The days might be getting longer, but it’s still cold outside throughout a good portion of the United States. And, there’s truly no better comfort food than soup.
As a general rule, soups, stews and chilis get better the longer you cook them, because the broth can truly soak up the flavors of the vegetables, meats and spices within them. Growing up, my mother’s minestrone soup was always better when we had it as leftovers the second or third day.
Thus, when making a soup, stew or chili, your slow cooker is your best friend.
Among our list of 13 Hearty Slow Cooker Recipes, we have some tasty and easy slow cooker soup recipes. Among those, I really like the recipe for Basil and Bean Soup. It’s packed with so many delicious vegetables, along with stewing meat–in fact, this soup verges on a stew.
Here’s a closer look at our recipe for Basil and Bean Soup:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound dried white kidney beans or great northern beans
- 1 pound lean stewing meat, cut in 1-inch cubes
- 2 small zucchini (unpeeled), diced
- 2 turnips, peeled and diced
- 1 large potato, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 28 ounces can whole tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons leaf basil
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions:
1. Completely soften beans.
2. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker; add water to cover and mix well.
3. Cover and cook on high setting for 3 hours.
4. Turn to low setting for 8 to 14 hours (or cook entire time on high setting for 5 to 7 hours).
Similarly, our sister site, AllFreeSlowCookerRecipes.com has a wide array of slow cooker soup recipes. In fact, AllFreeSlowCookerRecipes has a list of 10 Souped-Up Suppers, or slow cooker soup recipes that are heartier to make a whole meal.
I particularly liked the recipe for Meatball Minestrone Soup.
This recipe for Meatball Minestrone Soup is one of the more unusual slow cooker soup recipes–a creative take on minestrone soup, with the addition of meatballs and orzo pasta. It’s a delicious, chunky soup and it only takes 2 hours in the slow cooker.
To learn more about the recipe for Meatball Minestrone Soup, click here.
If you’re interested in additional slow cooker soups, check out:
Slow Cooker Taco Soup by Sarah, of Semi-Sweet, A Practical Guide to Healthy Living
Slow Cooked Tomato Parmesan Soup with Parmesan Croutons and Fresh Basil by Natalie, of Natalie’s Killer Cuisine
Slow Cooker Italian Sausage and Vegetable Soup by Colleen, of The Taste Place
- The Best Slow Cooker Soups—Ever - October 15, 2020
- 10 Slow Cooker Church Suppers: Some of our Favorites for Your Family - October 14, 2020
- 10 Campbell’s Slow Cooker Recipes: Delicious Dinner Options - October 9, 2020
All of these recipes on your site are great sounding and look fabulous. The only problem I have is that they are not printable. They do not have a tab to say print. I am 74 years old and not too great on the computer. I know that there are pins and things like that, but I like a hard copy to refer to a recipe.