Is a slow cooker/crockpot worthwhile if you don't eat meat?

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  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
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    Not for me. I rarely use mine. I make soup, stew, or beans in it maybe 8 times per year.
  • SolotoCEO
    SolotoCEO Posts: 293 Member
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    If you get one, I'd suggest a pressure cooker/crock pot combo. I use the pressure cooker functions more often than the slow cooker function - but I use them both and I use the machine often enough to leave it sitting on the counter. Tonight I did rice and veggies in the pressure cooker for 8 minutes - yummy dinner!
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I think I've made a meat dish once in my slow cooker. I do veggies in it all the time. I eat a lot of beans etc., and the slow cooker is better than the pressure cooker I think. I have an electric pressure cooker which also has a slow cooker function. I use it several times a week. It's great for steaming veggies as well as cooking bean-based soups and stews. You don't need to presoak, just pile everything in, set it and go.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I use mine about 8 times a year too, lol, and I don't think I've ever made anything that doesn't have meat in it...
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    There are plenty of meatless dishes that do well in a slow cooker. Bean dishes are fine. I have cooked corn on the cob and whole potatoes in a slow cooker. It depends on what you put in there and for how long if it will get mushy.
    http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/types-vegetables-cook-well-slowcooker-36006.html
    Do a search for vegetarian slow cooker recipes.
  • niamibunni
    niamibunni Posts: 110 Member
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    A pressure cooker works great for veggies and you can get a really great meal made in very little time (and it tastes better than a crock pot). Beans cook super fast, no more overnight soaks. My crock pot is now in storage. No need for it!

    Insta Pot is a great pressure cooker, but can be pricey.
  • ColossusCain
    ColossusCain Posts: 124 Member
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    I use Beyond Meat Beef crumbles to make chili in a slow cooker and let me tell you, there is zero difference! I've been veg for less than I year and I can tell the difference nor can my meat eating friends. The answer is yes, slow cookers are always great to have, you just need to broaden you recipe game
  • nilbogger
    nilbogger Posts: 870 Member
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    There are a bunch of vegetarian dishes you can make in a slow cooker. It works well with legumes and root vegetables.

    This recipe sounds pretty good:

    http://recipes.ilovepeanutbutter.com/slow-cooker-peanut-butter-potato-stew/

    And I enjoy this one:

    http://www.food.com/recipe/ratatouille-in-the-crock-pot-52757
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    Things I like to cook in my crock pot:
    • Pumpkin oatmeal. It makes the whole house smell amazing.
    • Stuffed peppers
    • Butternut squash dishes: when the squash is cubed, crock pots are perfect for cooking.
  • kuroshii
    kuroshii Posts: 168 Member
    edited March 2016
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    See also: soup! The best soups are the ones that burble on the back burner of your stove for hours so that all the flavors meld, so I would imagine making it in a slow cooker set on low for hours would have the same delicious effect. Maybe do all the chopping and dicing the night before. Oh, and then you can add beans. ;)
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
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    The mush depends on how long you cook it. I like cooking my veggies into mush sometimes, like for my broccoli cheddar soup is nice when the broccoli becomes one with the rest.
  • stewoolley
    stewoolley Posts: 3 Member
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    No.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,716 Member
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    brb_2013 wrote: »
    The mush depends on how long you cook it. I like cooking my veggies into mush sometimes, like for my broccoli cheddar soup is nice when the broccoli becomes one with the rest.

    Yes, length of time, amount of liquid added and layering makes a difference as well. I know OP said they are looking for vegetarian recipes, but just as an example: if I have a roast that looks a little tough and I put it in the crock pot I put it on the bottom, add enough liquid just to cover half the roast, then set the potatoes on top (so they aren't submerged in any liquid) and then vegetables on top of that and then season it all. Still gets good flavor with no mush.
  • cronus70
    cronus70 Posts: 189 Member
    edited March 2016
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    Wild Mushroom Stroganoff: Serves 4 Calories per serving: 101
    The more exciting the mushrooms, the better this dish is going to taste. Use whatever you can get your hands on, but a combination of portobello, shitake, morel, oyster and enoki would be fantastic. However don’t be put off if you can only get regular varieties it will still taste good.
    Ingredients 500g/ 1lb 2oz wild mixed mushrooms,
    sliced 2 onions, chopped
    4 garlic cloves, crushed
    2 tsps smoked paprika
    250ml/ 1 cup vegetable stock/ broth 1
    400g/ 14oz tin low fat condensed mushroom soup
    Bunch chopped flat leaf parsley (reserve a little for garnish)

    Method Add all the ingredients into the slow cooker. Close the lid tightly and leave to cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours. Ensure the mushrooms are tender and serve with pasta or rice and a spoon of fat free Greek yoghurt.
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
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    I've got a few vegetarian/vegan recipes that I LOVE making in my crock-pot. Soups, chilis, rice and beans...all kinds of deliciousness.

    Granted, I could probably make all of these things in a big stock pot on the stove top, but the slow cooker really allows the flavors to meld together. Plus, it's so easy...you don't really have to watch it like you do a pot on the stove.
  • chickenz
    chickenz Posts: 101 Member
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    Get a pressure cooker, more versatile

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