This is your public service announcement to NEVER throw away your rotisserie chicken carcasses – you can make an absolutely delicious, rich, homemade chicken bone broth out of them that GELS! When homemade chicken stock gels up (yes, exactly like jello) that means it’s a nutrient-dense bone broth, which is very high in collagen. The stock has a rich, unctuous, and viscous texture. Not to mention it’s high in protein, and the collagen is beneficial for your joints, skin, and overall well-being. And it’s essentially free since we use scraps that would otherwise be thrown away!

I don’t know about you, but I use rotisserie chickens all the time. Why go through the hassle of cooking a chicken when you can get one fully cooked and super flavorful for like $7 at the store? I use shredded rotisserie chicken meat for all kinds of things. Like chicken salad, chicken and dumplings, and healthy chicken mushroom stroganoff.

When you’re done collecting all the meat from the rotisserie chicken, you’re left with the carcass, mostly consisting of the bones and skin.

...GET THE RECIPE for Rotisserie Chicken Bone Broth (it gels!)!

Hello, lentil and barley soup! This recipe is such a great start to soup season now that it’s September (already?!). It’s cozy, hearty, and filling, and adding fresh cilantro (or parsley) and lime juice maintains a fresh, bright, light flavor. This is a super healthy and well-rounded soup – packed with nutrients, fiber, plant-based protein, and tons of veggies (including baby spinach, stirred in to wilt at the end of cooking). Pearl barley and lentils take the same amount of time to cook, making them an easy pairing for this soup. Use rice or quinoa for a gluten-free version, and use your stovetop, pressure cooker, or slow cooker for this lentil barley soup recipe.

It’s soup season, y’all!! If you’ve been with Bowl of Delicious for a while you know I’m all about the soups (this is BOWL of Delicious, after all). If there is another category of food that is so easy to make incredibly tasty, healthy, hearty, in bulk to freeze, in one pot with very few dishes, and that feeds both your body and soul, I don’t know about it.

...GET THE RECIPE for Lentil and Barley Soup!

This Turkey Chili is such a easy, healthy, and delicious recipe, cooked in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in your Instant Pot! It’s super flavorful and nutritious (chock full of veggies – zucchini, corn, tomatoes, and peppers, black beans, and lean ground turkey). It’s a cheap recipe to make, especially because the whole batch uses only one pound of ground turkey.

This turkey chili is a lighter version of chili – with no beef and stuffed with veggies. It’s packed full of flavor with onions, garlic, and spices – smoked paprika, chili powder. The cocoa powder is my secret chili ingredient that gives it a velvety smooth texture and mole-like flavor!

It couldn’t be easier to make. And like most chili recipes, the longer it cooks, the more flavor it develops. If you’re making it on the stovetop, you can get away with a 30 minute simmering time, but when I made this I let it simmer away for four hours on the back burner and the flavor was just *chef’s kiss*.

This low and slow cooking method makes this turkey chili a great candidate for a slow cooker or pressure cooker as well – and I’ll provide instructions below for all three cooking methods.

...GET THE RECIPE for Turkey Chili with Veggies and Black Beans (Crockpot, Stovetop, + Instant Pot)!

Irish Lamb Stew is a hearty, cozy, nourishing meal to make when it’s cold outside, and it’s the perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day! This version uses Guinness beer, or another dark Irish beer, along with beef broth as the base of the stew (but you can use all broth if you want to omit the beer). A non-traditional addition here is sweet potatoes, which add a subtle sweetness to the stew. And the thick, luxurious broth base? It’s thickened with a puree of the vegetables – no flour needed. As a bonus, you can use the stovetop, slow cooker, or pressure cooker for this Irish lamb stew recipe!

With surprisingly few ingredients for the depth of flavor achieved in this Irish Lamb Stew, you’ll want to keep your kitchen stocked to make this all winter long. It takes a bit of time to cook, as do all stews with a tougher cut of meat, but it’s incredibly hands-off and easy to make.

Irish lamb stew is the perfect thing to keep simmering on your stovetop in a Dutch oven if you’re home on a snow day or working from home on a cold, dreary day.

