30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (2024)

Table of Contents
1 of 30 Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Black Bean Soup 1 of 30 2 of 30 Slow Cooker Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps 2 of 30 3 of 30 Curried Lentil-Tomato Soup 3 of 30 4 of 30 Slow Cooker Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic 4 of 30 5 of 30 Peasant Stew 5 of 30 6 of 30 Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots 6 of 30 7 of 30 Slow-Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup 7 of 30 8 of 30 Mediterranean Roast Turkey 8 of 30 9 of 30 Slow Cooker Chicken Chili 9 of 30 10 of 30 Vegetable and Chickpea Curry 10 of 30 11 of 30 Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja 11 of 30 12 of 30 Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice 12 of 30 13 of 30 Slow Cooker Thai Beef Curry 13 of 30 14 of 30 Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa Stew 14 of 30 15 of 30 Beef Brisket with Beer 15 of 30 16 of 30 Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice 16 of 30 17 of 30 Slow Cooker Eggs in Purgatory 17 of 30 18 of 30 Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup 18 of 30 19 of 30 Herb and Sausage-Stuffed Peppers 19 of 30 20 of 30 Slow Cooker Chicken Posole 20 of 30 21 of 30 Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles 21 of 30 22 of 30 Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore 22 of 30 23 of 30 Slow-Cooker Spanish-Style Chickpeas 23 of 30 24 of 30 Slow Cooker Chicken Verde 24 of 30 25 of 30 Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches 25 of 30 26 of 30 Chicken and Chickpea Tagine 26 of 30 27 of 30 Vegetable-Beef Soup 27 of 30 28 of 30 Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken with Potatoes 28 of 30 29 of 30 Seafood Gumbo 29 of 30 30 of 30 Whole-Wheat Penne with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce 30 of 30 Up Next FAQs

Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (1)

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

These slimmed-down slow-cooker recipes use leaner meats and lots of veggies to pack in flavor and cut back the calories. An emphasis is put on whole grains and plenty of produce, leading to more filling and fiber-rich dishes that will keep you going for hours. Next time you need an easy and healthy meal, simply plug in your slow cooker.

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Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Tex-Mex Chicken and Black Bean Soup

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (2)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

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This filling and flavorful soup is ideal for a chilly evening. Freeze leftover chipotle chiles and adobe sauce in a flattened Ziploc bag for future use.

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Slow Cooker Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps

ck-Slow Cooker Korean Pork Lettuce Wraps

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (3)

Credit: Photography: Greg Dupree; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen.

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This dish is great for a casual get-together or a weeknight meal (with leftovers). The seasoning paste is modeled after Korean ssamjang--a concentrated, salty, slightly spicy concoction. Unlike traditional versions, though, ours is made with grocery store ingredients for ease and convenience.

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Curried Lentil-Tomato Soup

Curried Lentil-Tomato Soup

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (4)

Credit: Oxmoor House

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Even with a bacon topping, this Indian-inspired soup boasts over 10 grams of fiber and less than 500 milligrams of sodium.

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Slow Cooker Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

1604p46-slow-cooker-chicken-with-40-cloves-of-garlic.jpg

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (5)

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White meat can dry out after a long haul in the slow cooker, so we opt for bone-in thighs to guarantee optimal flavor and succulence. Make prep easier with pre-peeled garlic, and pretty-up the platter with lemon slices and thyme sprigs.

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Peasant Stew

Peasant Stew

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (6)

Credit: Karry Hosford

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Round out this simple, dump-and-stir stew with a piece of low-fat cheese toast for the perfect cold-weather pairing.

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Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Carrots

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (7)

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen

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A full-plate dinner simmers to saucy, savory perfection in the slow cooker. To end up with super-succulent pork, don't overcook the chops in the pan before adding to the slow cooker. Just a couple of minutes per side will be enough to achieve nice color.

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Slow-Cooker Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup

Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (8)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

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Pantry staples like dried lentils and canned beans make up the bulk of this soup and boost the fiber to cover more than half your daily goal.

