Processed food is convenient to pile up in the shopping cart. Just turn the oven or microwave on, heat it up and go about your workday. The problem is so much of it has added sugar, artificial sweeteners and flavoring, refined carbohydrates, and trans fats. This can put grocers at risk of Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and lack of essential nutrients. While mindfulness and healthy eating are important, there are only so many hours in the day. This is why slow cookers like Crock-Pots come in handy. You can make high-protein Crock-Pot meals without having to stand in the kitchen for hours to do so. Here are seven recipes to choose from that maintain a healthy protein diet, along with much-needed vitamins and fiber.

Slow Cooker Lentil Stew

Why choose lentils high-protein Crock-Pot meals? In addition to having no fat in the legumes, about 15-16 grams of dietary fiber and less than 70 grams of carbohydrates, lentils have anywhere from 13-35 grams of protein. Puy lentils have the highest protein count (35 grams) while black lentils are on the lower end (13 grams).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of dried green or brown lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• lite salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1-2 cups of chopped kale or spinach (optional)
• fresh lemon juice (optional, for serving)

Directions:

1. Minus kale, spinach and lemon juice, combine all other ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Stir well to mix all the ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours, until lentils and vegetables are tender. (For faster cooking, cook on high for three to four hours.)
4. If using, stir in the kale or spinach during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
5. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
6. Serve hot, optionally with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for added brightness.

Slow Cooker Chickpea and Vegetable Curry

Why choose chickpeas for high-protein Crock-Pot meals? With a little under 4 grams of polyunsaturated fats, chickpeas also have 9 grams of dietary fiber and 35 grams of carbohydrates, along with 10 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

• 30 ounces of cooked chickpeas (soaked and boiled for 1.5 to 3 hours, or 2 prepared cans)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (any color)
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 large zucchini, chopped
• 6 tomatoes, diced
• 1 can (14 oz) of coconut milk
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoon of curry powder
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
• lite salt, to taste
• black pepper to taste
• fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for garnish)
• cooked rice or quinoa (for serving)

Directions:

1. Minus cilantro, rice and quinoa, combine all ingredients in the slow cooker.
2. Stir well to mix everything together.
3. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well-combined. (For faster cooking, cook on high for three to four hours.)
4. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if needed.
5. Serve hot, garnished with fresh cilantro, over cooked rice or quinoa.

Slow Cooker Tofu and Edamame Stir-Fry

Why choose tofu and edamame for high-protein Crock-Pot meals? With 9 grams of polyunsaturated fats, tofu also has 2 grams of dietary fiber and 3 grams of carbohydrates, along with 17 grams of protein. With 8 grams of fat, including 3 grams of polyunsaturated fat, edamame also has 8 grams of dietary fiber, 14 grams of carbohydrates and 18 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 block (14 oz) of firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 2 cups of edamame
• 1 cup of corn
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free recipes)
• 1/4 cup of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoon of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water (for thickening)
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• cooked rice or quinoa (for serving)
• sesame seeds and chopped green onions (for garnish)
• romaine lettuce (for serving)

Directions:

1. Combine the cubed tofu, edamame, bell pepper and onion in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper flakes.
3. Pour the sauce over the tofu and vegetables, and stir it all to coat everything evenly.
4. Cover and cook on low for four to six hours, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors are melded. (For faster cooking, cook on high for two to three hours.)
5. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. Serve hot over cooked rice, quinoa or a bed of lettuce, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Slow Cooker Spicy Seitan and Broccoli Stew

Why choose seitan and broccoli for high-protein Crock-Pot meals? With only 0.5 grams of fat, seitan also has 1 gram of dietary fiber and 6 grams of carbohydrates, along with 17 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of seitan, sliced into thin strips
• 3 cups of broccoli florets
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece of ginger, minced
• 1/4 cup of low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup of vegetable broth
• 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of sriracha or other hot sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water (for thickening)
• cooked rice or quinoa (for serving)
• sesame seeds and chopped green onions (for garnish)

Directions:

1. Combine the sliced seitan, broccoli florets onion, and red bell pepper in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vegetable broth, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, minced garlic, minced ginger and crushed red pepper flakes.
3. Pour the sauce over the seitan and vegetables, and stir to coat everything evenly.
4. Cover and cook on low for four to six hours, until the vegetables are tender and the flavors are melded. (For faster cooking, cook on high for two to three hours.)
5. About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the cornstarch mixture to thicken the sauce.
6. Serve hot over cooked rice or quinoa, garnished with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.