...GET THE RECIPE for Irish Lamb Stew!

These Slow Cooker Classic Thanksgiving Recipes are such an easy way to put your crockpot to good use this holiday season! How many times have you prepared Thanksgiving dinner only to have your oven fill up completely? Or worry about cooking times overlapping?

Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be stressful if you are hosting or in charge of bringing something- especially if you have a slow cooker! You can cook LITERALLY ALL of your favorite classic Thanksgiving dishes using your trusty crockpot, saving you labor, stress, and most of all- oven space.

You can make everything from the Thanksgiving turkey to cranberry sauce to cocktails to sides to dessert in your slow cooker. And you can usually assemble everything the day before in the crockpot. Just turn it on the next day! So bust out one of the best small kitchen appliances for busy people and plan on one of these classic Thanksgiving recipes in your slow cooker!

(By the way, here’s my favorite slow cooker that I use all the time!)

1

Juicy Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast

Prepare for the juiciest, most flavorful turkey of your life with this EASY slow cooker turkey breast!

...GET THE RECIPE for 24 Crockpot Thanksgiving Recipes!

Once you’ve made Buffalo Wings in your Slow Cooker, you’re going to have a hard time making them any other way! Crockpot chicken wings come out perfectly tender and practically fall off the bone. After they’re done cooking, toss with buffalo sauce and broil to crispy skin perfection! You can use teriyaki sauce, bbq sauce, or other sauces using this method as well for this healthier recipe.

I’m a sucker for good wings. But they often come at a cost. Most restaurant versions are battered and deep fried, then smothered in a really buttery buffalo sauce. Delicious, but not the healthiest! Plus, it’s often hard to get all the meat off of the bones depending on how they are cooked, leaving those precious morsels to go to waste.

These crockpot wings are the perfect healthier solution. Here’s why:

• Cooking wings in the slow cooker with olive oil and spices makes them much healthier than battering and deep frying.
• The buffalo sauce uses less butter than traditional buffalo sauces (with ketchup added to make it thick and add flavor and a touch of sweetness).

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker Buffalo Wings!

This Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts recipe is a great way to cook simple, basic chicken breasts that are tender and juicy, flavorful, and SO easy and hands off to make! They’re perfect on their own, or to use in chicken salad, soups and stews, sandwiches, and more. These crockpot chicken breasts are flavored with lemon and oregano and can be sliced, chopped, or shredded for all kinds of uses.

These chicken breasts are great on their own for dinner, but I like using these in a more utilitarian way throughout the week.

Having cooked chicken around is one of the best ways to meal prep. You can slice cooked chicken to add to salads, shred it for chicken salad sandwiches or to add to soup, or throw it in some pasta.

Cooking chicken breasts in your slow cooker is so easy, and you don’t even need to touch the raw chicken with your hands! Just use tongs to transfer it in along with some herbs, lemon, and broth, then set it and forget it.

Here’s everything you need to know about cooking these versatile chicken breasts in a crockpot, how to store them, and what to use the cooked chicken for.

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker Chicken Breasts!

This easy Make-Ahead Breakfast Casserole with Sausage and Fresh Potatoes can be assembled in the evening and baked in the morning. Or, you can even cook it in your slow cooker overnight. It feeds a crowd and is perfect for Thanksgiving or Christmas morning, or any time of year for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Similar to a crustless quiche or frittata, this breakfast casserole has all your favorite ingredients mixed into one easy recipe and baked to savory perfection. It’s perfect for a crowd, especially since it’s gluten-free and grain-free and pretty low-carb, even with potatoes.

Sausage is the base, and the sausage flavor permeates throughout the casserole because the cooking grease is repurposed to sauté the veggies and potatoes. (Though you can certainly make this vegetarian by using a vegetarian sausage substitute or mushrooms).

The bell peppers and onions add great flavor without being overpowering, which I was worried about because I find bell peppers often overpower.

And the potatoes! Most breakfast casserole recipes use frozen hash browns in the mix. I wanted to use fresh potatoes in order to make it healthier (no preservatives) and more budget-friendly.