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Mediterranean Roast Turkey

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Slowly cooking a lean turkey breast in a medley of Mediterranean ingredients like kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and Greek seasoning, yields a tender, juicy, and flavorful supper.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (10)

Credit: Brian Woodco*ck; Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas

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This slow-cooker chicken chili is a great addition to your cool weather weeknight meal rotation. Calling for a mixture of beans and hominy, this recipe boasts bold, rich flavor, something that can often be dulled in a slow cooker. Processing some of the beans in a food processor thickens the soup.

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Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

Vegetable and Chickpea Curry

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (11)

Credit: Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke

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Traditional Indian ingredients like curry powder and coconut milk flavor this simple slow cooker vegetarian curry. The addition of chickpeas, potato, bell pepper, and green beans add more than 10 grams of fiber per serving.

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Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (12)

Credit: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Amy Stone

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You'll be wowed by the way lean flank steak transforms into tender, succulent shreds as it slowly simmers in the aromatic sauce. Served over rice (preferably brown), this homey Cuban dish makes for an exceptionally hearty and wholesome weeknight meal.

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Slow Cooker Red Beans and Rice

Slow-Cooker Red Beans and Rice

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (13)

Credit: Howard Lee Puckett; Styling: Sissy Lamerton

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This well-balanced meal is loaded with fiber from the beans, antioxidants from the veggies, and protein from the lean sausage. Increase the heat by using 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground red pepper

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Slow Cooker Thai Beef Curry

slow-cooker-thai-beef-curry

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (14)

Credit: Victor Protasio

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Here, we start with big flavor from a good amount of curry paste and fish sauce, and we finish with fresh touches of cilantro and lime juice that amplify the taste of everything. Serve over a bed of brown rice or brown rice noodles to catch all the sauce.

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Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa Stew

Mediterranean Chicken and Quinoa Stew

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (15)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

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Look for bags of cubed butternut squash in the produce section to save you the trouble of peeling and dicing a whole squash. Find Castelvetrano olives either jarred in the olive and pickle section or fresh at most specialty market antipasti bars. If you can't find them, use any green olive you like.

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Beef Brisket with Beer

Slow-Cooker Beef Brisket with Beer

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (16)

Credit: Randy Mayor

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For an entrée under 200 calories and with only 5 grams of fat, make sure to trim the brisket before cooking. Onions, parsnips, balsamic vinegar, and light beer, flavor the meat without adding extra fat.

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Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice

Slow-Cooker Chicken Stew with Pumpkin and Wild Rice

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (17)

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox

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This savory fall stew is filled with tender cubes of pumpkin, shredded chicken, and nutty wild rice in a creamy sauce. When choosing a pumpkin, look for a sugar or cheese pumpkin. Field pumpkins, which are larger in size, have watery, stringy flesh and are best used for decoration. Or substitute a butternut squash.

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Slow Cooker Eggs in Purgatory

EC: Slow Cooker Eggs in Purgatory

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (18)

Credit: Photo by Hector Manuel Sanchez

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We're not entirely certain about the history of this classic recipe's name, but perhaps it has something to do with the spicy kick of the sauce. Our version is a shakshuka-like dish in which fiery harissa paste and heady spices slowly infuse a rich tomato sauce where eggs gently poach

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Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

Slow Cooker Creamy Lentil Soup

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (19)

Credit: Greg DuPree

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Simple flavors and a rustic touch will make this soup an instant home-cooked favorite, especially on chilly, wintry days. Inexpensive dried lentils make up the bulk of the soup, helping fill in your fiber gaps and keep you full longer. Chickpeas are the secret ingredient to achieve supreme creaminess.

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Herb and Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

Herb and Sausage-Stuffed Peppers

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (20)

Credit: Oxmoor House

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You can set up this recipe in less than fifteen minutes, turn on the slow cooker, and go. Come back in four hours, and your supper will be ready.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Posole

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole image

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (21)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

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Think of posole as chili's brothier, lighter cousin, a Mexican version of chicken soup. Posole is also a name for the hominy, or rehydrated dried corn, that goes in the dish.

