25 Easy & Hearty Vegetarian Slow Cooker Dinner Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Are slow cookers good for vegetarian meals? ›

Try one of our favourite slow cooker recipes for a delicious meat-free meal. Whether you're vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian, it's always worth adding a few new plant based recipes to your weekly roster. Which is why we've collated 15 of our all-time favourite vegetarian and vegan slow cooker recipes.

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

You can use slow cookers to make pasta as long as you don't mix the pasta in with the sauce and leave it sitting in the slow cooker for an extended period of time. Doing so will result in pasta that is mushy, soggy and unappetizing. For best results, keep the pasta separate until serving.

Can you put raw potatoes in the slow cooker? Potatoes and all root vegetables are super slow cooker friendly. They can be added as part of a recipe or cooked on their own. Add root vegetables to your slow cooker dish at the beginning of your cooking time.

Originating in the Middle East, falafel is one the most popular vegetarian foods in the world! As one of the most popular vegetarian foods in the world, falafel needs no introduction! However, the origin of these beloved patties is rather controversial.

Are slow cookers safe to leave on? Yes, it's safe to leave a slow cooker on when you leave the house. The purpose of a slow cooker is to allow you to cook while you aren't home. Slow cookers simmer food slowly, killing bacteria and raising meat to the perfect internal temperature.

The go-to recipes for slow cookers are usually soups, stews, roasts, etc., but you can do so much more! You can cook corn on the cob, bake potatoes, or boil water.

Dairy. Prolonged cooking of dairy products causes them to separate. Adding milk, cream or yogurt to crockpots at the beginning of cooking is a sure-fire way to wind-up with a grainy, watery mess at the end. Stir it in once the recipe has finished cooking.

Vegetables cooked in a slow cooker or crock pot retain more of their natural vitamins and nutrients than harsher cooking methods – such as boiling – because the temperatures are lower.

Pressure cookers are amazingly useful kitchen appliances that can dramatically expand your vegan cooking possibilities. They let you cook any number of meals that would otherwise be prohibitively time-consuming. If you cook beans often, or live in a place with long winters, you should strongly consider purchasing one.

What does slow cooking do to vegetables? ›

By virtue of being in sealed unit, whether using an electric slow cooker or in a casserole dish in your oven, any of the nutrients usually lost in the liquid from heat are simply reabsorbed into the meal. Cooking over a longer period of time also increased flavour and reduces the need for added seasoning or sauces.

The answer is yes. LiveStrong says cooking your food too long in a slow cooker can cause the ingredients to shrink and lose any tenderness they once had. However, other ingredients might turn mushy, which is also something no home cook is looking to achieve.