...GET THE RECIPE for Breakfast Casserole with Sausage!

This healthy chicken and wild rice soup has no cream or milk, and only a handful of ingredients made in one pot! It’s easy to make, freezer friendly, and great for meal prep. At only 212 calories per serving it’s a low-calorie, comforting soup to make for cold days.

Is there ever a bad occasion for chicken soup? It’s great when you’re sick, when you’re healthy, when you’re cold, when you’re a kid, and when you’re an adult. I don’t think there is another meal as soul-satisfying, easy to make, and simple as chicken soup.

This version of chicken soup with wild rice is simple and tasty. It has all the classic tastes of traditional chicken soup with a bit of an earthy, nutty flavor and deliciously chewy texture from the addition of wild rice.

Most chicken wild rice soups have a thick, creamy base, but this version has no cream. It’s healthier and lighter than other recipes, and easily adaptable to be 100% dairy free.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Butter – use olive oil or ghee for a dairy-free option.

...GET THE RECIPE for Chicken and Wild Rice Soup!

This Instant Pot Pulled Pork is so easy, delicious, and takes less than half the time to make– start to finish- than making it in the oven! Using your pressure cooker to make this low-carb, paleo, and whole30 compliant pulled pork recipe is SO easy and comes out SO flavorful and juicy.

You can pile it high on pulled pork sandwiches with your favorite barbecue sauce on a burger or slider bun, or add to tacos or burritos topped with cilantro and onion for a Tex-Mex meal.

It’s cheap, it feeds a crowd, and it’s freezable. What more could you want?

Don’t have a pressure cooker? See recipe notes below for how to make this in your slow cooker or oven.

I made this pulled pork recipe when I was stocking my freezer for after I had my second baby. I stashed a whole bunch in my freezer (along with two batches of my favorite enchiladas), and thawed it out in portions for easy meals.

Thank you, past Elizabeth.

...GET THE RECIPE for Instant Pot Pulled Pork!

This Instant Pot Potato Soup has all the comforting taste of a loaded baked potato made in only 30 minutes in your pressure cooker! Butter, sour cream, and cheese are melted in to every bite of this deliciously simple recipe. I love topping it with chopped bacon and green onions.

I love a good classic baked potato with crispy skin, but they take a heck of a long time to cook. Enter: loaded baked potato soup!

A pressure cooker makes quick work of this potato soup recipe- you can have dinner on the table in only 30 minutes. But if you don’t own one, don’t worry- you can make this in your slow cooker or on your stovetop, too.

I love how simple this recipe is. At its core is onions sautéed in butter, with diced potatoes that cook in chicken broth with plenty of salt and pepper. This mixture is pureed, then sour cream and grated cheese is stirred into the soup, which melt into every creamy, decadent bite.

And the best part? Topping each bowl with more sour cream and cheese, chopped bacon, and green onions.

...GET THE RECIPE for Instant Pot Loaded Baked Potato Soup!

This Vegetarian (and vegan!) Split Pea Soup recipe is so easy to make on your stovetop, instant pot OR slow cooker! With diced potatoes for heartiness and lemon juice and dill for bright, fresh flavor, you’re going to love this healthy recipe.

This split pea soup is easy, CHEAP, and super healthy. It’s chock full o’ veggies.

This super popular Instant Pot split pea soup is made traditionally with a ham bone and chicken broth and has been made in thousands of kitchens across the world. So here’s something just as delicious for all you plant-based people!

I love the fresh flavor from the lemon juice and dill in this recipe. It’s a warm, hearty, and comforting soup, but the bright flavors are perfect for when you’re craving warmer spring weather.

This split pea soup with potatoes and dill recipe takes about 2 hours to cook on the stovetop, but the hands on time is only about 10 minutes. And it makes a ton, so you can freeze half of it.

And if you want to save time, you can use your pressure cooker, or let it simmer all day in your slow cooker while you’re out and about!

...GET THE RECIPE for Vegetarian Split Pea Soup!

Ever wonder how to cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker? All you need is TWO ingredients, FIVE MINUTES of prep, and your trusty crockpot for this easy super juicy, fall-off-the-bone tender chicken. Use the meat throughout the week for recipes, meal prep, and get homemade chicken stock out of it, too!

