45 Real Food Slow Cooker Meals for the Summer

Today Stacy brings you a roundup of 45 excellent slow cooker recipes, categorized by protein type. This is a continuation of Jami’s roundup a few weeks back, where she shared 42 recipes, divided by meal type (breakfast, lunch/dinner, sides, dessert/beverages). Now you can easily fill that crock pot every day for the rest of the summer! I’m inspired myself, actually, to go pull mine out and get dinner started right now (it’s 8am as I write this)! ~ Stephanie 

By Stacy Karen, Contributing Writer

No one wants to turn on the oven in the heat of summer! The extra temperature in the house can make you completely miserable.

Not to mention that many of us are spending a lot more time outside, enjoying our family, or working on special projects, leaving little room (or desire) to slave over a meal in the kitchen.

This is where the slow cooker comes in handy. Toss a few ingredients together in the morning, and enjoy a scrumptious meal at night. What could be more perfect?

One issue I have with many slow cooker recipes is that they contain undesirable ingredients, like cream of chicken soup (from a can). To save some time, I’ve collected 45 real food slow cooker recipes.

All of the  recipes below contain real food ingredients so you don’t have to worry about weird additives. There many be one of two that use items such as brown sugar, but you could switch that out for honey or sucanat.

Without further ado, here are 45 real food slow cooker meals for you to enjoy this summer:

Image credit: BetterWithCake.com

Vegetarian Slow Cooker Meals

Slow Cooker Chick Pea Curry @ Better with Cake

Eggplant Parmesan in the Slow Cooker @ The Greenbacks Gal

Slow Cooker Lentil Chili @ Two Peas and their Pod

Slow Cooker Eggplant Potato and Mushroom Curry @ SkinnyMS

Garlic and Dijon Slow Cooker Chicken @ Baked by Rachel

Super Easy Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Curry @ The Paleo Pot

Crockpot Sweet Potato Lentils @ Pinch of Yum

Image by Lynn Gardner

Chicken Slow Cooker Meals

Slow Cooked Barbecue Chicken @ A Delightful Home

Slow Cooker Chicken Caccitore with Quinoa @ 100 Days of Real Food

Slow Cooked Chicken in a Tomatillo Salsa Verde @ My Humble Kitchen

Quick and Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas @ The Greenbacks Gal

Slow Cooked Honey Chicken @ A Delightful Home

Crock-pot Hawaiian Chicken  @ Sweet Treats More

Slow Cooker Roasted Chicken @ The Nourishing Home

Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken @ The Nourishing Home

Aunt Beulah’s Saucy Chicken in the Crock-pot @ Red and Honey

Buffalo Chicken and Eggplant Lasagna @ The Paleo Pot

Gluten Free, Dairy Free Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps @ Once a Month Meals

Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Curry @ Perry’s Plate

Image by RPavich

Beef Slow Cooker Meals

Easy Slow Cooker Steak Chili @ 100 Days of Real Food

Spicy Mango Ginger Beef Roast @ Just Making Noise

Sun-dried Tomato Balsamic Onion Pot Roast @ Real Food RN

Easy Crockpot Grass-Fed Beef Sandwiches @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Crockpot Korean Beef @ Whole Food. Real Food. Good Food.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff @ A Happy Healthnut

Slow Cooker Italian Roast with Peppers Aus Jus (Gluten Free) @ The Nourishing Home

Crockpot Spaghetti Bolognese Sauce @ Red and Honey

Slow Cooker Flank Steak Fajitas @ 100 Days of Real Food

Chili Colorado @ DJ Foodie

Easy Slow Cooker Taco Meat @ Rubies and Radishes

Delicious Crockpot Beef @ Delicious Obsessions

Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs @ 100 Days of Real Food

Stuffed Cabbage Un-rolls @ Kitchen Stewardship

Slow Cooker Ginger Beef @ Kitchen Stewardship

Slow Cooker Cuban Vaca Frita @ The Curious Coconut

Seafood – Pork – Lamb Slow Cooker Meals

Crockpot Seafood Paella @ The Humbled Homemaker

Slow Cooker Shrimp Marinara @ Taste of Home

Crockpot Jambalaya Recipe @ Food Renegede

Slow Cooker Pineapple Pulled Pork @ Mommypotamus

Slow Cooker Pork Vindaloo @ Nourishing Joy

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin @ Add a Pinch

Slow Cooker Parmesan Honey Pork Roast @ Six Sisters Stuff

Slow Cooked Pork or Lamb Chops with Cabbage and Fennel @ My Humble Kitchen

Crockpot Leg of Lamb @ A Year of Slow Cooking

Slow Cooker Lamb, Apricot, and Olive Tagine @ Real Simple

What are your favorite slow cooker meals during the summer?

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Top image by BozBros