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There is nothing better than a delicious soup on a cold day, and what better way to prepare one than to use your crock pot! Slow cookers are the best way to prepare soups; they allow the soup to simmer for hours on end, giving them the rich taste that we all love—plus, you can just toss in the ingredients in the morning and forget about it till dinner time! Here are some amazing soup recipes your whole family will love.

Southwest Corn Soup

• Prep time: less than 15 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 4 ½ hours
• Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 8 ears fresh corn, shucked, or 2 (10-oz.) boxes frozen corn, thawed
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• ¼ cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 (4-oz.) can chopped mild green chilies, drained
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 cups half-and-half
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Cut off kernels from the ears of corn. Combine corn, garlic, cornmeal, chilies, and stock in the slow cooker and stir well. Cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours or until corn is tender and broth has thickened.

Remove half the corn from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Purée corn in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender. If cooking on Low, raise the heat to High. Stir the purée back into the soup, and stir in half-and-half. Season with salt and pepper. Cook on High for 20 to 30 minutes or until the soup is simmering.

Seven-Bean Soup

• Prep time: less than 20 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 5 hours
• Makes 6 to 8 servings

• ¼ cup each dried baby lima beans, kidney beans, black-eyed peas, navy beans, chickpeas, pinto beans, and red beans (or some combination of beans to equal 1 ¾ cups)
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and chopped
• 1 Anaheim green chili pepper, seeds and ribs removed, and chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 (14 ½-oz.)can crushed tomatoes
• 2 TB. tomato paste
• 2 TB. granulated sugar
• 2 TB. balsamic vinegar
• 1 TB. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt to taste
• Red pepper flakes to taste

Rinse beans in a colander, place them in a mixing bowl, and cover with cold water. Allow beans to soak overnight. Or place beans in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and soak beans for 1 hour. Drain and discard the soaking liquid, then place beans into the slow cooker.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, carrot, celery, green bell pepper, chili pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and peppers have begun to soften. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker. Stir in stock, tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, vinegar, oregano, thyme, and bay leaf. Cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours or on High for 5 to 6 hours or until beans are soft. Discard bay leaf, and season with salt and red pepper flakes.

Lentil and Carrot Soup

• Prep time: less than 15 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 3 hours
• Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 3 TB. olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. turmeric
• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 TB. grated orange zest
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add carrots, garlic, and onion. Cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes or until onion is translucent. Stir in cumin, coriander, and turmeric. Stir for 1 minute, then scrape the mixture into a slow cooker.

Add lentils and stir in stock and orange zest. Cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours or on High for 3 to 5 hours or until lentils are very soft. Remove 2 cups of the solids from the soup with a slotted spoon. Purée until smooth in a food processor fitted with a steel blade or in a blender. Return the purée to the soup, and season with salt and pepper.

Minestrone

• Prep time: less than 30 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 4 hours
• Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2 TB. olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ cups shredded green cabbage
• 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
• 1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 small zucchini, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 (10-oz.) box frozen Italian green beans, thawed
• 1 (15-oz.) can white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup small elbow macaroni or small pasta shells
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker, and add cabbage, tomatoes, stock, carrot, celery, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf.

Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours or until vegetables are tender. Then, if cooking on Low, raise the heat to High. Stir in zucchini, green beans, cannellini beans, and pasta. Cook for 1 to 1 ½ hours or until pasta is cooked. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

• Prep time: less than 15 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 3 hours
• Makes 4 to 6 servings

• 3 TB. butter
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 5 cups chicken stock
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 1 parsnip, peeled and sliced (or 1 additional carrot)
• 1 celery stalk, trimmed and sliced
• 2 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and diced
• 2 TB. chopped fresh parsley
• 1 TB. fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 cups cooked egg noodles

Heat butter in a medium skillet over medium heat; add onions and garlic. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until onion is translucent. Scrape the mixture into the slow cooker.

Add stock, chicken, carrot, parsnip, celery, tomatoes, parsley, thyme, and bay leaf to the slow cooker and stir well. Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper.

Then, if cooking on Low, raise the heat to High. Add peas and egg noodles. Cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the soup is bubbling.

Beefy tomato Soup with Barley

• Prep time: less than 15 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 4 hours
• Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 2 lb. beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 envelope dehydrated onion soup mix
• 6 cups water
• 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes in tomato purée
• 1 large onion, peeled and diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10-oz.) box frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven broiler, and line a broiler pan with aluminum foil. Broil beef cubes for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until browned. Spoon beef into the slow cooker, and pour in any juices from the pan.

Add onion soup mix, water, tomatoes, onion, carrot, celery, barley, thyme, and bay leaf to the slow cooker; stir well. Cook the soup on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours or until beef is tender and barley is cooked. Add mixed vegetables for the last hour of cooking. Discard bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper.

Italian Wedding Soup

• Prep time: less than 30 minutes
• Minimum cooking time: 4 hours
• Makes 4 to 6 servings

• Meatballs:
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup Italian-flavored breadcrumbs
• ¼ cup milk
• ¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 ½ lb. lean ground beef
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Soup:
• 6 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 1 (10-oz.) box frozen whole-leaf spinach, thawed
• ¾ cup uncooked orzo or other small pasta
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil, and grease the foil with vegetable oil spray or vegetable oil. Place eggs, breadcrumbs, milk, cheese, and garlic into a mixing bowl and stir well. Add beef, mix well, and season with salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 1-inch balls, and place them on the greased foil. Brown meatballs in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer meatballs to the slow cooker with a slotted spoon.

Add stock to the slow cooker along with fennel and garlic. Cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours or on High for 3 ½ to 4 ½ hours or until meatballs are cooked through and fennel is soft.

Then, if cooking on Low, raise the heat to High. Place spinach into a strainer, and press it with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add spinach and orzo to the slow cooker. Cook on High for 20 to 30 minutes or until orzo is cooked al dente. Season with salt and pepper.

So pull out the crock pot and make some soup today! Happy cooking!

From The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Slow Cooker Cooking by Ellen Brown