food
By Emma Singer
•
Published Jan 9, 2023
Winter is upon us, which means the days are short and the cooking times are long. Yep, the Crockpot is calling (stews, bisques and curries…oh my!) and our roundup of slow cooker soup recipes will give you plenty of inspiration to enjoy filling, low-effort dinners all winter long.
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1. Pasta e fa*gioli Soup
- Time Commitment: 7 hours 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, <500 calories, high protein
Clean out your fridge and get a taste of the Tuscan countryside in one fell swoop with this hearty and oh-so flavorful Crockpot soup.
Get the recipe
2. Spicy Slow Cooker Green Chicken Chili
- Time Commitment: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, high protein
A spicy, rib-sticking bowl of chicken chili comfort that doesn’t require hours spent slaving over the stove? Count us in.
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3. Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Time Commitment: 6 hours 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: High protein, kid-friendly
Once again, the slow cooker proves its worth—this time with a decidedly classier and tastier alternative to a can of the condensed stuff that’s just as easy to prepare.
Get the recipe
4. Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice
- Time Commitment: 7 hours 5 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, high protein
All the comfort of a classic chicken noodle soup, but with more textural appeal and a dash of decadence. (Hello, heavy cream.) If you’re a fan of the Panera staple, you’ll love this meal.
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5. Vegan Slow Cooker Detox Coconut Soup
- Time Commitment: 7 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, nut-free
A wonderfully aromatic and deliciously rich coconut milk broth is balanced by a healthy serving of greens to make a healthy-but-satisfying vegan soup you’ll want to eat on repeat.
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6. Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Time Commitment: 7 hours 35 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, high protein, <500 calories
Store-bought biscuit dough and a Crockpot join forces to make this slurpable, deconstructed version of the sinfully creamy, classic comfort food.
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7. Slow Cooker French Onion Soup
- Time Commitment: 7 hours 25 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, crowd-pleaser
Good news: You no longer have to shell out at a French bistro to enjoy the rich, cheesy, umami magic of French onion soup—namely because your slow cooker can build all the bold flavor while you go about your business.
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8. Crockpot Corn Chowder
- Time Commitment: 6 hours 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, <10 ingredients
Sweet corn, chicken broth and evaporated milk come together to make a creamy, but refreshingly light chowder that’s just right for when summer starts giving way to fall.
Get the recipe
9. Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Time Commitment: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: High fiber, high protein
Creamy cannellini beans, fresh and piquant salsa verde and tender chicken combine to make a crowd-pleasing and flavor-packed chili that takes only 15 minutes to prep.
- Time Commitment: 6 hours
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, high protein
Here, a classic mirepoix of celery, carrots and onion swim with melty beef in a hearty broth. The end result is a cold-weather favorite the whole family can enjoy.
11. Mexican Sweet Potato Beef Stew
- Time Commitment: 2 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Gluten-free, <500 calories
If you prefer your beef stew less brothy and more loaded, this hearty number, featuring generous chunks of seasonal sweet potato, fits the bill.
12. Slow Cooker Minestrone Soup
- Time Commitment: 6 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegetarian, <500 calories
Raid your pantry and get rid of leftover veggies in the fridge to make this highly customizable and supremely satisfying soup.
13. Poor Man’s Stew
- Time Commitment: 3 hours 20 minutes
- Why We Love It: Whole30, paleo, high protein
As the name suggests, this is a budget-friendly stew that’s chock full of ground beef and veggies. Make it to please a crowd without breaking the bank.
14. Slow Cooker Vegan “Chicken” Tortilla Soup
- Time Commitment: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegan, high fiber
Green jackfruit is a vegan-friendly vehicle for flavor with a deceptively meaty texture—try it out in this mock chicken tortilla soup recipe and you’ll see what we mean.
15. Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Vegetable Soup
- Time Commitment: 6 hours, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly, beginner-friendly
Another riff on chicken pot pie soup, this variation has fewer ingredients—yet is still loaded with veggies—making for a budget-friendly, satisfying meal with plenty of variety in each bite. (Pro tip: Squeeze a little lemon or sprinkle a little shaved Parm on top just before serving to take things to the next level.)
