10 Whole30 Recipes You Can Make in a Slow Cooker

Have you embarked on Whole30? For many, it’s a way to reset in the new year and get to feeling their best. However, whether you’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran of the program, it’s not always easy to come up meal ideas. Life doesn’t slow down for Whole30 either, so what you’re cooking still needs to be simple and flexible.

That’s where a slow cooker comes in. While the appliance is useful no matter how you eat, it’s especially helpful if you’re following Whole30 because it makes for hands-free meal prep and excels at making unprocessed meats and vegetables (which make up the bulk of approved ingredients) delicious and tender. Here are 10 Whole30-approved slow cooker recipes to try:

You don’t necessarily need to crank up the oven or fire up the stovetop to achieve crispy chicken thighs — here the slow cooker works its magic. Have fun playing around with the spices, too. Things like curry powder, cumin, and Italian seasoning are a tasty replacement for smoked paprika.

Get the recipe: How to Make Crispy, Juicy Chicken Thighs in the Slow Cooker

Instead of cream, potatoes provide the richness in this soup. You can keep the bacon garnish here if it’s sugar-free, Whole30-approved bacon — otherwise, leave it off and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped fresh parsley, which is also delicious.

Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Celery Soup with Bacon

While it’s optional, it’s worth putting down a layer of chopped vegetables like potatoes, carrots, onions, or fennel before adding the pork chops. They’ll soak up lots of the meat’s flavorful juices and turn the chops into a complete meal.

Get the recipe: How to Cook Pork Chops in the Slow Cooker

This French stew of eggplant, zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, and onions is incredibly versatile. Enjoy it alongside roasted potatoes, over sautéed greens, or folded into scrambled eggs.

Get the recipe: Slow-Cooker Ratatouille

Salmon is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about what to cook in your slow cooker but this method is so simple, it may become your new favorite.

Get the recipe: How to Cook Salmon in the Slow Cooker

This colorful recipe relies on a few ingredients from Trader Joe’s that are all Whole30-approved. You may want to pick up an extra container of the zhoug sauce because the spicy green condiment is delicious drizzled on just about everything.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Spicy Mediterranean Chicken

This one-pot chicken soup couldn’t be easier and is just about the perfect thing to throw together this time of year when something that will warm you from the inside out is constantly what you crave.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Whole Chicken Soup

Leave the shredded cheese and sour cream off these taco-inspired potatoes and instead sprinkle on some diced avocado to lend creaminess to the situation.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Taco-Stuffed Potatoes

While spicy, smoky chicken tinga is most usually stuffed inside or spooned over tortillas, make it Whole30-approved by loading some into a baked potato or serving it over cauliflower rice.

Get the recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Tinga

This light soup is extra feel-good. To make it more satisfying, top it with a poached egg and a drizzle of olive oil, but skip the crumbles of feta cheese.

Get the recipe: Everyday Green Vegetable Slow Cooker Soup