I don’t know about you, but I’ll choose homemade soup over the canned stuff all day every day. With the help of a Crock-Pot, it’s fairly easy to make.
And if you’ve got a fully equipped kitchen —like the residents at The Commons on Kinnear in Columbus, Ohio and The Lofts in Morgantown, West Virginia— it’s that much easier!
Cook up three classics using these tasty Crock-Pot soup recipes:
Chicken Noodle Soup via Family Fresh Meals
You Will Need:
- 1½ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I used ½ teaspoon salt & ¼ teaspoon pepper)
- 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Directions:
1. In a 6 quart crockpot place whole chicken breasts on the bottom and top with , carrots, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaf.
2. Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 7 hours.
3. Remove cooked chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in to the crockpot. Now add in egg noodles and parsley.
Cover and cook just until noodles are tender, 5-10 minutes.
Broccoli Cheese Soup via Well Plated By Erin
You Will Need:
- 5 cups chopped broccoli florets (about 16 ounces)
- 1 cup grated carrots (can grate yourself or use bagged, pre-cut julienne carrots)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ounces reduced fat cream cheese (do not use fat free)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can 2% evaporated milk
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (8-ounce) block sharp cheddar cheese, grated*
Directions:
1. Place the broccoli, carrots, onion, and garlic in the bottom of 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Top with the cream cheese, oregano, nutmeg, and chicken stock. Stir to evenly distribute the ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours, until the broccoli is tender.
2. Remove the lid and stir in the evaporated milk. With an immersion blender, puree about 3/4 of the soup, so that it is mostly smooth but still has a few chunks of broccoli remaining. Alternatively, you can puree the soup in 1 cup-sized batches in a food processor or blender. (Be careful—it’s hot and prone to splatter!)
3. Recover the soup and let cook on low for 10 minutes until warmed through. Stir the salt, pepper, and grated cheese. Taste and add additional salt and pepper as desired. Recover and cook on high until the cheese is fully melted and the soup is hot, about 5 additional minutes. Serve warm.
Beef Barley Soup via The Food Charlatan
You Will Need:
- 2 pounds stew meat (nicely marbled beef chunks)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 cups water
- 3 mounded tablespoons good quality beef base*
- 3 stalks celery (about 2 cups), chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large potato, peeled and shredded, about 2 cups
- 3-4 large carrots, peeled and shredded, about 2 cups
- 1 cup barley, rinsed
Directions:
1. Generously salt and pepper the beef. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. When it is very hot, add about 1/3 of the meat. Brown for about 1-2 minutes, then turn to brown the other side. Remove to a plate when it is browned on all sides.
3. Repeat with remaining meat in 2 more batches. (If you add it all at once it will steam the meat instead of browning it–not what you want.)
4. When all the meat is browned, add all the meat back to the pot with 10 cups of water. Add 3 healthy tablespoons beef stock concentrate.
5. Add the chopped celery, onions, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 2 hours with the lid on.
6. When the meat is tender and you can break it apart easily with a wooden spoon, add the shredded potato and carrots. Bring to a boil, then continue to simmer on low for another 30-45 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.
7. Add 1 cup of barley. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low. Cook for another half hour, or until barley is tender and the soup tastes…like home.
Slow cooker instructions:
8. In a large pan, brown the meat according to the instructions. Remove the browned meat to a large crockpot.
9. Add 2 cups of the water to the pan and bring to a boil. Stir up all the browned bits. Add this and the remaining 8 cups of water to the crock pot.
10. Add the beef base, celery, onions, and garlic to the slow cooker and stir.
11. Cook on low for about 6 hours. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for another hour.
12. Add the barley and simmer for another hour or so, until it is tender.
What are your favorite soups to make in a Crock-Pot? Let us know in the comments!