Really Hearty Slow Cooker Soups

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by reneandbaby

Jodi I think you could use white rice, my only question would be if the rice will get gummy/glue-y if it simmers for too long.

I have had that problem with white rice, I would use cooked rice and add it at the end, just until heated.

[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by simplegirl

Not a soup but one of my fav crockpot recipes...I just call it Crockpot Chicken.

4 chicken breasts, or breast tenderloins...you could use any chicken meat really.
Can of cream of mushroom
1 cup of water or white wine (I always use water)
1 pack of italian seasoning
8oz cream cheese

Serve over rice, I think you can serve over pasta too.

We love this recipe . I often skip wine if I don’t have it

[MaybeGracie]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

Tonight I just threw something together that we all loved. I didn't make it in the slow cooker but I'm sure I could. It was super easy because I started with store-bought soup (it was on sale) so it's more of a pantry meal than a slow cooker meal.

Pacific Organic Creamy Butternut Squash Soup, 4 cartons
4 large onions, chopped.
1 whole head of garlic, chopped or minced
olive oil
chicken breast, cooked and diced (optional, you could use any leftover protein)

I sauteed the onions and garlic in olive oil until tender, then added everything else. My kids each ate 2 bowls, even my picky toddler. And they requested this be added to our winter menu rotation.

I served it with homemade rye rolls (75% rye, 25% all-purpose flour). So good on a chilly winter night.

I make a similar soup, only I replace half of that butternut soup with chicken broth, and I add a can of chickpeas, some sliced carrots, and a cup of quinoa. Sometimes I add chunks of butternut squash as well. Very hearty and everyone loves it.

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by reneandbaby

Do you have any allergies? Because I make a fantastic creamy chicken and wild rice soup. You can divide the recipe and make it smaller if needed as mine feeds 10-20 with left overs. I fill my whole crockpot.

12 cups chicken broth
6 cups cream
1 tablespoon each of oregano, basil, thyme, rubbed sage
1.5-2 tsp of salt
Chicken shredded/chunked— whatever you have left over
Carrots to taste
Celery to taste
Onions to taste
Wild rice, already cooked— how ever many cups suit you (I use about 3-4)


Gluten version:

1.5 cups of butter and 2 1/4 cups of flour

Gluten free version— cornstarch

In the gluten version— you make a roux by melting the butter, adding all the spices, then slowly adding flour, then slowly add the cream, then slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Make sure the cream and broth are room temp at least so you don’t curdle the roux.

Then add the rest of the ingredients, dump in the crockpot and let simmer for the day to cook through the carrots and celery and onion. Or can simmer on the stove top.

In the gluten free version you skip the flour part of the recipe simply reserve about 1/2 cup of cream to mix with the cornstarch. You then add that at the very end of cooking to desired thickness.

I typically make my own chicken broth and I do it with mirepoix so I just reserve the mirepoix after it’s cooked and use it in this soup if I want to be able to eat it right away without waiting for the vegetables to have to cook through.

I made this yesterday (half the recipe) and we had it for two nights. It's SO good! I cannot imagine making the whole recipe. Half a recipe filled my 8 quart instant pot. I don't know how big my regular slow cooker is, maybe it would hold the whole recipe. But I'll definitely make it again.

[tempus vernum]

I just put "Lisa's Pasta Fagioli" on my grocery list for next week

[Soliloquy]

Originally Posted by SonshineMama

I just put "Lisa's Pasta Fagioli" on my grocery list for next week

It's very thick and filling even without the pasta. But I get complaints when I leave it out. I prefer it without pasta, though.

[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

It's very thick and filling even without the pasta. But I get complaints when I leave it out. I prefer it without pasta, though.

I'm sure my kids would want pasta

[MaybeGracie]

Originally Posted by reneandbaby

Do you have any allergies? Because I make a fantastic creamy chicken and wild rice soup. You can divide the recipe and make it smaller if needed as mine feeds 10-20 with left overs. I fill my whole crockpot.

