Most nights I find myself making three different dinners. I don't know why I do this to myself, but my husband is a pescatarian, my son is just a picky eater, full stop, and I eat keto, so basically low-carb, high-fat, none of the bread, pasta, and sugar that my husband wants.

So it's a lot of pots for one evening, but for some reason when I make a keto seafood meal it just works for all three of us. It doesn't miss the pescatarian; my son actually eats it. And I'm not stone-joking: three different pans. I still don't really understand how or why, but that's okay as long as everyone's happy, eating, and not burning.

So here are some awesome keto recipes.

1. Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken

The last properly creamy meal I had before testing this one was actually a mushroom risotto, completely off plan, obviously, but every now and then I'll have a night where I just want something rich. This crockpot version scratches the same craving without derailing the week, which is honestly what made this one of my go-tos.

Cream cheese and parm do the thickening instead of flour, keeping this properly low carb.

Soften the cream cheese before adding it so it goes in smoothly, and stir it through the sauce rather than overcooking it.

I like to serve this with cauliflower rice to keep the whole plate keto.

This one takes about 6 hours on low, so it's not quick, but it's mostly hands-off, which is the whole point of using the slow cooker.

2. Mississippi Pot Roast

Yeah guys, this is a goodie when you've got a lot of people coming around for dinner. It's cool because it's a keto-friendly take on the original Mississippi roast. It's ready to shred with a fork.

That takes about 8 hours on low, but it's entirely hands-off once it's in the crock pot.

I think this was invented by home cooks in the 1990s, and then kind of just spread through your community cooks before going viral online.

The pepperoncini brine helps break down and tenderize the chuck over the long cook, which is part of why that cut goes so fall-apart tender.

Make sure you sear it first. It isn't strictly necessary, but I just think it adds a deep flavor if you've got that extra 5 minutes, which you will have because basically you do no cooking here.

And then this is delicious as leftover shredded beef, or you can freeze it and then use it over rice for a meal.

3. Crack Chicken (Bacon Ranch Cream Cheese)

When I make this one, I make it for the boys, as I don't like bacon, but it is a keto favorite, nicknamed for how addictive it is. It takes about 6 hours on low or 3 to 4 hours on high, but mostly hands-off.

When you do make this, make sure you render the bacon fully crisp first and use a little of that rendered fat to season if you like. It carries a smoky flavor throughout the dish, with some sitting on top as a garnish. Then soften the cream cheese before adding it to smooth it out.

I like to serve it over some roasted broccoli. A good one for low-carb, please. And if not everybody's into keto, serve it with some rice, and you can just have some cauliflower rice on the side.

4. No-Bean Keto Chili

This is such a rich, hearty beef chili with no beans- just meat, tomatoes, and spices- so the flavor stays concentrated and fits a keto plan.

A tip I learned at chef school: deseeding a chili doesn't actually reduce the heat as much as you think. It's actually the pith that holds most of the capsaicin, not the seeds.

So skipping beans keeps the flavor concentrated since beans normally absorb liquid as they cook. Browning the beef separately before adding it to the slow cooker gives a deep flavor.

Then I like to finish this with a cheese, one that's going to melt, like Monterey, fresh avocado, and sour cream. You could also have these in lettuce cups.

5. Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I recently went away with a whole bunch of my girlfriends and we made these buffalo chicken lettuce wraps as our dinner. We had way too much champagne, way too much laughing, and these went down a treat because they were so light and not that heavy.

Buffalo sauce actually gets its name from Buffalo, New York. Butter's doing real work in that sauce, because it adds richness and coats the hot sauce, and that's what mellows its sharpness, which is why buffalo sauce tastes rounder than straight hot sauce ever could.

If I could, I would support lettuce wraps as a bread substitute for anything. I find that if I eat too much bread, I get super bloated. So if I'm not making buffalo chicken stuffing for these lettuce wraps, I find something else to put in them.

6. Beef and Broccoli

A delicious slow cooker take on the classic beef and broccoli in a savory garlic-ginger sauce with crisp broccoli stirred in at the end. You don't have to use beef if you don't want to; you can substitute chicken, which is what I would normally do. It takes about 6-7 hours on low and 3-4 hours on high, and about 10 minutes to finish.

I like to stick to coconut aminos and soy sauce for a fully keto-friendly option. I just feel like if you're doing keto, do it properly.

Make sure the broccoli goes on at the end; it only needs about 10 minutes. If you add it in too early, it goes really soft and gray and mushy before it's ready.