When I’m feeling fancy, I love roasting a whole chicken in my Dutch oven. But when my need for chicken is more utilitarian, I turn to my crockpot.

Cooking a whole chicken in your slow cooker is one of the easiest, cheapest, and most beneficial things you can do for successful meal planning. It’s such a great homemade alternative to buying a store-bought rotisserie chicken!

You can use the meat in salads or in any number of soup, casserole, or other recipes throughout the week!

All you need for this recipe is a whole chicken and an onion, plus some salt, pepper, and water. And a couple (optional) fresh rosemary sprigs. The chicken comes out sooo juicy and moist every time!

...GET THE RECIPE for How to Cook a Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker!

This easy Slow Cooker Turkey Breast recipe is so juicy and flavorful, and since it’s boneless, you don’t need to worry about carving anything! You only need 10 minutes of prep– just make a rub, slather it on the turkey, and let your crockpot do the work for you. It’s perfect for a small Thanksgiving dinner and easy enough for a weeknight main course.

See that gorgeous color? It’s all in the rub – a mixture of all kinds of spices, including bright red paprika and golden yellow turmeric.

A quick few minutes under the broiler crisps up the skin for a beautiful golden brown color that’s perfect for your Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving table!

To be honest, I don’t know if I’m ever going to cook a whole turkey again now that I’ve discovered this slow cooker version. I really hate the hassle of a whole turkey, and having to wrangle a giant piece of raw poultry. This slow cooker turkey breast recipe is almost too good to be true – it’s so ridiculously easy and flavorful!

And you can even whip up a quick gravy from the drippings.

...GET THE RECIPE for Juicy Slow Cooker Boneless Turkey Breast!

This smoky vegetarian chili is packed with beans and mushrooms, with a few secret ingredients added to the spice combination that add a smoky, umami flavor and create a velvety smooth texture! It’s hard to believe this chili is 100% plant-based and vegan because it’s so packed with flavor, and it’s great to stash in your freezer.

This has to be one of the most hearty and delicious vegan meals I have ever had. Filled with meaty mushrooms and beans, this chili is filling and nutrient-packed, and even meat-lovers will devour it.

It’s cheap to make, and this recipe makes a TON so you can freeze leftovers or a second batch for another meal or two or three or four. And you can even make it go a bit further by serving it with cooked rice, quinoa, or cornbread.

The secret ingredients and spice combination

What really makes this vegetarian chili really stand on its own is the secret spice combination.

It’s smoky from smoked paprika, smooth and velvety from cocoa powder(!!!) and cinnamon, and spicy from chili powder and cayenne.

...GET THE RECIPE for Smoky Vegetarian Chili with Beans and Mushrooms!

This Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili is such an easy, healthy, creamy, and delicious crockpot recipe! Packed with lean shredded chicken breasts, fiber-packed beans, and veggies like corn, peppers, and celery, this soup is sure to warm you up and make you feel great. As a bonus, this recipe makes a TON, so you can freeze leftovers or serve it at a party (football food, anyone?). I like serving it topped with avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream, hot sauce, and shredded cheese. You can also easily make it on your stovetop!

I’m not really sure how white chicken chili became a thing, since it’s unlike any other chili recipe I’ve ever had. And living in Texas, I can’t be going around calling any old thing “chili.” (Texans are VERY particular about the fact that chili has all beef and NO beans and don’t you dare try and argue. Believe me, I’ve tried.).

Regardless of the semantics of the word chili, I think we can all agree on one thing, Texan or not: this white chicken chili is DELICIOUS. It’s mild and simply flavored, which makes it perfect for the whole family.

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili!

This hearty and healthy slow cooker black bean soup cooks for hours in your crockpot, with only FIVE MINUTES of prep! This recipe is made with bacon, but you can easily make it vegan/vegetarian by omitting it, or you can use ham instead. I love how smoky and flavorful this black bean soup is, and how it has a ton of vegetables packed into it as well. I like it served with crumbled cotija cheese, avocado slices, a squeeze of lime, and some fresh cilantro. You can even make it in your instant pot or on your stovetop with only a few recipe tweaks.