Slow Cooker Black Bean and Mushroom Stew

Why choose black beans for high-protein Crock-Pot meals? On their own, one cup of black beans is approximately 15 grams of protein and the same amount of dietary fiber. With very little sugar (0.6 grams) and saturated fat (0.2 grams), black beans are also filled with iron, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Including mushrooms in this black bean recipe also gives it a chewy meat substitute. Additionally, mushrooms have 3 grams of protein.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of dried black beans, rinsed and sorted
• 2 oyster mushrooms
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped (optional for heat)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of lite salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse and sort the dried black beans.
2. Chop the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms and jalapeño.
3. Mince the garlic.
4. In your slow cooker, add the black beans, mushrooms, chopped onion, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, black pepper, vegetable broth, diced tomatoes and bay leaf.
5. Cover and cook on low for eight to 10 hours, until the vegetables are tender. (For faster cooking, cook on high for four to six hours.)
6. Remove the bay leaf, and stir in the lime juice. Adjust seasoning to taste.
7. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
8. Serve over rice or quinoa. (It’s also a filling for tacos and burritos.)

Slow Cooker Tempeh and Quinoa Stew

Why choose tempeh and quinoa for high-protein Crock-Pot meals? Although tempeh doesn’t have much dietary fiber (1.8 grams) and a high count of fat (10.8 grams with 2.2 grams of saturated fat), 1/2 cup is loaded with protein (19 grams). It’s also filled with calcium and magnesium. Quinoa, a common recommendation in the recipes above, has 8 grams of protein in one cup, which is more than one cup of white rice (4 grams of protein) or one cup of brown rice (5 grams of protein).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa, rinsed
• 1 package of tempeh (8 ounces), cubed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 cup of carrots, chopped
• 1 cup of kale or spinach, chopped
• 6 tomatoes, sliced
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 15 ounces of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon of lite salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse the quinoa.
2. Cube the tempeh.
3. Chop all of the vegetables.
4. In your slow cooker, add the quinoa, tempeh, onion, garlic, red bell pepper, zucchini, carrots, kale or spinach, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth and black beans.
5. Add the soy sauce or tamari, olive oil, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
6. Stir everything to combine.
7. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours, until the vegetables are tender. (For faster cooking, cook on high for three to four hours.)
8. Give the stew a good stir before serving to ensure everything is evenly mixed.

Slow Cooker Jackfruit Carnitas

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces of young green jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, deseeded and chopped (optional for heat)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (optional for extra heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon of lite salt (adjust to taste)
• 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 cup of vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
• 2 freshly squeezed oranges (no seeds, or 1/4 cup of sugar-free orange juice)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• fresh cilantro for garnish (optional)
• tortillas for serving

Directions:

1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Cut off the core, and shred the jackfruit pieces with your hands or a fork to create a pulled pork-like texture.
2. In your slow cooker, add the shredded jackfruit, chopped onion, garlic, red bell pepper, jalapeño, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Pour in the vegetable broth, lime juice, squeezed orange and olive oil. Stir everything together.
4. Cover and cook on low for six to eight hours, until the vegetables are tender. (For faster cooking, cook on high for three to four hours.)
5. Serve the jackfruit carnitas in tortillas, topped with fresh cilantro if desired. (Optional toppings include avocado, salsa or vegan sour cream.)

Frequently Asked Questions

What are some easy high-protein Crock-Pot recipes? 

Besides the seven mentioned above, Crock-Pot recipes are generally easy to make with most ingredients. Just chop up the ingredients, season as desired, turn on the slow cooker, stir occasionally and wait a few hours until it’s ready. Make sure to have at least one high-protein ingredient, but don’t overlook dietary fiber, vitamins and healthy fats. For example, broccoli is low in protein but essential for fiber.

Can I make high-protein vegetarian or vegan meals in a crockpot? 

Yes, you can choose meals that focus on legumes, beans and grains. Oats, tempeh, spirulina, seitan, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, quinoa, pumpkin seeds are just a few foods to make a high-protein Crock-Pot meal with vegan and vegetarian ingredients. There are also vegan and vegetarian meat options that can be sliced and added into the Crock-Pot meal.

How can I add more protein to my slow cooker meals?

Take note of how much protein you’re already eating before you assume you’re not getting enough. Sedentary adults should eat 0.36 daily grams of protein per pound of body weight; active adults should eat about two times this amount each day. According to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, the average American adult already eats 16% of their calories from protein.