Healthy Slow-Cooker Recipes That Are Bursting with Flavor

With winter weather in full swing, it's peak season for comfort food. These healthy slow-cooker recipes are packed with bold flavors and nutrient-dense ingredients to satisfy the whole family.

Slow-Cooker Spicy Turkey Chili 

Turn up the heat on a snow day with a bowl of spicy slow-cooker turkey chili. The dish is packed with lean protein and capsaicin-rich, piquant peppers, which lend themselves to a nutritious diet plan. 

Enriched with garlic, thyme, and dry white wine, this is one healthy slow-cooker recipe that will not force you to sacrifice flavor. After cooking seasoned chicken in a large skillet, place ingredients in a slow cooker to simmer for three and a half hours. Serve atop couscous with fresh parsley to garnish the dish. 

A savory stew abundant in flavorful root vegetables and grains, this beef-broth-laden one-pot meal is both satiating and healthful. Vitamin-A-rich butternut squash enhances immunity, garlic packs an antioxidant punch, and barley has been proven to reduce cholesterol. 

Ward off the winter frost with a warm bowl of beef-and-tomato stew. Chopped beef chuck provides lean protein, while brown rice supplies a hearty dose of hunger-quelling fiber. Carrots, celery, onions, and garlic ramp up the health factor.

A delicately cooked dish of tender lamb, small potatoes, and green olives is the perfect one-pot meal for quality-conscious chefs who are lacking in excess prep time. Zesty lemon juice, bright shallots, rosemary, and crisp pinot grigio enhance the recipe’s complex flavor. 

A craving for loaded baked potatoes need not polish off your dietary ambitions. Substitute crunchy, fiber-filled broccoli; nutty cremini mushrooms; and protein-rich plain yogurt for bacon crumbles and sour cream to create a well-rounded, mouthwatering meal.

With its quick 10-minute preparation time, this gratifying and good-for-you curry is a snap to prepare before allowing your slow cooker to do the heavy lifting. Bonus: The seasoning blend required for curry dishes is thought to decrease inflammation and even prevent cancer.

This Tex-Mex chicken and bean stew is chock-full of nourishing ingredients. Pinto beans and chicken thighs add protein to the pot, while peppers and chipotle chiles bring on the heat. And here's the kicker: The capsaicin in peppers may promote longevity. 

Give garlic a go this winter with a slow-cooker recipe whose star ingredient fights infection and gives the heart a healthy boost. Pearl barley and peas transform the recipe into a true one-plate meal.