19 High-Protein Dump Dinners
If you need inspiration for an easy and flavorful meal, you’ll want to add these dump dinners to your menu! These dishes are perfect for busier nights since you can just toss the ingredients in your slow cooker or pressure cooker with minimal effort on your part. Another bonus? Every serving contains at least 15 grams of protein, a nutrient that helps support bone and muscle repair, healthy digestion and healthy weight management. Recipes like our Slow-Cooker Marry Me Chicken with Barley or our Slow-Cooker Three-Bean Chili Macare hearty dinners that are sure to help you feel fueled and satisfied.
Slow-Cooker Marry Me Chicken with Barley
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Fall in love with this easy version of Marry Me Chicken—a dish with chicken and julienned sun-dried tomatoes swimming in a creamy sauce. Our version adds cherry tomatoes and zucchini for an added boost of veggies, plus barley which soaks up the sauce and makes this dish a complete meal all in one pot.
Slow-Cooker Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall , Prop Stylist: Julia Bayless
This hearty sweet potato and black bean chili has a delightful balance of sweet and spicy flavors. Swap out regular chili powder for chipotle and ancho chile powder, or try using reduced-sodium taco or fajita seasoning for a unique twist.
Slow-Cooker Three-Bean Chili Mac
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Lydia Purcell
Chili meets mac and cheese in this fix-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker dinner. Hot tomato sauce, a Mexican canned tomato sauce that also includes spices and chiles for heat, kicks up the flavor.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup
This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken thighs is the key to making rich soup without adding broth.
Slow-Cooker Loaded Broccoli & Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This comforting soup is loaded with broccoli and chicken in a creamy, cheesy base and finished off with the classic toppings of bacon and scallions. Frozen onions and rice keep their integrity and texture to the soup, but chopped fresh onions and cooked brown rice (not frozen) can be used in their place.
Creamy Chicken, Brussels Sprouts & Mushrooms One-Pot Pasta
Photographer: Jake Sternquist, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Natalie Ghazali
You’ll only have to dirty one pot in this easy pasta recipe that cooks chicken and vegetables right along with the noodles. Plus, by using the exact amount of water you need to cook the pasta, the starch that usually gets drained off with your pasta water stays in the pot, giving you delectably creamy results.
Slow-Cooker Spinach & Artichoke Chicken Soup
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
If you love spinach and artichokes, this is the perfect soup for you. The creamy base is packed with veggies and shredded chicken, which soaks up the broth while adding a boost of protein. Frozen artichoke hearts have less sodium than canned, but canned can be used in their place. Just be sure to give them a good rinse before adding them to the slow cooker.
Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Root Vegetables & Barley
Be sure to use bone-in chicken here–it enhances the flavor of the broth, and the bones are easy to remove after cooking. This healthy chicken soup can be made in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker.
Slow-Cooker Beef-Barley Soup with Red Wine & Pesto
Hearty, thick, rich–this is just how a soup should be. The meat and carrots become tender yet retain their texture, and the kale offers freshness. Garnish each serving of this slow-cooker beef and barley soup with additional pesto and fresh basil and oregano sprigs, if desired.
Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon & Potato Soup
This soup is perfect for ushering in fall: It’s hearty enough for the beginning of soup season, yet brothy and veggie-packed so it doesn’t feel too heavy.
Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster
This crock pot chicken and dumplings recipe uses store-bought biscuits for dumplings that are moist and tender once stirred into the savory mixture of creamy mushrooms, chicken and veggies.
Slow-Cooker Beef Curry
Long, slow cooking periods mellow flavors while bold spices, in bold amounts, will hold their own over time. That’s just what happens here with big flavors from Thai curry paste and fish sauce finished with fresh touches of cilantro and lime juice that together, draw inspiration from Thai curry. Serve over a bed of brown rice or brown rice noodles to catch all the sauce.
Slow-Cooker Buffalo Chicken Chili
Jason Donnelly
If you like Buffalo wings, you’ll love the flavors in this warm, hearty chili that comes together easily in the slow cooker. Sour cream helps cut the heat, but you could also use plain strained yogurt.
Black-Vinegar-Braised Beef
The fragrant aroma of star anise will welcome you home after this braise cooks throughout the day. Serve with rice or rice noodles.
Kale, Wild Rice & Chicken Stew
Chicken thighs get perfectly tender in just a few hours in the slow cooker. Plus, cooking everything together low and slow infuses all the flavors together for complexity in every bite.
Slow-Cooker Chicken Chili
Jason Donnelly
This simple slow-cooker chili features plenty of veggies and shredded chicken breast simmered in a smoky broth of chipotle chiles and tomato. The chili is finished with shredded cheese, avocados and cilantro, but feel free to add your own favorite toppings to jazz it up!
Crock-Pot Pineapple Chicken
This slow-cooker meal has a hint of ginger and sesame and is made with simple ingredients you may already have in your pantry! Look for fresh pineapple that’s been peeled and cored already to make assembly even easier. Serve with brown rice to sop up the sweet and savory sauce.
Slow-Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Noodle Soup
This slow-cooker chicken noodle soup fits nicely into the Mediterranean diet thanks to plenty of vegetables, lean chicken breast and whole-wheat pasta. Pair it with a salad and toasted whole-grain bread for an easy, healthy dinner.
Creamy White Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hocks
Creamy, starchy and filling, this hearty, rustic soup is the epitome of comfort. And convenient: Beans go in dry—no need to soak.
