How to roast vegetables in the slow cooker:
Some things in life are too good to be true.
That daily email informing me I’ve won the $100 million Swiss lotto?
Too good to be true.
Annoying Infomercial Guy who excitedly informs you there’s a way to make money while you sleep? And if you call in the next ten minutes, he’ll reveal the secret for just $19.99?
Too good to be true.
And the idea that one can make flavorful roast vegetables without turning on the oven, heating up the entire house, and watching fastidiously to ensure the crock pot vegetables don’t burn?
Much too good to be true.
This one is true.
Say hello to roasted vegetables in the slow cooker!
“But wait! There’s more! Call right now and we’ll double your order!” 
Below: the slow cooker vegetables and seasonings I used. Feel free to change it up.
Use more sweet potato, exchange carrots for the zucchini, cherry tomatoes for the garlic, add parsnips, add different herbs or spices to the crock pot vegetables…
How To Roast Vegetables In The Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 bell peppers, cut in large slices (as shown in the photos)
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
- 3 small zucchini, cut in thick slices
- 1/2 cup peeled garlic cloves
- salt herbs of choice, and oil (I probably used about 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, and 2 tbsp olive oil. I guess you could use oil spray if you don’t mind the taste of roasted vegetables without oil. But I like the crock pot vegetables much better with the olive oil.)
Instructions
- How to cook crock pot vegetables in the slow cooker: Grease your crock pot, then add all the veggies. (I used a 4-quart slow cooker.) Season with the salt, herbs, and oil, then stir to evenly coat. Cook 3 hours on high (or longer on low), stirring just once every hour or so. At this point, you can open the lid and drain the liquid for another use. Don’t discard it; the liquid is seriously delicious! I just drank it like soup. The veggies will be a softer texture than oven-roasted veggies, but they are actually even more flavorful and sweet. Crockpots—thanks to their slow and steady heating—are known to heighten the flavor of whatever you’re cooking.View Crock Pot Vegetables Nutrition Facts
Do you ever fall for those tv infomercials?
Against my better judgment, I fall for them all the time! Then I have to remind myself, “It’s too good to be true. There must be a catch.” A cream that claims you can use it once and never shave again? Too good to be true. A CD that teaches you a new language in under 10 days? Too good to be true. A robotic vacuum cleaner you don’t need to push? Much, much too good to be true. A few years ago, one of my friends bought that vacuum… all it did was constantly crash into the wall!
Single Serving Coffee Cake in a Mug
Clean Eating Almond Butter Fudge
What a brilliant idea for low-maintenance roasted vegetables! Since I already have a love affair with my crockpot I will definitely have to try this method!
As for the infomercials…several years ago before my wedding I made a poor 6am in the morning decision and spent nearly $100 on “the bean” – a piece of exercise equipment (if you could call it that!) promising to make all my woes disappear and sculpt me into a goddess. Moral of the story: beans are only for eating.
We bought the Roomba robot vacuum cleaner.. We loved it. It circled chair legs on bare floor, swept under the beds and couches. It wasn’t programmed to go back and forth like a lawn mower, but it covered one room if you gave it enough time. After eight or ten years the battery died and since our unit was so old and we lived in another we couldn’t replace it.
You only bought 1 Bean exerciser? I bought 2…for my daughter and myself. I think the Goodwill Store is more than likely still trying to resell them…I thought Somone surely might want them so I donated them. After reading the reviews and statements…I suppose not! LOL
Mind:Blown:
I actually lecture on the psychology of inormercials in my Gen Psych class – such interesting theories!
Yes! Thank you! I love this blog!
This looks so yummy! I’m always looking for new slow cooker recipes 🙂
This will be so awesome! I’m sure you’ll get this question a lot, but what size crock pot did you use? We have a mini and a “normal” sized. Just don’t want to use the wrong size!
Nevermind… 🙂 I’m guessing 4 Quart is pretty standard though?
This post couldn’t have been timed better! I got a slow cooker for Christmas but have no idea how to do basic things (like veggies) in it. Thanks, I’m so excited to try this!
I want to use my slow cooker to cook my carrots (2 lbs) instead of on top of stove boiled.. I know putting any brown sugar, which I would love to include to carmalize themwould be so good but my son may not be able to enjoy them. The potatoes are enough heat coming from the top of the stove and the ham inside. My cabbage salad , apple sauce, and my apple pie will top it off. So this 90 yr. old mom will appreciate any advice concerning how to cook the carrots in my cooker as far as low or high and and how long I should cook them. I appreciate your help. Never did vegtables in my slow cooker except butternut squash and that was delish. Thank you so much Katie for your help and Merry Christmas.
Go to google and type in crock pot cooking. Also ask for recipes. Besides that there should have been a manual in the box along with some recipes too. There should be millions of recipes on the internet. Pinterest has tons of stuff of everything.
I use my crockpot’s to make a rice hot dish, to keep mashed potatoes and stuffing warm. I am currently making a pot roast
with vegies.
a revelation – thank you.
Katie – I have a 6 qt. slow cooker, so for the most even heating should I time-and-a-half the recipe or do you think your amounts will work? Also, what is the bowl of golden goodness underneath the veg? Please link to the recipe for that if you have one. It looks like polenta.
I have a vacuum cleaner like that! It’s called a Rumba I think. It’s supposed to be for pet hair but it picks up crumbs/other small things pretty well. It rarely malfunctions and is surprising good at navigating the whole floor! You do have to empty it often and sometimes long hair gets tangled so you have to clean that out – yuck.
This is interesting. Does the slow cooker give the same roasted flavor that the oven gives? I love the flavor of roasted vegetables and wouldn’t be willing to give that up. 🙂
Wow, a recipe that’s over 100 calories….. I don’t think I’m ready for such a dramatic change, Katie. 🙁
That looks wonderful!! I like my roasted veggies to be soft and the leftover “juice” sounds delish!
Roasted veggies are my favorit thing! As I type, I actually eat the best snacky dinner ever; pieces of nice sourdough bread spead with avocado and topped with cold left over roasted veggies (zucchini, red onion, bell pepper and cherry tomatos). Amazing!
I love this idea! And I have to say, I love that you’re incorporating more savoury recipes into your repertoire! We do, after all, have to eat things other than treats, and your recipes have always worked, so I don’t see why that would change for savoury ones!
Oooo I love finding new ways to use my slow cooker! Thanks!
This just blew my mind! I can’t wait to try it!