Another awesome tip with this one is to add a pinch of xanthan gum into the sauce at the end; it helps it cling to the beef the way a slurry would, without adding those extra carbs.

This goes great over cauliflower rice, just to soak up all that sauce. My husband goes and has about five helpings of this; he can't help himself.

7. Sausage and Peppers

This is a really good one to make in the crock pot. Bell peppers get sweet from the long, slow cook, since heat breaks down the cell walls and releases more of their natural sugars. Slow-cooked peppers taste so much better than raw or quick-sauteed ones.

Browning the sausages first isn't essential, but it definitely adds a deeper flavor if you have the extra 6 minutes. I like to choose a sausage with minimal filler for the lowest carbs.

Most of the other ingredients you should already have in your pantry or fridge. I always have canned tomatoes, tomato paste, dried Italian herbs, and chili flakes somewhere stored away. Then I like to finish this off with some fresh basil from my garden. It just brings it all together.

So delicious with zucchini noodles.

8. Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Whenever I make this broccoli cheddar soup, it reminds me of my grandma and takes me straight back to the farm. I used to love watching my grandma pick the broccoli straight out of her garden. You can't get fresher than that.

Cream cheese does the thickening instead of flour, keeping it strictly keto and probably low-carb plan-friendly, and it's part of the super creamy base. And then I like to leave some broccoli chunky for texture, but if you are like my husband who can't stand a chunky soup, you can blend it fully if you prefer.

You've got to add the cheddar off the heat, and then also gently stir it in so it melts smoothly. Otherwise, if you throw it in together too fast and on the heat, it goes grainy.

This freezes really well, and I'll whip this out and have it for lunch, quickly defrosted in the microwave.

9. Pork Carnitas

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 8 hours | Servings: 8

10. Garlic Butter Pork Chops

Garlic butter pork chops are one I definitely make for my dad when he's in town, and for my husband. Obviously, I won't eat this, so my mom and I will have something different, chicken breast or something. But everyone else has the same side. And it goes really well with baby spinach, or even braised cabbage.

Try not to overcook your pork chops, as they can dry out quickly, especially if you're using a lean, boneless chop. Let them rest before you take them off.

But I have been in all about my husband and a bone-in chop, juicier. The bone helps protect the meat during cooking and adds flavor.

I like to deglaze the pan after removing the pork, add a little chicken stock to the hot pan, and then scrape up the browned bits. That's where you get that delicious gravy.

11. Chicken Fajita Soup

When you're craving something like a comfort meal, but you've got to watch those carbs, this is one of those meals that I like to make in the crockpot. Just go ahead and skip the beans, corn, and tortillas.

I typically use chicken thighs for this because it gives the best texture. I think they hold up really well during low, slow cooking. And then, like always with a crock pot, add the dairy at the end, cream cheese or whatever you're using.

Sometimes when the boys are actually having the real deal, like the fajita with the beans and the corn, I'll have the soup version, and we're all satisfied and happy with that.

12. Meatballs in Sugar-Free Marinara

Something that came to mind recently: I actually checked a label, and it said it was sugar-free, but that doesn't always mean that it's low-carb. Look at the total carbohydrates and avoid sources of added sugar or sweetness, which increase the carb count. So next time you are at the shops, do yourself a favor and check that label; you'll be quite surprised.

This is such easy party food, and I actually like to make smaller meatballs so they can go straight from the crockpot to toothpicks for a low-carb appetizer. Make really good leftovers and freeze very well. And then you can make this a complete keto meal by serving it with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

13. Lemon Pepper Whole Chicken

Make sure you dry the chicken completely, because I promise you this is the key to getting that crisp, golden skin. Sometimes in a crock pot it can go soft and almost steam.

And then the trick is also to season underneath the skin. I'd like to rub some butter, then just push in some of the zest, and there's some garlic and lots of that pepper. It keeps the meat moist and seasoned from the inside.

Be careful not to use too much lemon juice because it can make this go soggy. And another huge tip that I've learned from doing a whole roast chicken: you've got to let it rest for about 10 to 15 minutes. I promise you this makes such a huge difference; it just lets the juices redistribute and makes the meat juicier.

I usually like to pair this recipe with a delicious salad.

14. Smoked Sausage and Cabbage

I don't know if you've ever found this before, but when you buy a whole cabbage and you're not making something like sour kraut that you end up using the whole thing for, it ends up sitting in your fridge forever. So I've come up with lots of ways to use it, and this is one way to get rid of it: crockpot smoked sausage and cabbage.

