast, potatoes, garlic salt, an Italian seasoning packet, and chicken broth. Imagine all the added veggie options you could sneak in here. Carrots would be my first choice, but green beans, pearl onions, turnips, sweet potatoes, or cabbage would all do well. A chunk of beef would also do well with this same treatment (though I might omit the chicken stock and use a bit of water and cornstarch instead, like in this Tasty video).

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Beef & Broccoli (via Creme de la Crumb)

Okay, so this recipe technically calls for nine ingredients, BUT I almost guarantee you that you probably have at least four of them sitting in your pantry and fridge. A bottle of soy sauce that’s rarely used? That box of cornstarch from a past science experiment that’s sat untouched in the back of your pantry? They’re about to become useful again. Eat it over brown rice or straight out of the crockpot, all at once, by yourself. Your family can fend for themselves.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Turkey Wraps (via Better Homes & Gardens)

If there’s one thing I know about Brian Henderson, it’s that he loves a wrap almost as much as sandwiches. This recipe combines tender shredded turkey with healthy broccoli-and-carrot slaw to create a super easy wrap that could work for dinner with leftovers for lunch. To be fair, this recipe does call for a pre-bottled sauce but that’s kind of the beauty of these easy recipes. Turning something pre-packaged into an actual meal with minimal effort. And if you’ve never bought broccoli-and-carrot slaw before, you can find it in the salad aisle of most grocery stores these days.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Crock Pot Tortellini & Spinach Soup (via Lil’ Luna)

This is another recipe that leans on a pre-packaged item to round it out. Just seasonings, a bag of spinach, chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and a package of chef’s choice tortellini (the chef being you). The recipe calls for a block of cream cheese as well, but while that sounds SO GOOD, I’m sure it can be omitted in the name of “health” or something. Make it vegetarian by using vegetable stock instead of chicken stock!

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Slow Cooker Whole Chicken (via Oh Sweet Basil)

One of my favorite meals growing up was when my parents would get a rotisserie chicken and just make some mac and cheese or rice and microwave some frozen veggies to go along with it. This is also how I survived through a lot of finals during college. Plus, leftover chicken is easily used in wraps, sandwiches, salads, or soups. This recipe looks absolutely foolproof and delicious.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Black Bean Chili (via Gimme Some Oven)

I’m guessing at least a handful of you are vegetarians out there, so this recipe is for you. There are eight main ingredients, but most of them come in a can, jar, or can be bought pre-chopped. Just dump everything into the crockpot for 8 hours and serve topped with sour cream, avocado, cheese, or cilantro for a protein-rich vegetarian chili.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Chicken Noodle Soup (via The Spruce Eats)

Everyone needs a good chicken noodle soup recipe in their arsenal. Mine comes from my best friend’s grandmother in Kansas and involves making homemade egg noodles that need to rest before cooking, and slowly sautéing chicken and veggies in a bath of butter and garlic. It’s decadent, it’s delicious, it requires a lot of effort. We don’t have time for that. So instead, we’re going to rely on dry, packaged egg noodles to get the job done. Looking at the ingredient list, you might think, “Uh, Sara, this list is LONG, and you are a liar,” to which I say Trader Joe’s sells this thing called mirepoix mix, which is a container with pre-chopped carrots, celery, and onion all in one. Buy that and send me cookies as a thank you (I like chocolate chip, thanks). This could also be made vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the chicken.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Broccoli Mac & Cheese (via Eat Good 4 Life)

Okay, so this one might cater to kids a little. But sometimes everyone just needs a bowl of mac and cheese (don’t act like you’re above this). And at least with this recipe, you could source a good quality cheddar cheese and sneak in some broccoli. Oh, and this recipe only calls for six main ingredients. Don’t have a food processor or the will to drag it down from whatever shelf it’s hibernating on? A blender or knife can do a similar job on those broccoli florets.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Garlic Butter Chicken and Veggies (via The Magical Slow Cooker)

You can’t really go wrong with chicken, carrots, and potatoes covered in an herby butter. And I would probably sneak some extra vegs in here in the form of green beans. Just dump your chicken and veggies in the pot, melt your butter in the microwave, mix in your herbs, and drizzle that mixture over everything. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Watch your family eat and feel accomplished.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Vegetarian Sweet Potato Chili (via Talley Farms Fresh Harvest)

Jess here! So this chili is INCREDIBLE. So good in fact that I made it for Christmas dinner. I wanted something tasty and warm, but healthy and not too hard to make. My dad was the one who originally sent it to me, so it’s Les Bunge-approved too! I’ve been a picky eater most of my life, so I can confidently say that your kids will like this a lot. And if there’s an ingredient like sweet peppers that they may hate, you can easily omit. The first time I made I used an Insta Pot, and that was much faster, but as you can see above (on the right if you can’t tell:)) I made it in my Dutch oven. There are a decent amount of ingredients, but most are spices or canned food. It’s super easy. 10/10!

P.S. Ignore the photo on the left. That’s not what it looks like, and while I am sure tortilla chips, sour cream, and squash(?) would be great additions, the recipe doesn’t call for them. Clearly some chili stock photo. Enjoy!

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Healing Curry Butternut Squash Lentil Soup (via Ambitious Kitchen)

Vegan, anti-inflammatory, protein-packed, AND creamy? Count me in. Plus the butternut squash would give it a sweetness I know my kids would be very into. Again, a few more ingredients than something super simple, but since my skills (and more importantly, patience) for cooking have increased, I don’t feel like this is too overwhelming.

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Pasta Soup with Shrimp (via eatwell 101)

Honestly, this just looks good and, from reading the recipe, also looks pretty simple. Heavier on the ingredient list, but if you didn’t want to add in the shrimp, even easier and I believe vegan if that’s something you are into. But that shrimp does look pretty good:)

Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes: Instant Pot Stir Fry (via ifoodreal)

Looks super simple and tasty. It’s not a “dump and serve” dish, but with a prep time of only 5 mins, this is an easy meal that I would feel very good serving my family too.

Well, that’s all we have for you today. We’ve got a few more posts on the back burner if you guys are into them (see what I did there? That was a subpar cooking pun, just for you). Think one-pan sheet meals, easy salads, and quick stovetop dinners. And if you have any favorite slow cooker meals or tips, let us know in the comments!

If you try any of these, please come back and let us all know how they turned out. I know some of team EHD was talking about testing more of these out themselves, so wish us luck.

More recipes (for tummies and faces):

*Opening Image Credit: Photo by Kaitlin Green
**Other Photos by Kaitlin Green and Sara Ligorria-Tramp