Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Entertaining

Chill out with these healthy holiday recipes using your slow cooker.

By Elaine Magee, MPH, RD
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Expert Column

When you're entertaining, the trick is keeping the cold foods cold and the hot foods hot for the duration of the festivities. This keeps the food looking appetizing, and, more important, is vital for preventing food poisoning. (Any food that sits out at room temperature for two hours or more is suspect.) Those are a few of the reasons the slow cooker is my favorite, totally easy way to keep hot dishes and appetizers safely hot during a party. Try some of my healthy holiday slow cooker recipes below, and it may become your favorite party trick, too!

With a slow cooker, there are no flames to worry about, no fuel to replenish, no candles to burn out. Just plug it in and set it. The LOW setting will keep the food hot during the party, and HIGH warms it up beforehand. (Give your dish about one hour on HIGH before the party to get it to the ideal temperature.)

I have two slow cookers in my kitchen just for entertaining. I often have a hot vegetable spread in one, and a lean meat appetizer sizzling in the other. To get you started entertaining with your slow cooker or cookers, here are five slow cooker recipes that are perfect for a holiday party.

Slow Cooker Recipe No. 1: Spinach-Artichoke Heart Dip

You can make this dip ahead of time, keep it covered in the refrigerator and then, about an hour before the party, spread it into a slow cooker crock and heat on HIGH until bubbly.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon minced or chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped green onions

10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and gently squeezed of excess water

1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts (water packed), drained and chopped

1 recipe Alfredo Sauce (see below)

1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 tablespoons shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat the inside of the crock of the slow cooker with canola cooking spray.
2. Add garlic, green onions, spinach, artichoke hearts, Alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, and Parmesan cheese to a large mixing bowl and stir to blend.
3. Spread mixture into the bottom of the prepared slow cooker crock and heat on HIGH until bubbly (about an hour). Serve warm with slices of wheat baguette bread, reduced fat-tortilla chips, or reduced-fat whole grain crackers.

Alfredo Sauce

1 tablespoon whipped butter or stick butter

2 cups fat-free half-and-half (or substitute whole or low-fat milk)

4 tablespoons Wondra quick-mixing flour

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Melt butter in medium, nonstick saucepan. Stir in 1/3 cup of the fat-free half-and-half, 4 tablespoons Wondra flour, and nutmeg and pepper. Slowly stir in remaining half-and-half. Bring mixture to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue to gently boil, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens (about 4 minutes). Stir in 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.

Yield: 16 servings

Nutrition Information: Per serving (just the dip): 75 calories, 6 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 3.5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 11 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 150 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 42%.

Slow Cooker Recipe No. 2: BBQ Sausage Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup BBQ sauce

16 ounces reduced-fat sausage of your choice

Preparation:

1. Turn slow cooker on HIGH and pour the barbecue sauce into the crock.
2. If using large link sausage (like Hillshire Farms Turkey Polska Kielbasa), slice into 1/3-inch thick slices. If using smaller link sausage, cut into 1-inch long segments. Stir the sausage pieces into the barbecue sauce in the slow cooker, Heat about 45 minutes until hot.
3. Reduce heat to LOW for the party and keep it on low until the sausage bites are all gone. Serve the sausage bites with toothpicks, if desired.

Yield: 8 servings

Nutrition Information: Per serving: 90 calories, 5 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 5 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 35 mg cholesterol, 0 g fiber, 510 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 50%.

Slow Cooker Recipe No. 3: Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light or regular mayonnaise

3 tablespoons fat-free sour cream

3 tablespoons Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs (panko crumbs can be substituted)

3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic

1 can (6 1/2 ounces) crabmeat (or 1 cup fresh crabmeat), rinsed and drained well

Dash or two Tabasco

Black pepper to taste

18 medium sized mushrooms, stems removed

Preparation:

1. Preheat slow cooker to high heat.
2. In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, fat-free sour cream, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic. Fold in the crabmeat. Add Tabasco and black pepper to taste.
3. Spoon heaping teaspoons full of crab filling into mushroom caps.
4. Arrange mushroom caps (crab side up) in the bottom of the preheated slow cooker. Add cover and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours. Reduce heat to LOW and serve the crab-stuffed mushrooms from the slow cooker, if desired.

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