Crockpot Recipe Round-Up for Fall

I’m all about (healthy) short-cuts in the kitchen— and crockpots are the best of the best. Throw a bunch of ingredients in in the morning, turn it on, forget about it as you go about your day and then dinner’s magically ready by the end of the day? Sign. me. up. It’s one of my favorite healthy cooking and meal prep hacks, because it takes virtually NO time and you get a nourishing, real food meal by the end of it.

(Extra points that crockpots make the coziest, most comforting meals, and make your kitchen smell delicious all day long. Aka = the perfect meals for Fall & Winter seasons.)

It’s that time of year, so I figured we were (over)due for a round-up of all my crockpot recipe favs. Here are 5 crockpot recipes we have on repeat throughout the cool seasons, all naturally gluten-free and vegetable-centered for healthy, flavorful meals all week!

My 5 Favorite Crockpot Recipes

#1. Veggie & Red Lentil Curry Stew

Makes 6-8 servings

2 cups red lentils

5 cups water

1 large bag frozen broccoli (or 3-4 cups fresh)

1 large bag frozen butternut squash (or 3 cups fresh)

1 yam, cubed

5 carrots, roughly chopped

1 TB red curry paste (I used Thai Kitchen)

2 tsp sea salt + 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Add all ingredients to your crockpot and cook for 4 hours high or 6 hours low.

#2. Sweet Potato Chili

Makes 4-6 servings

½ lb organic ground turkey, chicken or beef, optional

3 carrots, chopped

1 small yams or sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

5-6 stalks celery, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 can baked beans, with liquid rinsed and drained (look for baked beans without corn syrup)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes

2 cups organic chicken stock

½ teaspoon each of cumin, chili powder and oregano

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon pepper 

Directions:

Brown the onions and meat before adding the other ingredients and cooking on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. Great additions to the soup include cooked quinoa, avocado, whole milk sour cream, cheese, lime wedges, green onions or organic corn chips. To make this as a vegetarian dish, just leave out the meat. This is also great one for a crowd, served with a toppings bar.

#3. Cozy Black Bean Soup

Makes 6 servings

2 cups dried black beans

1/2 medium onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 carton/4 cups vegetable broth

1 tsp pepper

2 tsp sea salt

Directions:

In a regular stockpot over medium heat, add a generous dollop of olive oil. Add onions and garlic and saute until fragrant and translucent. Add onions/garlic mixture to your crockpot. Add rest of ingredients and set crockpot to 4-6 hours. Serve hot.

Optional to dress it up a bit by adding chicken, poblano or bell peppers, or carrots. Fun garnish ideas could be: crushed chips, a dollop of greek yogurt or sour cream, shredded cheese or avocado.

#4. Indian Yellow Split Pea Curry

Makes 8-10 servings

4 cups dried yellow split peas

1 cup peas, frozen (not pictured)

3 cloves garlic

3 stalks celery, minced

2 carrots, minced

2 inch piece of ginger, chopped or grated

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

4 cups organic chicken or vegetable broth

1 6 oz small can of tomato paste

1 6 oz small can of coconut milk

2 teaspoons red curry paste

sea salt and pepper

Directions:

12-24 hours before cooking: Soak yellow split peas in a large bowl with water. Rinse well and drain before using. This is important to get rid of the phytic acid that exists in all beans and grains. Skipping this step makes the beans a lot harder to digest, so just throw them in a bowl of water up to 2 days before you’re ready to cook!

After soaking you peas, add all ingredients to your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

#5. Lentil Vegetable Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

2 cups lentils, soaked for at least 6 hours, rinsed and drained

6  cups broth or water (I used water for mine)

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

4 sticks celery, chopped

1 lg can diced tomatoes

2 TB balsamic vinegar

Any other veggies you’d like (I added everything in my fridge this week: parsnips, cauliflower, mushrooms and green beans. All chopped.)

Big dashes of: paprika, cumin, lots of thyme, pepper and sea salt.

Directions:

Add all ingredients to your crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

Serve with grilled chicken or clean sausage, avocado slices, grated parmesan cheese, old world bread, a dollop of sour cream, full fat greek yogurt, homemade pesto, or a mixed green salad. I froze my batch in smaller containers and added something a little different each time I defrosted it, like a whole new meal each time. For a family or larger dinner, set up a toppings bar so everyone can add their own twist.

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Looking for even more cozy Fall recipes?

Grab the SRH Fall Meal Plan with 4 weeks of printable recipes, shopping lists and meal plans so you can save time, cook less & still eat healthy, delicious meals all Fall long!

main photo by Talitha Bullock; sweet potato chili photo by Carina Skrobecki