When I was a teacher, I worked 8-10 hour days. With a commute in and out of Boston, I was often gone for 12 hours at a time. Slow cooker meals like this saved my life!

This black bean soup requires only 5 minutes of prep, and you can let it cook for 4, 6, 8, or even 10 hours in your slow cooker. This dump dinner is really hard to mess up, precise timing isn’t necessary, and it’s a very forgiving recipe if you want to add or take away any of the ingredients.

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (Instant Pot and Stovetop Friendly)!

This Beef Barley Soup is PACKED with good-for-you vegetables, like mushrooms, peas, carrots, and potatoes. Using already cooked beef, such as leftover prime rib or pot roast, cuts down on the cooking time.

I know, I know. Leftover prime rib in a SOUP? Blasphemy.

But you guys, I made SO MUCH PRIME RIB for Christmas dinner. Too much. It was my first time making it and now I know better for next time.

So I made beef broth from scratch with the bones and chopped up the leftover meat to add to this soup. And you know what? IT WAS AMAZING.

You could use leftover steak, pot roast, beef tenderloin, or roast beef in this beef barley soup… literally whatever you have. (Or, if you don’t have already cooked beef, you can use chuck or round roast. See recipe notes for how.)

Can Beef Barley Soup be frozen?

This beef barley soup is one of those soul-satisfying, hearty, delicious meals that you simply can’t live without during the cold months. It’s packed with protein, grains, and vegetables- a complete meal made in one pot that makes a TON and freezes beautifully.

...GET THE RECIPE for Beef Barley Soup with Mushrooms!

If you’re looking for a super cheap, super nutrient-packed, delicious crockpot meal, look no further than this Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup with Ham and Kale. It’s warm, cozy, freezable, and hearty. It makes a TON. And it’s a great way to use up any leftover ham you may have!

Yes, I said it. The “K” word. KALE. But please, don’t run screaming away! You KNOW kale is good for you.

And you may think it’s a bitter pill (or leaf) to swallow, but wilted in soup it’s absolutely delicious. In fact, you won’t even taste it! This soup is the perfect way to enjoy one of the healthiest leafy greens out there, since cooking is one of the ways you can take the bitterness out of bitter greens. (There are other ways too, such as soaking them or massaging them, like in this massaged kale salad).

If you really, REALLY don’t like kale, fear not. You can easily substitute spinach or some other leafy green in this soup.

Have you ever heard of 15 bean soup before?

In the dried beans section of your grocery store, you will find a pack of beans that is labeled “15 Bean Soup Mix.” Or it might be “16 bean soup mix” or “13 bean soup mix.”

The numbers don’t really matter- you can use this recipe with any of them.

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker 15 Bean Soup with Ham and Kale!

Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia) are one of the most simple yet wonderful Mediterranean recipes in existence. The beans cook up velvety tender in a tomato and garlic based sauce, and are tossed with fresh lemon juice, dill, and plenty of extra-virgin olive oil just before serving.

Greek-style green beans really seem much more like a “stew” to me. The liquid in which it cooks turns into a wonderful tomato-based broth flavored with onions and garlic, infused with the vegetal flavor from the green beans as it cooks.

Fresh lemon juice, fresh dill, and extra-virgin olive oil added after cooking at the very end give it a bright flavor, and the oil adds body to the broth.

They’re great as a side, but I’d be happy with this as a meal served over rice or with crusty bread to mop up that delicious sauce! Throw a couple of thick pieces of feta cheese on there and you’re good to go for a simple vegetarian meal.

The other awesome thing about this is that it reheats really well, so it can easily be made in advance. I’ve served this at the past two Thanksgivings, and each time I cook it the day before.

...GET THE RECIPE for Greek Green Beans (Fasolakia)!

This Greek Lentil Soup (called Fakes Soupa in Greek) is my all time favorite lentil soup recipe. It’s healthy, hearty, plant-based/vegan, and packed with flavor from fresh herbs and lots of garlic. It’s made in one pot and it’s inexpensive to make! And the best part: it’s finished off with a generous amount of pure extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar (yes, vinegar!) at the very end, which is what makes this Greek lentil soup…Greek!