12 cups chicken broth
6 cups cream
1 tablespoon each of oregano, basil, thyme, rubbed sage
1.5-2 tsp of salt
Chicken shredded/chunked— whatever you have left over
Carrots to taste
Celery to taste
Onions to taste
Wild rice, already cooked— how ever many cups suit you (I use about 3-4)


Gluten version:

1.5 cups of butter and 2 1/4 cups of flour

Gluten free version— cornstarch

In the gluten version— you make a roux by melting the butter, adding all the spices, then slowly adding flour, then slowly add the cream, then slowly add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Make sure the cream and broth are room temp at least so you don’t curdle the roux.

Then add the rest of the ingredients, dump in the crockpot and let simmer for the day to cook through the carrots and celery and onion. Or can simmer on the stove top.

In the gluten free version you skip the flour part of the recipe simply reserve about 1/2 cup of cream to mix with the cornstarch. You then add that at the very end of cooking to desired thickness.

I typically make my own chicken broth and I do it with mirepoix so I just reserve the mirepoix after it’s cooked and use it in this soup if I want to be able to eat it right away without waiting for the vegetables to have to cook through.

Made this tonight. Added mushrooms. It was amazing.

[Soliloquy]

Just my notes for the famous creamy chicken and wild rice soup:

You can use half milk and half cream
I add the cooked wild rice at the end
I add garlic
I substitute herbes de Provence for the rubbed sage
I double all the herbs

[graciousmomma]

This butternut squash soup is one of my absolute favorites!
https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes...c-67c9912fe37e

This split pea soup is really yummy, too. I usually add some ground sausage or bacon to it. https://thethriftyhousewifeblog.blog...-pea-soup.html

[Quiteria]

I've heard that a roux is the key to chowders, split pea, and bean soups being thick instead of watery.

I've yet to put the effort in to testing that advice.

[graciousmomma]

Originally Posted by Quiteria

I've heard that a roux is the key to chowders, split pea, and bean soups being thick instead of watery.

I've yet to put the effort in to testing that advice.

The ones I posted do not use a roux, and are quite thick, but I wonder if it's because of being in a slow cooker, and some of the liquid evaporates when cooking for that long

[tempus vernum]

I’m ressurecting an old non soup crockpot meal from our early days

Mexican chicken
5 chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1 bag frozen corn
1 very large glug of salsa
2 T homemade taco seasoning or 1 taco packet

Serve over rice w sour cream cheese and any other Mexican condiments ...

[Quiteria]

Browsing the thread today for ideas. I'm thinking the fagoli, and putting a bunch of others on next week's grocery list.

This can hardly be called a recipe, but...for non-soup meals, I used to make "taco chicken" or "barbecue chicken."

1. Pack as much raw chicken as you can fit.
2. Add a packet or two of taco seasoning. OR a bottle of barbecue sauce.
3. I usually add enough water to cover so that it doesn't cook weird, but try to minimize.

That's all. When done, shred with a fork and eat in taco shells with all the fixings, or barbecue chicken on kaiser rolls/hamburger buns.

That was one of my go-to recipes from the days of infants and toddlers underfoot and not having the patience to brown beef, cut produce, or measure a bunch of ingredients. It's not gourmet, but the only way to ruin it is to put too little seasoning for the amount of meat. It's definitely better than the recipe I tried once (from a book!) that called for chicken, salsa, and pineapple. Sometimes, there is such as thing as too creative, lol.

I suspect that somewhere there's probably a sloppy joe recipe that would be the same non-soup concept, though by the time you brown the beef, I'm not sure that it's worth the crockpot.

My MIL used to make a hamburger soup with marjoram and potatoes and crushed tomatoes that wasn't browned, but that's the only dish I know like that. I don't have a recipe for that one, either...just chop potatoes and onions, dump beef and tomatoes, season with marjoram and anything else that sounds good... It might have had corn and/or celery, depending on who was eating it, and whether you had any on hand.

[Soliloquy]

Bumping this up for my fall & winter menu planning. I'm so glad I have this thread as I forgot about the butternut squash soup pantry meal! I hope I can find that soup at Costco or on sale at my grocery store.