This is really good for a keto dish because cabbage is very low-carb, while the smoked sausage provides protein and fat. Just check the sausage label because some of them contain added sugar and starch.

Don't add too much liquid; cabbage releases so much water as it cooks that a small amount of chicken broth is usually enough. I like to add a splash of apple cider vinegar at the end. I just feel like it cuts through the richness of the sausage and butter, making the cabbage taste brighter.

This is really delicious, especially with some grated parmesan.

15. Barbacoa Beef

When making this barbacoa beef, you have to cook it low and slow. This one has to go for about 8-9 hours on low, since chuck roast is better for this due to the marbling. So when you put it in the crock pot, it breaks down during slow cooking, which gives you that shreddable beef texture.

We've got to keep the sauce keto, so I like to use beef stock, some lime juice, cumin, and oregano instead of those sugary barbecue sauces. Be careful not to add too much broth because the beef surprisingly releases a lot of liquid as it cooks.

I think this gets better overnight, so the beef absorbs more of the spices as it rests.

An interesting fact I read: traditional barbacoa meat, often associated with Mexican cooking, can be recreated in the crockpot version through a long, slow cooking process without needing a pit or specialized equipment.

16. Green Chile Chicken

Depending on who is eating this, you can make it with family-friendly green chilies, which I think are the canned, mild ones. I mean, you can add jalapeño if you want extra heat. I personally love extra heat, so we typically do that.

And I like to have it tucked in my freezer somewhere, so I'll make a big pot of this and then freeze it individually. Because it's so versatile, you can have it with sort of anything, like cauliflower rice, sautéed vegetables, lettuce cups. You can keep this keto-friendly, and it goes really well with avocado, sour cream, and extra cheese.

Absolutely, definitely use chicken thighs, and I'm doing this because they stay juicy and tender, but chicken breast works too if you're going for a leaner option. And make sure that you add cream cheese towards the end.

17. Cauliflower Baked Potato Soup

I don't think you can really make a baked potato soup with cauliflower and call it a potato soup. It's not really the same, and they don't taste that similar, but we can always just close our eyes and pretend we're eating potato soup when we're actually eating it with cauliflower. There's no problem there.

It does have that same creamy texture as a potato. Roast the cauliflower first to caramelize the edges, which gives it a deeper, almost nutty flavor. Then, because we're making potato soup, it's still essential to get that baked-potato feel at the end, so blend it smoothly.

Be careful not to boil the soup after you've added the dairy, because it will split.

I suppose the toppings make this dish, so if you're going to go full on, you've got to have crispy bacon, grated sharp cheese, sour cream, and chives. I don't have it with bacon when I have the soup; I use something like crispy fried onions as a topping instead.

18. Pulled Pork with Sugar-Free BBQ

**Block 3** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 8 hours | Serves: 8

19. Cream Cheese Chicken Chili

**Block 4** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 6 hours | Serves: 6

20. Beef Stew with Radishes

**Block 5** Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 8 hours | Serves: 6

21. Pesto Chicken

**Block 6** Prep time: 5 mins | Cook time: 4 hours | Serves: 4

22. Crustless Pizza Casserole

**Block 7** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 3 hours | Serves: 6

23. Corned Beef and Cabbage

**Block 8** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 8 hours | Serves: 6

24. Spinach and Artichoke Chicken

**Block 9** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 4 hours | Serves: 4

25. Taco Soup

**Block 10** Prep time: 15 mins | Cook time: 6 hours | Serves: 6

26. Ribs with Dry Rub

**Block 11** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 8 hours | Serves: 4

27. Korean Beef Bowls

**Block 12** Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 4 hours | Serves: 6

28. Unbreaded Chicken Parmesan

\u2022 Prep time: 5 mins \u2022 Cook time: 4 hours \u2022 Servings: 4

29. Mushroom Gravy Pork Roast

\u2022 Prep time: 10 mins \u2022 Cook time: 8 hours \u2022 Servings: 6

30. Zucchini Noodle Spaghetti Bolognese

\u2022 Prep time: 15 mins \u2022 Cook time: 6 hours \u2022 Servings: 6

The crockpot is a great way to stay organized and not have to do a ton of clean up. You have the crockpot and so there’s no excuse to not to give it a try. Make it easy on yourself and just take the week off from cooking and let the crockpot do all of the work.

Keep reading

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• 13 Keto Recipes I Actually Wanted Again the Next Week
• 25 Chicken Tender Recipes for Hungry Families