16. Slow Cooker Creamy Tortellini Vegetable Soup
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Special occasion-worthy, crowd-pleaser
If you want your house to smell incredible, make this soup. If you want a dinner you’ll be excited to have for lunch the next day, make this soup. The key to this tortellini-studded wonder is holding off on adding the kale until the last few minutes of cooking, so it wilts without withering into stringy mush.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: High protein, <500 calories
A vegetable medley and tender chicken thighs get bold flavor from Italian seasoning in and bay leaf in this warming dump-and-start stew. Reliably satisfying and ridiculously easy to make, this one belongs in the weekly dinner rotation all winter long.
18. Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Sourdough Croutons
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Kid-friendly, special occasion-worthy
We’ve never met a cheesy broccoli cheddar soup we didn’t like, but a garnish of crispy prosciutto and buttery sourdough croutons certainly takes this tried-and-true favorite up a notch.
19. Spicy Vegetarian Cabbage Soup
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegetarian, gluten-free
Absolutely loaded with veggies and spiked with a combo of cumin and hot peppers, both dried and fresh—this cabbage soup is both healthy and knock-your-socks-off exciting to eat.
- Time Commitment: 6 hours
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, vegan
Here, fresh aromatics, a vibrant spice blend and bright citrus flavors elevate ordinary black bean soup to the kind of dinner you’ll be talking about for days after the leftovers are gone.
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, vegan
Bust out the Crockpot and immersion blender and make this silky smooth and delicately seasoned pumpkin soup. Psst: It’s every bit as cozy as a PSL and far more nutritious.
22. Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Quinoa Chili
- Time Commitment: 17 minutes
- Why We Love It: <30 minutes, gluten-free
Tired of making the same ol’ chili recipe week after week? Breathe new life into your dinner routine with this meatless twist on the beloved dish, which features sweet potatoes, chickpeas and enough seasoning to make your palate sing.
23. Parsnip and Split Pea Soup
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: High fiber, high protein
Split pea soup is rather divisive—but folks who love the stuff will agree that the addition of earthy and subtly sweet parsnip gives the classic a major seasonal boost. (As does liquid smoke…but only if you’re feeling fancy.)
24. Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup
- Time Commitment: 8 hours, 45 minutes
- Why We Love It: Crowd-pleaser, kid-friendly
The only thing better than a loaded baked potato is a creamy version you can slurp down with a spoon.
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 40 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegan, gluten-free, high fiber
Beans are great, but it’s high time another legume—the humble lentil—had its day in the sun (or Crockpot, as it were). Here, red lentils make the perfect base for a soupier chili, thanks to their soft texture, but other types can work just fine if you prefer a more toothsome finished product.
26. Autumn Harvest Veggie Soup
- Time Commitment: 9 hours
- Why We Love It: Vegan, special occasion-worthy
Presenting a whole fall harvest in a bowl (and the best shot you’ve got at getting your kids to eat brussels sprouts).
- Time Commitment: 3 hours, 33 minutes
- Why We Love It: Vegan, high fiber, crowd-pleaser
White beans, kale and tomatoes make a flavorful base of this hearty Tuscan-style soup, which gets an extra zip from a squeeze of lime on the finish.
28. Slow Cooker Black Bean Tortilla Soup
- Time Commitment: 3 hours 10 minutes
- Why We Love It: Gluten-free, vegan
This black bean tortilla soup recipe, courtesy of Coterie member Maria Lichty, features a warming, veggie-packed broth that can be customized with any combination of your favorite toppings. (The crispy tortilla strips are a must, though!)
29. Slow Cooker Red Lentil, Fennel and Chicken Soup
- Time Commitment: 4 hours, 15 minutes
- Why We Love It: <500 calories, crowd-pleaser
Coterie member Katie Workman swears by this creamy lentil and chicken soup as a game day favorite. We think the tantalizing blend of coriander, cumin and fennel makes this soup an everyday favorite.
- Time Commitment: 9 hours
- Why We Love It: special occasion-worthy, kid-friendly
If we told you that you could enjoy the tomatoey-cheesy-pasta goodness of your favorite Italian comfort food without a fork and knife, would you even believe us? Once you try this recipe, you’ll be convinced. It’s become a regular winter staple among some PureWow editors.
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Emma Singer
Freelance PureWow Editor
Emma Singer is a freelance contributing editor and writer at PureWow who has over 7 years of professional proofreading, copyediting and writing experience. At PureWow, she covers...
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