Following a healthy Mediterranean diet has never been so easy, thanks to the slow cooker! Check out these slow cooker Mediterranean recipes you can make at home!

Breakfast Stuffed Peppers

These stuffed peppers are a delicious spin on the traditional recipe. The vitamins and minerals in the peppers combined with the protein in the eggs and sausage make it a healthy and delicious beginning to any day. The beautiful presentation also makes for a special breakfast to serve to guests.

Serves 4 | Prep. time 10 minutes | Cooking time 2–4 hours

Ingredients

• ½ pound ground breakfast sausage
• 4 bell peppers (any color—I like to use one of each)
• 6 large eggs
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
• 4 ounces fire-roasted chopped green chilies
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Directions

1. Wash the peppers, cut off the tops and clean out the seeds.
2. Brown the sausage in a skillet. You can use turkey or chicken sausage too, but you need to add a tablespoon of oil to the pan if you do.
3. In a mixing bowl, whisk your eggs until fluffy. Then mix in the cheese and green chilies.
4. Season the egg mixture with salt and pepper.
5. Spray the slow cooker with olive oil and place the peppers inside.
6. Fill each pepper to the top with the egg mixture.
7. Set the slow cooker to high and cook for 2 hours, or cook on low for 4 hours.
8. Serve when the egg mixture is set.

 

Slow Cooker Chicken Provencal

These Provencal chicken breasts are loaded with protein and are a delicious lunch choice. The herbs and spices marry with the chicken and beans to create an amazing flavor.

Serves 4 | Prep. time 5 minutes | Cooking time 8 hours

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless bone-in chicken breast halves
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained

Directions

1. Spray the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil.
2. Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours.

 

Spanish Meatballs

These amazing meatballs are deliciously served on their own, with a nice crusty bread as a sandwich, or with your favorite marinara sauce over pasta.

Serves 6 | Prep. time 20 minutes | Cook time 5 hours

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound ground pork
• 2 eggs
• 1 (20-ounce) can of diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup sweet onion, minced, divided
• ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1½ teaspoons cumin
• 1½ teaspoons paprika (sweet or hot)

Directions

1. Spray the slow cooker with olive oil.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, eggs, about half of the onions, the breadcrumbs, and the spices.
3. Wash your hands and mix together until everything is well combined. Do not over-mix, though, as this makes for tough meatballs. Shape into meatballs. How big you make them will obviously determine how many total meatballs you get.
4. In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet and oil are hot, add the meatballs and brown on all sides. Make sure the balls aren’t touching each other so they brown evenly. When they are done, transfer them to the slow cooker.
5. Add the rest of the onions and the tomatoes to the skillet and allow them to cook for a few minutes, scraping the brown bits from the meatballs up to add flavor.
6. Pour the tomatoes over the meatballs in the slow cooker and cook on low for 5 hours.

 

Eggplant Parmigiana

This take on the original eggplant parmigiana is perfect to serve to guests. They will think you spent all day in the kitchen when in truth, the slow cooker did all the work.

Serves 8 | Prep. time 24 minutes | Cooking time 8 hours

Ingredients

• 4 pounds eggplant
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk of choice
• 1½ cup breadcrumbs
• 3 ounces Parmesan cheese
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 4 cups marinara sauce, divided
• 1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced or shredded
• Fresh basil, for topping

Directions

1. Whisk together the eggs and milk. In a separate bowl, mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
2. Peel and cut the eggplant into equal size rounds.
3. Season the eggplant with salt and pepper.
4. Dip the eggplant rounds into the egg-and-milk mixture, then into the breadcrumbs mixed with the parmesan cheese.
5. Pour 2 cups of marinara sauce into the slow cooker.
6. Place the breaded eggplant slices in the slow cooker. Add a layer of mozzarella and another cup of marinara sauce. Repeat the layers using the remaining eggplant rounds.
7. Sprinkle the top with the remaining mozzarella and cook on low for 8 hours.
8. Serve with fresh basil.

 

Minestrone Soup

Soups are a perfect choice for your slow cooker. This traditional minestrone soup is a delicious start to your meal that can also stand alone as an entree.

Serves 4–6 | Prep. time 10 minutes | Cooking time 6 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 (14½-ounce) cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ¼ cup sun-dried tomato pesto
• 1 parmesan rind
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 1¼ cups celery, diced
• 1½ cups white onion, diced
• 4–5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 sprig of rosemary (or ½ teaspoon dried)
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 (15-ounce) can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15-ounce) can of Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
• 1½ cups zucchini, diced
• 1½ cups tubular pasta, cooked
• 1 cup frozen green beans, thawed
• 2½ cups baby spinach, chopped
• Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Add everything but the pasta and spinach to the slow cooker and cook on low for 6–8 hours.
2. Add the cooked pasta and the spinach and cook for an additional 25 minutes.
3. Serve with shredded parmesan.

 

 

***These recipes and more can be found in Madison Miller’s Effortless Mediterranean Diet Slow Cooker Cookbook: Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Mediterranean Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle. To get your copy, click on the cover or click here.

To download a copy of the featured recipes, click here.