Slow cookers are one of the easiest tools to use to make healthy meals. A slow cooker prepares your food in a sealed chamber, which helps keep the moisture and nutrients in your food. The slow cooking time brings out the flavours in foods and the fact that you can throw ingredients in in the morning and let it cook all day, makes it a quick and easy option for busy households. If you haven’t jumped on the slow cooker train yet, or if you have and are looking for healthy meals to cook, check out these slow cooker recipes under 500 calories!
How to Make Slow Cooker Recipes Healthier
1. Use Clean Ingredients
Since you can make so many different types of recipes with a slow cooker, from soup to curries to stir fry, it’s important to use healthy, clean ingredients as much as possible. Load up on veggies and greens, like kale, collard greens, sweet potatoes and carrots to ensure your meals are as healthy as possible.
2. Add a Protein Source
Protein is so important because it’s the building block of bone, muscles, skin and blood. It also helps keep you full so you don’t end up snacking on unhealthy foods throughout the day or at night. Meats such as chicken and beef are popular proteins to cook in a slow cooker, but if you don’t eat meat or aren’t feeling it tonight for dinner, you can also slow cook proteins such as tofu, quinoa, chickpeas, and lentils.
3. Sub Zucchini for Pasta
While there are lots of slow cooker pasta recipes, to make your “noodle” dishes even healthier, use zucchini instead. This will make your meal low in carbs, low in calories and completely gluten free! You can get your pasta fix without the guilt and the slow cooker will make it taste unbelievably flavourful!
4. Toss in Turmeric
You can add turmeric to almost anything. It’s one of the healthiest spices out there, having amazing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Turmeric tastes great in curries and stews, and you can also add it to classic meals such as chicken with vegetables and potatoes.
5. Add Some Fibre
Fibre is important for your digestive health and it also makes you feel full for longer. Some of the highest fibre foods include lentils, black beans, root vegetables such as carrots and beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and chickpeas. Make sure there’s fibre in your slow cooker recipes for a healthy addition!
10 Keto Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Low Carb Lasagna | Well Plated
2. Slow Cooker Meatballs | How to This and That
3. Slow Cooker Crack Chicken | Diethood
4. Keto Mongolian Beef | Wholesome Yum
5. Keto Tandoori Chicken | Carb Manager
6. Chicken Fajitas | That Low Carb Life
7. Slow Cooker Cabbage Roll Soup | Maebell’s Simply Easy Recipes
8. Cheesy Chicken with Bacon | Kasey Trenum
9. Keto Broccoli Cheese Soup | Fit to Serve
10. Slow Cooker Keto Taco Soup | Hip2Keto
10 Chicken Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Skinny Slow Cooker Kung Pao Chicken | The Recipe Critic
2. Easy Chicken Tikka Masala | Taste
3. Healthy Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes | Well Plated
4. Light Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup | Sally’s Baking Addiction
5. Chicken and Chorizo Gumbo | Taste
6. White Chicken and Quinoa Chilli | Eat Yourself Skinny
7. Butternut Squash, Chicken and Quinoa Soup | Chelsea’s Messy Apron
8. Greek Lemon and Chicken Slow Cooker Soup | Taste
9. Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Wraps | Damn Delicious
10. Quinoa Chicken Primavera | Pinch of Yum
10 Beef Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Slow-Cooked Beef and Barley Soup | Taste
2. Cuban Shredded Beef | Little Spice Jar
3. Lightened Up Beef Stroganoff | Recipe Diaries
4. Beef and Vegetable Curry | Taste
5. Clean and Light Stuffed Bell Peppers | Kim’s Cravings
6. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff | Pop Culture
7. Tender Balsamic Pot Roast | Cafe Delites
8. Slow Cooker Sesame Beef | Budget Bytes
9. Beef, Carrot and Pea Stew | The Magical Slow Cooker
10. Beef Sweet Potato Stew | Cafe Delites
10 Pork Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Italian Pulled Pork Ragu | Skinny Taste
2. Pork Cutlets with Apple and Parsnip | Taste
3. Balsamic Pork Roast | Skinny Taste
4. Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas | Slender Kitchen
5. Apple Pulled Pork | Pop Culture
6. Slow Cooker Honey Lime Ginger Pork | The Recipe Critic
7. Garlic Balsamic Pork Loin | Diethood
8. BBQ Pulled Pork | Pop Culture
9. Honey Garlic Pork Chops | Dinner at the Zoo
10. Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes | Pop Culture
10 Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni | Taste
2. Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta | Pure Wow
3. Garlic Herb Mushrooms | Closet Cooking
4. Middle Eastern Chickpea Stew | Taste
5. Coconut Quinoa Curry | Simply Quinoa
6. Skinny Vegetarian Chilli | Tastefulventure
7. Vegetable and Chickpea Curry | Taste
8. Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup | Easy Cheesy Vegetarian
9. Skinny Butternut Squash Soup | Pop Culture
10. Vegan Jambalaya | Connoiseurus Veg
10 Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Slow Cooker Chicken Shawarma | A Clean Bake
2. Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli | Whole Kitchen Sink
3. Creamy Southwest Chicken | Wholesomelicious
4. Pumpkin Chicken Chilli | The Clean Eating Couple
5. Slow Cooker BBQ Beef | The Real Food Dieticians
6. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore | Nom Nom Paleo
7. Paleo Korean Beef Stew | Food, Faith, Fitness
8. Paleo Beef, Carrot and Potato Stew | Tastes Lovely
9. Sweet and Sour Hawaiian Beef | Cotter Crunch
10. Chicken, Bacon and Potato Soup | Cooking Light
10 Whole30 Slow Cooker Recipes Under 500 Calories
1. Zuppa Toscana | 40 Aprons
2. Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore | Parsnips + Pastries
3. Whole 30 Chilli | Tasty Thin
4. Pineapple Turkey and Veggies | Mind Over Munch
5. Slow Cooker Beef Stew | One Lovely Life
6. Whole 30 Pot Roast | I Breathe, I’m Hungry
7. Healthy Sloppy Joes | What Molly Made
8. Meatballs in Marinara Sauce | Paleo Running Momma
9. Creamy Taco Soup | The Movement Menu
10. Moroccan Chicken | Sunkissed Kitchen
Using a slow cooker is one of the healthiest and most convenient ways to prepare your food. We hope you loved these healthy slow cooker recipes to make on the daily!