Since the slow cooker is generally considered to be a tool for making beef casserole, chicken stew and not much else, it might surprise you to know that you can make really tasty vegetarian meals in there too. Crockpot cooking is really easy and you often just have to add some ingredients, switch the machine on, and leave it to cook for a few hours.
If you want a healthy and tasty home-cooked meal without having to put in much effort, a slow cooker might be the perfect solution. Many meals cooked in there are healthier than their stovetop counterparts are because you do not need to add butter or oil to slow cooker recipes. Sometimes you need to saute some ingredients first but you can use spray oil to keep the calorie count down.
Do You Need Meat Substitutes?
There are vegetarian crockpot recipes and there are also ones which have been adapted especially for the crockpot or which you can adapt yourself. You might want to make chili con carne but you can add tofu or TVP instead of the meat if you want a meat-free version of this classic dish.
Alternatively, you could leave the meat substitutes out altogether and just include plenty of beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, spices and onions. Chili recipes normally freeze well so make plenty and you can freeze the leftovers.
Stuffed bell peppers are delicious whatever you stuff them with. Try a mixture of diced vegetables, rice and tomato sauce. The crockpot encourages the flavors to develop better than when you bake the dish. You can use a barley or rice filling to make cabbage rolls too.
Ethnic and International Foods
Spaghetti sauce is another good idea for a slow cooker dish because it tastes nicer after a long cooking time. Saute the diced vegetables in oil and then put them in the slow cooker with the other ingredients.
You can use bell pepper, onions, mushrooms, carrots or anything else you fancy to make this classic Italian dish. If you want to use zucchini it is best to add it in the final half an hour of slow cooking time else they will go mushy. The same is true about potatoes although these do not usually feature in pasta sauce recipes.
Indian curries are often simmered gently over a low heat for hours, making them suitable for slow cooking. Potato and cauliflower curry is a favorite for vegetarians. You can add some coconut milk or cream at the end to make the curry richer. Spices like garam masala, cumin, and turmeric are great in homemade curries and tomatoes, garlic, and onion are other popular ingredients.
Dal is also nice and this is an Indian lentil dish. You need to simmer lentils, onions, turmeric, water, cayenne pepper, and salt in the slow cooker for a few hours until the mixture is tender and aromatic and then serve it alongside your favorite curry or Indian dish.
There are a lot of crockpot recipes where you can substitute vegetables, beans, or another kind of protein for the meat and even though the finished dish will lack the consistency of the original meat recipe, in many cases the flavor is comparable or even better.
Some of the very best crockpot recipes are vegetarian and this handy kitchen device can be used for making the most delicious meals from vegan and vegetarian fare to hearty beef dishes or even a crockpot white chicken chili recipe.
The Best Crockpot Recipes Start With Our Recipes - BestCrockpotRecipes.net
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