The crock pot has had a place in America’s kitchens for decades. With no special equipment, you can whip up mac and cheese, chili, beef stew or delicious homemade soups quickly and easily.
With the winter months almost upon us, a hot bowl of soup is sure to warm you from within, no matter how low the temperatures go. Get ready to make your own comforting, nutritious meals with this list of 30 homemade crock pot soup recipes.
What Is a Crock Pot?
The device that would eventually become known as the crock pot, was patented by inventor Irving Nachumsohn in 1940 to help Jewish families cook a traditional stew called cholent for the Sabbath. The idea behind his invention was to allow food to cook low and slow using a special heating element that allowed for even heating. He called it the Naxon Beanery.
In 1971, it was acquired by Rival Manufacturing and renamed the Crock Pot. They marketed it to working women as a revolutionary and convenient way to cook, allowing them to make a meal quickly and without a lot of prep or clean up. Promoted alongside the newly launched Tupperware, frozen dinners, and microwaves, it represented America’s changing relationship with food.
The crock pot was a marvel. No matter someone’s level of experience or culinary training, they could get into the kitchen and create a homemade meal without the hassle or the worry that they could mess things up. You could just set it and forget it.
Back in the 70’s, crock pots came in popular hues like avocado and harvest gold. It was one solid unit, with the crock, or pottery container integrated into the heating element. Eventually, the humble crock pot went high tech, with the crock becoming removable, making it easier to clean and allowing you to take it with you to parties or potlucks. It now has a built-in timer and temperature settings and can even keep your food warm when it’s done cooking.
The crock pot is now a favorite around the world, with nearly 12 million being sold each year!
7 Tips for Making Soup in a Crock Pot
Before you try one of the 30 homemade crock pot soup recipes, take a look at 7 tips to help you make the best soup ever, every time.
- Prep your ingredients – As a general rule of cooking, it’s important to cut all of your ingredients to the same size to help them cook at the same rate. For crock pot cooking, this is just as important, so be sure to take a little extra time to prep your meats and vegetables.
- Brown your ingredients – Although it’s much easier to add everything to the crock pot and press start, when it comes to making soup in the crock pot, resist temptation and take a few minutes to sear your meats and brown your vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker. This will give your soup a fuller, richer flavor.
- Add these ingredients first – Some ingredients take longer to cook than others, so you’ll want to make sure to add them to your crockpot first. This includes onions and celery, root vegetables like carrots and potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, tougher meats like beef, pork, and whole chicken, and any spices.
- Add these ingredients last – Certain ingredients cook faster and won’t hold up to hours of cooking, so instead, add them in the last 30-45 minutes of cooking. This includes seafood and chicken breasts, soft vegetables like peas, corn, and peppers, pantry items like rice and pasta, and any dairy products.
- Place certain ingredients at the bottom – In order to allow your root vegetables and meats to tenderize while they cook, place them around the sides and bottom of the crock pot. This way, they’ll have more direct contact with the heating element.
- Don’t use too much liquid – It’s not always necessary to add the full amount of liquid a recipe calls for. Unlike cooking on the stovetop, a crock pot doesn’t allow liquids to evaporate. Once you’ve added all your ingredients, make sure the liquid covers them by about ½ an inch. When you reach the last 30 minutes of cooking time, if there is too much liquid, you can remove the lid to allow some of it to evaporate.
- Choose the right cooking time – Pay close attention to the cooking time in your recipe. As a rule of thumb, recipes with meat should cook for a minimum of 6 hours or up to 10 hours. Veggie-only recipes should cook from 2-6 hours.
30 Homemade Crock Pot Soup Recipes
- Chicken Enchilada Soup | Skinny Taste
- Bacon Cheeseburger Soup | Family Fresh Meals
- Black Bean Soup | Budget Bytes
- Cauliflower Cheese Soup | Slow Cooking Perfected
- Spaghetti and Meatballs Soup | Taste of Home
- Gnocchi Soup | Pinch of Yum
- Chicken Orzo Soup | Casserole Crissy
- Chicken Pho | Slow Cooker Society
- Beef and Barley Soup | Chelsea’s Messy Apron
- Minestrone Soup | Skinny Taste
- Ham and Cheese Soup | Down Redbud Drive
- Butternut Squash Soup | Running on Real Food
- Thai Chicken Noodle | No Spoon Necessary
- Spinach Bean Soup | Taste of Home
- Tomato Basil Soup | Damn Delicious
- Cheesy Meatball Soup | Wishes and Dishes
- Broccoli Cheddar Soup | Served from Scratch
- Sweet Potato Soup | Greedy Gourmet
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup | Pinch of Yum
- French Onion Soup | The Novice Chef
- Hearty Pork Bean Soup | Taste of Home
- Taco Soup | Simply Recipes
- Split Pea Soup | Skinny Taste
- Zuppa Toscana | Copy Kat Recipes
- Cabbage Roll Soup | Spend with Pennies
- Mexican Corn and Chicken Chowder | Chelsea’s Messy Apron
- Lasagna Soup | Damn Delicious
- Sausage Sauerkraut Soup | Taste of Home
- Vegetable Soup | Add a Pinch
- Hamburger Soup | Well Plated by Erin
Now it’s time to set it and forget it with our list of 30 homemade crock pot soup recipes.
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