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Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles

Slow Cooker Beef Lettuce Wraps with Quick Pickles

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (22)

Credit: Jennifer Causey Styling: Claire Spollen

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The low, even heat of the slow cooker helps flavor powerhouses like miso, sesame oil, and soy sauce impart tenderizing moisture, umami depth, and savory personality to common pot roast.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore image

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (23)

Credit: Jennifer Causey

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While the chicken becomes fall-apart tender, briny capers, crushed red pepper, and garlic infuse the tomatoes for a robust marinara sauce.

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Slow-Cooker Spanish-Style Chickpeas

Slow-Cooker Spanish-Style Chickpeas

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (24)

Credit: Iain Bagwell

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This protein-packed slow cooker recipe is a healthy dish you'll make again and again. For an added dose of heat, top the flavorful dish with sliced fresh jalapeños.

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Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

Slow Cooker Chicken Verde

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (25)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr

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It's not hard to make your own salsa verde, with fresher flavor and much less sodium than jarred versions: Simply blacken tomatillos, chiles, and onions; then blend.

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Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches

Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (26)

Credit: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr

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Slow-Cooked BBQ Fennel, Onion, and Pork Sandwiches are a nod to low-and-slow Southern barbecue--using just a little bit of pork shoulder. And just like traditional pulled pork, the meltingly tender vegetables and pork are piled high on toasted buns, slathered with a Greek yogurt mixture, and topped with shredded cabbage.

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Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

Chicken and Chickpea Tagine

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (27)

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Cindy Barr

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Hearty canned chickpeas hold up beautifully in the slow cooker, where they're combined with fragrant spices and just a little stock. Since the chicken cooks on top of the chickpea mixture and is not submerged in liquid, it can cook longer without suffering texturally.

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Vegetable-Beef Soup

Vegetable-Beef Soup

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (28)

Credit: Oxmoor House

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Bring ordinary vegetable soup up a notch by adding lean top round steak to the mix. Let the mixture cook all day to blend the flavors for a flavorful, fiber-filled main-dish soup.

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Slow-Cooker Orange Chicken with Potatoes

Orange Chicken with Potatoes

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (29)

Credit: Anson Smart

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Let the slow-cooker work its magic as the rich flavors of chicken, vegetables, and oranges meld together in just 3 hours.

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Seafood Gumbo

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Seafood Gumbo

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (30)

Credit: Susie Cushner

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Cut back on prep time by using convenience items like canned tomatoes, frozen crabmeat, and frozen okra. To shave off even more time, buy prec-hopped onions and bell peppers. Because there's no high-fat roux, this shortcut gumbo has less than half the fat of a traditional gumbo.

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Whole-Wheat Penne with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

Whole-Wheat Penne with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (31)

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

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Eggplant gives this slow-cooked tomato sauce a hearty and meaty texture as well as a boost of nutrients. Serve the tomato sauce over whole wheat noodles and top with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

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30 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are slow cookers a healthy way to cook? ›

The low heat helps less expensive, leaner cuts of meat become tender and shrink less. The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking and steam created within the tightly-covered container combine to destroy bacteria and make the slow cooker a safe process for cooking foods.

How do I get the best results from a slow cooker? ›

Avoid overcrowding: For the best results, fill a slow cooker between one-half and two-thirds full. Go ahead and cook big roasts and whole chickens; just make sure you use a large crock and that the lid fits snugly on top. Trim fat: For silky sauces and gravies, take a minute or two and cut the excess fat from the meat.

How do you make slow cooker meals taste better? ›

If you take an extra 10 minutes to sauté the aromatics before scraping them into the slow-cooker, the finished dish will have deeper flavor and better texture. (And some new slow-cookers allow you to sauté right in the insert, so you don't have to wash a separate skillet.)

Is it better to do slow cooker recipes on low or high? ›

Foods take different times to cook depending upon the setting used. Certainly, foods will cook faster on high than on low. However, for all-day cooking or for less-tender cuts, you may want to use the low setting.

Is 4 hours on high the same as 8 hours on low in a slow cooker? ›

The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.

