14 High-Protein Slow-Cooker Recipes You Can Set and Forget

Let’s be real: Cooking a filling, healthy dinner is probably the last thing you want to do after a busy day. But adding some high-protein slow-cooker recipes to your repertoire can help you get ahead of your dinner woes. 

Slow cookers have so many advantages. They are relatively affordable as far as kitchen gadgets go, as well as easy to use. (Seriously, turning a dial is the extent of the technical skill required here.) They also help cut down on clean-up time. For even quicker and simpler slow cooking, you can save on prep time by looking for flash-frozen veggies or pre-prepped ingredients like chopped onions, crushed garlic, and cut sweet potatoes. You can also buy slow-cooker liners, which makes clean-up even breezier.

Most of all, slow cookers will make preparing a legit dinner a snap. While every recipe is a little different, the general gist is this: Choose a dish, get all the ingredients ready, toss them into the appliance, and let it do its thing. A few hours later, you’ll be ready to eat. Often, all you’ll need to do is take a bit of time in the morning to drop everything in your slow cooker and voilà, you’ll have a delicious hot meal waiting for you at the end of the day. It’s like having a chef! Except the chef is you.

Once you’re set up and are looking for slow-cooker recipes to try, focusing on protein-rich dinners is a smart choice. Not only do meats cook beautifully and come out tender when slow-cooked, but all that protein will keep you fuller longer, as SELF has previously reported, so you won’t have to rustle up another snack before bedtime (unless you want to!). Plus, protein is an essential nutrient that is vital for things like building muscle, keeping your skin, hair, and nails strong, and much more. 

Maximal protein and deliciousness, minimal effort. Ya feel? If you’re ready to get cooking, here are 14 high-protein slow cooker recipes to try.