I would love it if I came home from work and found a hot, fragrant, hearty soup waiting for me. How can I make that happen — without the use of magic or takeout? With the Crock Pot, of course! Slow cookers to the rescue. You just throw in the ingredients at the beginning of the day (or maybe the night before), leave for work, and then ta-da! Dinner for everyone.
More from The Stir: The 7 Best Soups to Help Get Over Colds & Flu
We've compiled a list of 20 soup recipes written just for the slow cooker. And guess what we found out? There's a Crock Pot recipe for just about every soup out there. So enjoy a whole season of cozy Crock Pot soups.
By the way, here's a few tips on making those soups extra tasty.
Do you have a favorite Crock Pot soup recipe?
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Beef Stew
Beef stew is a winter staple, and it's hard to find something more hearty and warming on those days where you just can't shake the cold. This recipe makes a classic meat-and-potatoes dish that is an instant crowd-pleaser.
Black Bean Soup
This black bean soup requires lots of time — 8 hours to soak the beans and 10 hours in the Crock Pot — but doesn't require any chopping, charring, or extra dishes. Hooray!
Chicken Soup for the Slow Cooker
This slow-cook chicken soup recipe skips the noodles and adds extra veggies and chicken instead, making it a healthier (but no less satisfying!) alternative to the classic chicken noodle soup. Plus, it makes enough to share with a friend or save for leftovers.
Curried Coconut Chicken Soup
This curried coconut chicken soup is mild enough for kids to enjoy, but also works perfectly with an extra dash of Sriracha for Mom. It also freezes and reheats wonderfully, making it the perfect winter soup for busy families.
Hot and Sour Soup
As much as we hate to admit it, all that crisp air and gorgeous snow means it's cold season again. Everyone knows that soups are good for the soul, but this hot and sour soup is also great for clogged sinuses and general cold symptoms.
Leek and Potato Soup
To make this delicious leek and potato soup, all you need are leeks, potatoes, salt, butter, and a Crock Pot to put it all in. Too easy, right?
Lentil Stew
This recipe for lentil vegetable stew is healthy, filling, and works well with whatever vegetables are fresh at the farmer's market this week. It also makes enough to freeze and save for later!
Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Potatoes? Check. Bacon? Check. Cheese? Check. Absolutely delicious baked potato soup? Check, check, check.
Matzo Ball Soup
It's hard to go wrong with a traditional matzo ball soup, and this recipe gives just enough guidance while leaving room to adjust based on your family's taste. It even includes a recipe for how to make your own matzo balls!
Minestrone
This classic minestrone soup is as simple as tossing everything in the Crock Pot, and it is guarenteed to warm you to your toes!
Mulligatawny Soup
Mulligatawny soup gets its gorgeous color from curry and its sweetness from honey and apples. It's also one of the quickest soups on the list — no prep time and only four hours in the Crock Pot.
Navy Bean Soup
This Navy bean soup clocks in at just about 120 calories AND it's gluten free, making it a tasty but no less healthy dinner for the family.
Pho
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese beef and noodle soup that requires hours of simmering and stewing no matter how you cook it — so why not save yourself the stress and use the Crock Pot?
Posole
Posole is a spicy southwestern soup that has its roots in Mexican and Native American tradition. Made primarily with a type of corn called hominy and ham or pork, posole (or "pozole") is a tasty twist on a wintery soup.
Pumpkin Soup
Sure, the pumpkin craze is fading from our minds (at least until next October), but that doesn't make it wrong to enjoy pumpkin treats! This creamy pumpkin soup only gets more satisfying as the weather gets colder, so don't write it off just because it's not pumpkin spice season anymore.
Split Pea Soup
When prepared in a Crock Pot, split pea soup gets soft, creamy, and extra delicious. This recipe makes it easy to split up the steps if you don't have time to finish it all at once, and it also freezes and reheats well.
Sweet Potato and Lentil Soup
Hearty, healthy, and delicious — this sweet potato and lentil soup is everything you could ask for in a wintery meal.
Tomato Soup
Tomato soup is undeniably a staple meal during the winter and with a recipe this tasty, you'll find yourself making it all the time. Who needs Panera, anyways?
Tortilla Chicken Soup
Here's another one of those wonderful recipes that doesn't ask you to do anything but dump all the ingredients in the slow cooker and walk away. Tortilla chicken soup, here we come!
Italian Wedding Soup
Check out this recipe, from Food.com:
Ingredients:
- 16 1/2 ounces meatballs
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrot, diced
- 1/2 cup celery, diced
- 2 ounces frozen chopped spinach, defrosted
- Garlic salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup romano cheese
- 1/4 cup acini di pepe pasta (small pasta)
Directions:
1. Pop the meatballs in the microwave for 1 minute on defrost so you can quarter them.
2. Combine rest of ingredients except pasta in Crock Pot and cook all day on low.
3. Add the pasta during the last hour of cooking.
