OWNFoodRecipesvegan

6 Vegan Slow-Cooker Recipes

These richly flavored dishes prove that Crock-Pots love veggies, beans and other plant-based foods just as much as you do.
Lynn Andriani
A Wintry Way to Get Your Greens
Lynn Andriani
This tasty stew stars bright-orange, sweet-tasting butternut squash and deep-green kale, plus creamy chickpeas (which will fill you up without leaving you feeling stuffed) and a supporting cast of some of our favorite flavor-boosters, such as garlic and paprika (which lends a touch of smokiness). And you can easily swap in spinach, Swiss chard or any other sturdy, leafy green for the kale.

Get the recipe: Kale, Chickpea and Butternut Squash Stew
The American Classic, Lightened Up
EzumeImages/iStock
Two Southern staples, Dirty Rice (which usually includes chicken) and Hoppin' John (a bacon-boosted rice), come together in this grain-based dish. It also incorporates superseed quinoa, as well as black-eyed peas. For an even heartier meal, add some cooked (crumbled or chopped) vegan or vegetarian sausage just before serving, which—bonus!—also adds great flavor.

Get the recipe: "Dirty John" Quinoa
A Classic Soup with a Healthy Boost
Katerina Petrovska
Leeks and potatoes have a natural affinity for one another, whether braised, scalloped or softened in soup. Match the winter vegetables with carrots, celery and garlic and let them all mingle and melt in the slow cooker for a few hours. You'll end up with a deeply flavored soup that makes a fine meal with a nice, crusty loaf of bread. You can stir in a bit of coconut milk at the end for added richness, too.

Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Leek and Potato Soup
The Colorful Antidote to the Winter Blahs
Alan Richardson
In Moroccan cuisine, a tagine is a slow-cooked stew braised at a low temperature, traditionally in a cone-shaped tagine pot. No need to buy another kitchen item, though, since you can re-create this steamy environment in a Crock-Pot. This recipe includes carrot, rutabaga, butternut squash and apricot; looks beautiful on the plate; and, could be the sweetest way to eat your vegetables. Regular or Israeli couscous (both come in whole wheat varieties) make the perfect accompaniment.

Get the recipe: Golden Vegetable Tagine

A Buttery, Fruity Spread That Makes Any Breakfast Terrific
Jennifer Davick
Apple butter is basically applesauce that's gone to the dark side. When you cook the ingredients (apples, cider, spices, lemon juice—plus, some brown sugar) in a slow cooker for hours, their flavors concentrate. The sugar caramelizes and turns the apples deep brown. The longer you cook the spread, the better. Let it simmer overnight, since it will thicken while you sleep. Then, you can wake up to warm, fresh apple butter to put on toast or waffles or to swirl into oatmeal.

Get the recipe: Apple Butter
A Not-Pie, Not-Latte Way to Enjoy Pumpkin
TeodoraDjordjevic/Thinkstock
The carvable winter squash isn't just meant for cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Pumpkin, which is buttery and earthy-tasting, is also a natural for more sophisticated spices, such as cumin, coriander and cardamom. Toss cubes of the vegetable into the slow cooker along with onion, garlic, ginger, spices, some vegetable stock and a can of unsweetened coconut milk. In just two or three hours, you'll have a thick, creamy soup that combines sugar and spice.

Get the recipe: Curried Pumpkin Soup

Also on HuffPost:

5 Delicious Dips You Can Make in a Slow Cooker
A Way to Enjoy the Best Part of a Warm Goat-Cheese Salad(01 of05)
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If you love the soft, creamy, tangy goat cheese that comes with greens at French restaurants, you'll fall for this beautiful dish from Stephanie O'Dea's new Five Ingredients Or Less Slow Cooker Cookbook. It features a base of garlic- and lemon-laced cream cheese dotted with pieces of goat cheese and topped with sliced cherry tomatoes that add a bright pop of color. To take this party food straight from the slow cooker to the table, place an oven-safe dish inside the slow cooker and put all the ingredients in that. Then, once the cheese is hot and bubbly, and the tomato skins have wilted, lift out the dish (using pot holders) and serve with crackers or bagel chips.

Get the recipe: Baked Goat Cheese with Tomatoes and Garlic (credit:© Tara Donne)
A Bar Snack Made Ridiculously Easy(02 of05)
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One of the best parts of Buffalo wings is the contrast between the sweet and spicy meat and the cool and creamy dipping sauce that accompanies it. This recipe from O'Dea combines the two into one addictive dish that's bound to be a massive hit at your next party (and also happens to be way less work than deep-frying a bunch of chicken wings). It's as simple as stirring together cooked and shredded chicken, ranch-dressing mix, cream cheese, cheddar and Buffalo wing sauce then setting your slow cooker to high for two hours. The dippers, naturally, are carrot slices and celery sticks.

Get the recipe: Buffalo Wing Dip (credit:1MoreCreative/iStock)
The Baked Brie with 3 Can't-Miss Additions(03 of05)
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There are dozens of ways to make festive, fondue-like baked Brie, but O'Dea's version is one we hadn't tried before. She has you sprinkle tart, dried cranberries over the cheese, along with balsamic vinegar (which turns into a rich syrup when cooked) and finely chopped, fresh rosemary. The result is a savory and sweet complement to the melted, buttery Brie that's perfect with crackers, sliced apples or toast points.

Get the recipe: Brie with a Cranberry Balsamic Sauce (credit:© Tara Donne)
A Delicious Way to Turn Anyone into an Onion Lover(04 of05)
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If you haven't tried caramelizing onions in your slow cooker, prepare to be blown away. It can take some time to get these sharp-tasting roots to turn into the rich, savory, silky strands that are so tasty mixed into sour cream—so a slow cooker makes perfect sense. Once the onions are a deep golden color, you coarsely chop then stir them together with sour cream, cream cheese and parsley. Break out the thick-cut potato chips and look out—because this is going to go fast.

Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Caramelized-Onion Dip (credit:Magone/iStock)
A Vegetarian Appetizer That Transports You to Greece(05 of05)
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Greek flavors shine in this healthy, chunky dip that uses dried gigante or lima beans, which become tender and creamy in the slow cooker. You simmer the legumes in a savory tomato sauce, then sprinkle everything with tangy feta cheese. Pita wedges are a natural accompaniment, though we'd also happily dig in with sturdy tortilla chips.

Get the recipe: Giant Beans in Tomato Sauce (credit:Alan Richardson)

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