Are vegetables still healthy when slow cooked? ›

Slow cookers cook food at a low temperature (usually around 93c) for anywhere between 4-8 hours. Because of the lower temperature, the nutrients in the food remain more stable than other methods of cooking.

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

10 Foods You Should Never Make in a Slow Cooker
  1. Raw Meat.
  2. Seafood.
  3. Pasta.
  4. Rice.
  5. Delicate Vegetables.
  6. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts.
  7. Dairy.
  8. Wine and Other Liquor.
Jan 19, 2024

Can I put raw meat in a slow cooker? ›

Can you put meat straight into a slow cooker? Meat can be added directly unseared and not browned. However, browning meat and caramelising the beef is a great way to add depth of flavour and improve the visual appearance of the final dish.

Do potatoes go on top or bottom of meat in a crockpot? ›

Slow cooker recipes have (obviously) long cook times, and it's the meat—not the carrots—that benefit from it. By placing the protein at the bottom (closest to the heating element), and vegetables at the top, you can keep your plant parts a little more toothsome, while ensuring your meat is fall-apart tender.

What meat is best for a slow cooker? ›

The best cuts of meat for slow cooking
  • Chuck steak.
  • Round steak.
  • Blade steak.
  • Topside.
  • Silverside.
  • Skirt steak.
  • Shin (gravy) beef.
  • Sausages.

Can I leave food in a slow cooker overnight off? ›

On some occasions, you'll want to leave food in the slow cooker to keep warm, during Thanksgiving or Christmas Dinner, for example, or any other event or holiday. While it's perfectly ok to use your crock pot in this way, try to avoid leaving food on the warming setting for more than four hours.

Why fry onions before slow cooking? ›

Onion - the One Ingredient You Must Pre-Cook Before Adding to Your Slow Cooker! Never add onions to a slow cooker dish that you haven't sautéed first – I find you get that slight raw onion flavour throughout and it just ruins the dish for me. I really think it's worth the extra effort.

Does meat get more tender the longer you cook it in a slow cooker? ›

Aside from being juicier, slow-cooking makes meat a lot more tender and flavorful. The extra juices help to accomplish this but it's mainly the long-cooking time that brings out the richness of the meat. You're giving the meat a chance to mature in a sense bringing all the flavors to life.

Is 3 hours on high the same as 6 on low crockpot? ›

If a dish usually takes: 15-30 mins, cook it for 1-2 hours on High or 4-6 hours on Low. 30 mins – 1 hour, cook it for 2-3 hours on High or 5-7 hours on Low. 1-2 hours, cook it for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low.

What happens if you slow cook on high instead of low? ›

Let's say you want to slow cook a pork roast recipe that calls for 8 hours on Low, but you need it done in much less than 8 hours. Switching to High for the sake of time savings can leave you with a roast that's dried out or even burned on the exterior, but undercooked and not at a food-safe temperature in the center.

What are the disadvantages of a slow cooker? ›

Cooking Times Are Long

Perhaps the biggest single downside is that slow cookers take a long time to make meals. Even the shortest meals can take take three or four hours to make, and a moderately-sized piece of meat can easily require more than nine hours when cooked at a low setting.

Does slow cooking destroy nutrients? ›

Does slow cooking destroy more nutrients than stove top cooking? Slow cooking does not destroy more nutrients. In fact, the lower temperatures may help preserve nutrients that can be lost when food is cooked rapidly at high heat. What's more, food cooked slowly often tastes better.

Is slow cooking meat healthier? ›

The low heat used in slow cooking destroys fewer nutrients than high-heat cooking. Meat and other ingredients are also cooked more safely since any remaining bacteria are killed off by the steam and tightly sealed pot.

Is it better to use a slow cooker or an oven? ›

Not only are slow cookers ideal for people who want to leave dinner to simmer away and attend to other errands, they work out to be one of the cheapest appliances to cook with in the kitchen. The electricity usage of an electric oven is estimated to be around two to 2.2kWh, compared to a slow cooker at just 0.7kWh.

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