How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in Slow Cooker ♥

Ever wonder how to cook sweet potatoes in the crockpot? Just throw them into the slow cooker in the morning, they'll be ready when you get home from work.

I swear, my crockpot and I are getting close to BFF status. And all it took was a new outlet! You see, my kitchen is decent size. But all the cooking is done in one corner, albeit one ever-so-efficient corner. What my kitchen lacks is outlets – until last fall, there were only two, one in my work corner and one other commandeered by the coffee maker and an under-cupboard radio. But last fall, an electrician put an outlet in above another counter. What a difference! Now the crockpot (or the yogurt maker or ...) can work-work-work away over in its own corner while I work in mine.

So I've taken to using my crockpot like an energy-efficient oven, cooking stuff I'd never before even considered making in a slow cooker. Like sweet potatoes – yes, really, you can cook sweet potatoes in a crockpot!

There's no beating a Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato for just one or two sweet potatoes and Baked Sweet Potatoes are wonderful when the oven's already on and there's lots of time or if for some reason, you need to cook a pile of sweet potatoes at the same time.

In between fits the crockpot. Just scrub the sweet potatoes really well and throw them in. Five or six hours later (and even ten hours later, I checked, since that's a typical work-day timeline) hours later, they are soft and sweet and perfectly cooked.

RECIPE for HOW TO COOK SWEET POTATOES in the SLOW COOKER

Hands-on time: 5 minutes
Time to table: 5 to 10 hours
Serves as many as needed

Several medium-size sweet potatoes

Scrub the sweet potatoes well, put into the slow cooker still dripping wet. Cook on LOW for at least 5 hours and as many as 10 hours.

ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES
The inspiring recipe called for pricking the skins with the tip of a knife but I tested with and without pricking, no problems. But pricking didn't seem to hurt, either ...
One medium-size sweet potato was ready to eat in five hours, the larger ones were "done" after five hours but not quite as creamy as I like them and needed six hours.
I only cooked three sweet potatoes but wouldn't think it would be a problem to cook as many as will fit, though it will take longer to finish cooking. Just be sure the lid closes tightly.
Medium-size sweet potatoes can be hard to find but can be had by picking through the bin.
Out of the crockpot, the skins of the sweet potatoes will win no beauty contests. The flesh is perfect, however, for mashing or casseroles or any way you might use them pre-cooked. If you want to serve sweet potatoes on a plate, and appearance is important, choose Baked Sweet Potatoes.

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker by Beth Hensperger and Julie Kaufmann

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per 1/4 pound: 102 Calories; 0g Tot Fat; 0g Sat Fat; 0mg Cholesterol; 40mg Sodium; 23g Carb; 4g Fiber; 7g Sugar; 2g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 1, PointsPlus 1

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A Veggie Venture is home of sweet potato lover and 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2012