Welcome to Set It & Forget It, a series about all the ways we rely on our crock pots, instant pots and stovetops to cook a healthy dose of convenience.
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Do you urgently need a warm, comforting meal after a long day at work? Under the weather and looking for something sharp to clean out your sinuses? Looking for a simple dinner with a minimal list of ingredients that tastes like hours of work? These 11 slow cooker soups tick all of those boxes – and more.
1. Slow cooker chicken soup with ginger and fennel
At the beginning a chicken soup, which you can prepare in the slow cooker from start to finish. Lots of grated ginger and garlic perfume this aromatic broth, then thinly sliced fennel and spring onions join the party. For some protein, stir in shredded cooked chicken – leftovers from last night or the supermarket rotisserie will work great. Pop the top on the slow cooker and you are basically done. To serve, come back in a couple of hours to lighten the soup with a large dash of lemon juice, then scoop it over cooked soba noodles or brown rice in bowls. For the final touch, drizzle the crispy, hot chilli pepper over it. Presto: a soup during the week that tastes like you’ve been making the whole afternoon.
2. Vegan slow cooker tomatillo stew
The body of this stew starts with mixed jalapeños, tomatillos, and cilantro that form a green paste. This is poured into the crock pot with the usual stew suspects such as oil, broth (vegetables!), Onions, garlic and two cans of beans. While all of the beans in this recipe taste great, I’m using the ones you might find in a chili here, especially pinto and black. After the stew is slowly cooked, a potato masher is used to grind most of the beans. This process releases starches that further thicken the stew. You can serve this meal with any cooked grain like rice or quinoa, but I think shredded tortilla chips are the best side dish.
3. Slow cooker pasta and beans
Pasta e fagioli is so named because it is literally a “pasta and bean” soup. When the soup found its way into the Italian-American neighborhoods in the United States, Fagioli (or Fosule) turned into “Fazool”. This soup can be cooked entirely in a slow cooker, but for a little more flavor, sauté the onion, carrot, and garlic separately in a pan. If you don’t want to use up all of the soup tonight, cook the pasta separately until just under al dente, then ladle both pasta and soup into bowls and keep the leftovers separately. When you use up all of the soup tonight, stir the dry noodles straight into the slow cooker.
4. Slow cooker chicken and parmesan soup
If your favorite order at an Italian-American restaurant is parm of chicken, this is the soup for you. Skip the pasta and serve this dish with crusty bread for sandwich vibes if that’s more your thing but topped with plenty of parmesan one way or another.
5. Slow-Cooker Greek Lentil Soup by Eleni Vonissakou
Slow cookers love lentils, there’s no doubt about that. And thing-thing-thing: you probably already have everything you need for this ridiculously simple soup in the kitchen (brown lentils, broth, onion, tomato paste, olive oil, and spices). Serve with bread or cooked grains and a crumb of feta or a large dollop of yogurt.
6. Slow Cooker Mediterranean Chicken Leg Stew
Okay, we know this is a “stew”, not a soup, but really, isn’t a stew just a thicker soup? Don’t think about it. Boneless and skinless chicken thighs are crushed and tender after long cooking in tomatoes, kalamata olives and artichokes.
7. Martha Stewart’s slow cooker Tom Kha Gai
Everyone’s favorite creamy and sour soup is a revelation after a few hours in the slow cooker. If you don’t feel like chicken, try shredded, firm tofu instead.
8. Slow cooker lentil and root vegetable soup
A hearty vegetarian soup enriched with lentils, celeriac, parsnips and parmesan (cheese and rind!). This is one of those simple cold weather lunches or dinners that you prepare once and then add to your weekly rotation.
9. Slow-cooker creamy cauliflower and sweet potato soup
This creamy, filling, 100% vegan soup is the perfect meal for a weekend morning. Imagine you’re in a cute café and serve it with lemon vegetables and thick slices of toast.
10. Slow cooker shiitake noodle hot and sour soup
This classic soup is a complete meal in a bowl – mushrooms, cabbage, tofu, noodles float in a tangy vegetable broth, just waiting to be sipped.
11. Slow cooker Moroccan flavored lentil soup
Cumin, coriander, turmeric and cinnamon give this lentil and cauliflower soup the most expressive flavors. The recipe calls for spinach, but any greens you have on hand will do. Do it ahead of time and let the flavors melt together, then add fresh lemon juice and cilantro just before serving.
