20 Hearty and Healthy Crockpot Recipes For Cold Days

Mom's Kitchen Handbook's saucy slow-cooker turkey meatballs should be a requirement in every family's dinnertime repertoire.

With only a few ingredients, these sloppy joes from Budget Gourmet Mom are on the table and ready for noshing after a day of cooking slow and low, thanks to your crockpot. And leftovers do double duty as lunch the next day.

There's nothing like a big bowl of chicken soup on a cold Winter afternoon, and Food Network's recipe nails it (check out the surprise secret ingredient!).

Proving that chicken doesn't have to be boring, this Cuban chicken recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Slow Cooker Cookbook incorporates citrus and herbs for a crave-worthy, easy-to-make dinner.

If chicken parm is a family favorite, try mixing things up a bit with Foxes Love Lemons' recipe for chicken parmesan soup. It has all of the saucy, cheesy goodness of the Italian staple but can be thrown together in the morning and have your whole house smelling heavenly by dinner!

Ten hours of slow cooking makes for superflavorful pulled pork. Pile it high, and top with refreshing lemon slaw for dinner on a bun. (Plus, plenty of leftovers!)

Serve this lightened-up Italian chicken dish with a side of spaghetti for a complete meal.

It may not be the purist's approach to BBQ ribs, but cooking them in the crockpot offers up loads of flavor and fall-off-the-bone goodness while allowing you to do just a little bit of prep work before going about your day.

If you're used to thinking of risotto as a carb-heavy indulgence, check out this revised approach that uses barley and chickpeas as the basis for the meatless main.

An incredibly elegant meal that's perfect for slightly more sophisticated eaters, slow-cooker chicken marbella incorporates Mediterranean flavors and pairs perfectly with a dish of fluffy couscous.

Proof that turkey's not just for Thanksgiving, these slow-cooker pulled-turkey sandwiches bring a taste of a summertime barbecue to the chilliest of Winter nights.

Your kids don't need to know how incredibly healthy this carrot soup is for them — they can just kick back and gobble it up.