This lentil soup recipe is simplicity at its best. It was one of my favorite things to eat growing up, and it’s now my older daughter’s most requested meal (I know, that surprised me too). It’s the perfect thing to eat with some crusty, buttered bread on a cold fall or winter evening.

Whenever I need a bit of a detox, this Greek lentil soup is my go-to. It’s one of those dishes where you almost feel *healthier* with every bite you take. Post Thanksgiving and Christmas, I always want a big batch of this as a reset after indulging!

This lentil soup is the epitome of healthy Mediterranean food.

...GET THE RECIPE for Greek Lentil Soup (Fakes Soupa)!

Walking in to your house after a long day of work and having the smell of dinner simmering in your slow cooker welcoming you home is one of the Best. Things. In. The. World.

Especially when that dinner is butternut squash soup with curry and ginger on a crisp fall evening.

This soup is vegan, super creamy, paleo/whole30 compliant, and packed full of nutritious ingredients. You’re going to love it!

This butternut squash soup is so easy to prep a few days in advance. You can chop up all of your vegetables (butternut squash, onion, garlic, and fresh ginger) and add them to your slow cooker along with the spices (curry powder, coriander, cumin, turmeric, salt, and pepper). 

Then, on the day you want to cook, just add a can of coconut milk and some vegetable or chicken stock to the crockpot and cook!

What a relief, after working hard during the day, to not have to stress about “what should I cook tonight?” or “what do I possibly have the energy to fix for dinner tonight besides toast?”

I cannot stress to you enough the importance of owning a slow cooker if you are a busy person who cares about eating home-cooked meals.

...GET THE RECIPE for Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup with Curry and Ginger!

This Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili tastes slightly sweet, has a mild kick, and is so smooth and velvety from adding a whole can of pumpkin (plus my secret chili ingredient). It takes fall cooking to a whole other level!

No Instant Pot? Don’t worry- you can do it in your slow cooker or on your stovetop, too.

When I first heard about pumpkin chili, I’ll admit: I was skeptical. I thought it might be too sweet, or too “pumpkiny,” or just otherwise taking the fall pumpkin trend a bit too far.

I love chili, and I love how simple it is, so I didn’t want to muck it up too much.

Honestly, I didn’t even expect to put it on the blog, I was so skeptical.

But OH. MY. GOODNESS. I was wrong. It’s soooo good! I think you’re going to love it.

First of all, there’s a whole can of pumpkin added to it. It definitely adds a squash-like, pumpkin flavor to the chili, but not overwhelmingly so. (For another great recipe that uses the WHOLE CAN, try these healthy pumpkin pancakes!)

What it does do is add a big ol’ serving of vegetables to the chili (pumpkin, along with other winter squash, is super good for you– it’s packed with vitamins A, C, B6, and tons of fiber!).

...GET THE RECIPE for Instant Pot Pumpkin Chili!

This Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage with Carrots and Buttered Potatoes is the perfect festive recipe for St. Patrick’s Day or any cozy winter meal! All of the ingredients cook in the pressure cooker, which cuts the cooking time in half and makes the flavors so good! You can also make this in your slow cooker or on the stovetop.

The Instant Pot corned beef is perfectly cooked to a wonderful, fall-apart, tender texture. The vegetables cook separately from the beef in the cooking liquid, which seasons them perfectly.

And the POTATOES. They are smothered in plenty of salted Irish butter and mixed with a generous amount of fresh chopped parsley. They are, I think, the star of this meal- I could eat them with every meal of every day.

Best of all, this recipe makes a lot. Which is great for a crowd, and even better when you have leftovers you can use for corned beef hash!

What is corned beef, anyway?

To be honest, I’ve always been kind of put off by the name “corned beef,” even though it’s one of my favorite things to eat ever. It’s a beef brisket that has been cured with salt, and actually doesn’t involve corn at all.

...GET THE RECIPE for Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage with Carrots and Buttered Potatoes!