Best Slow-Cooker Soups and Stews

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Recipe

Beef Marsala Stew Recipe

This is an ideal recipe for the slow cooker, where gentle, prolonged cooking turns tough beef into tender bites. Serve the stew over a mound of Fluffy Mashed Potatoes.

Slow Cooker Chicken, Bacon, and Potato Soup Recipe

This chicken potato soup is perfect for ushering in fall: It's hearty enough for the beginning of soup season, yet brothy and veggie-packed so it doesn't feel too heavy. This recipe is ideal for a weekend, when you can check on the slow cooker after just a few hours. Although you can’t leave it unattended all day, this chicken potato soup still offers the benefit of hands-free, fuss-free cooking. Baby red, Yukon Gold, or fingerling potatoes will all work well here, as they'll maintain their shape nicely during cooking. Pair this easy chicken and potato soup with a slaw or kale side salad and crusty whole-grain bread for a healthy, satisfying dinner.

Slow Cooker Chicken Posole Recipe

Think of posole as chili's brothier, lighter cousin, a Mexican version of chicken soup. Posole is also a name for the hominy, or rehydrated dried corn, that goes in the dish.

Onion, Kale, Chickpea, and Chicken Soup Recipe

Few things beat a steaming bowl of veggie-packed chicken soup on a crisp autumn evening, and this one happens to be a perfect potion for the seasonal chills. You can leave the thyme sprigs in the broth (just ladle around them) so they'll keep releasing herbaceous goodness into any leftovers.

Chicken and Cornbread Dumplings Recipe

Make a classic chicken and dumplings recipe even more Southern by topping the vegetable-and-chicken-packed stew with cornbread dumplings.

Sausage-and-Collard Greens Stew Recipe

Soulful Chicken Soup Recipe

No dish is quite as soothing as a hearty bowl of chicken noodle soup. Slow cookers couldn't have made the road to comfort any easier: Simply toss in the ingredients, switch on, and then walk away. We love old-fashioned, wide egg noodles for this recipe. To make sure they aren't mushy and overcooked, don't leave them in the slow cooker any longer than 10 minutes.

Slow Cooker Chicken Congee Recipe

The slow cooker does all the work in this comforting rice porridge, breaking down the rice with fragrant ginger and star anise and poaching the chicken until silky. A bit of chili oil is the vibrant kick this dish needs. You can also use Sriracha or a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Cilantro or baby spinach leaves can work in place of the watercress.

Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup Recipe

This delicious Creamy Leek and Parsnip Soup is perfect for serving on a chilly fall evening. 

Smoky Ham and Split Pea Soup Recipe

This split pea and ham soup turns out creamy and delicious every time, all thanks to your slow cooker. Salty ham balances out the peas' light, earthy flavor, while the potatoes slowly release their starches to create the perfect silky texture. After 8 hours of hands-off, crockpot cooking, this split pea and ham soup is ready to devour (although leftovers fare well in the freezer, too). An easy, excellent recipe to add to your fall/winter rotation, this filling and flavorful split pea and ham soup is sure to become a new favorite in your house. Top with freshly cracked pepper and serve with a side of crusty bread. 

Black Garlic and Lentil Soup Recipe

For Bar Tartine in San Francisco, chef Nick Balla created this smoky, earthy soup as a tribute to his Hungarian-America father. Dried chiles, paprika sausage, hot paprika, and black garlic--regular garlic roasted for days until it turns sweet and jet black, with a licorice-like flavor--give the soup a rounded spiciness.

Slow Cooker Tuscan White Bean Soup Recipe

You'll want to cook the vegetables and beans for 8 hours before adding the sausage. Garnish the finished soup with shaved parmesan cheese.

Mexican Stew with Garlicky Bread Crumbs Recipe

Prep this stew before leaving for the day. Let the slow cooker do the work for you, and a delicious Mexican-inspired meal will be ready when you return. Serve stew topped with panko mixture and garnish with cilantro, if desired.

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili Recipe

This soup has a mild chile flavor. If you want more heat, increase the amount of chili powder and don't seed the jalapeños.

Curried Lentil-Tomato Soup Recipe

If it’s buried under bacon, then you know it’s got to be good. This is a yummy comfort food perfect for the winter months and appropriate for all members of your family.

Potato Soup Recipe

This classic soup gets a double hit of cheese--stirred into the soup and sprinkled over the top.

Posole Recipe

You'll love the aroma of cumin, oregano, and gently braised pork that will fill your home as the stew cooks.

Easy Brunswick Stew Recipe

The secret is in the name of this recipe–it's so easy to make! Just combine all of the ingredients, set your slow cooker for 8 hours and serve this stew with your favorite side of bread.

Chicken Stew with Green Olives Recipe

Give this stew a little crunch by lightly sprinkling almonds on top. The consistencies of the ingredients will mesh nicely with the flavors.

Smoked Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

This hearty soup is exploding with flavors. Meat lovers will crave this bacon-packed and sausage-enriched delight. For a thicker consistency, let the cassoulet stand 30 minutes before serving.

Butternut Squash-Parsnip Soup Recipe

This soup is simple, savory and extremely soothing on a cold winter night. To serve twelve to sixteen, make two batches of soup instead of doubling the recipe.

Tuscan Chicken Soup Recipe

This recipe uses many common pantry and refrigerator staples. All you have to pick up at the supermarket is fresh spinach and chicken thighs.

Hearty Potato Soup Recipe

Bread bowls are a sandwich shop favorite for a reason. Instead of venturing out into the cold night air, fill homemade Italian Bread Bowls with chunky potato soup featuring potatoes, onions, carrot, celery, and savory seasonings.

Spicy Chicken Stew Recipe

Warm up on a cool evening by serving a stew with an extra punch of heat. Salsa and tortillas give this recipe Mexican flair.

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Classic Beef Stew Recipe

Just like Mom used to make, our beef stew is packed with hearty chunks of meat and an array of vegetables. Be sure to have plenty of bread on hand to sop up the savory gravy.

Smoked Turkey-Lentil Soup Recipe

The quintessential slow-cooker recipe, all you need to do for this soup is throw all the ingredients in the cooker and let it do the work.

Peasant Stew Recipe

Raid your pantry for everyday canned goods to prepare this classic stew. And at just over 200 calories per serving, feel free to go back for seconds!

Black Bean Soup with Shredded Pork Recipe

Budget-friendly black bean soup gets a makeover with the addition of tender pork. Have a garnish station ready with tons of toppings so that family members can customize their bowls.

Moroccan Vegetable Stew Recipe

This Moroccan stew recipe is rich in nuts and spices and sweetened with currants. Serve with couscous and a dollop of plain yogurt.

Vegetable-Beef Soup Recipe

Think your weeknights are too hectic for a home-cooked meal? Then you haven't tried this recipe. With a little chopping and emptying of cans and bags, dinner is served!

Thai-Style Pork Stew Recipe

Take your slow-cooker recipe collection to new heights with the introduction of Thai cuisine. Serve this stew with lime wedges for an extra burst of flavor.

Slow-Cooker Recipe: Smoky Pea Soup Recipe

Ham gives your average pea soup a savory twist that is prefect to enjoy as a simple, yet hearty meal. Add croutons for a crunchy bite, or bake a pan of cornbread to pair with this soup.

Easy Brunswick Stew Recipe

Brunswick stew, a favorite Southern supper, combines vegetables, hash browns, and cooked chicken and pork for a super-satisfying meal that's easily prepared in a slow cooker.

Curried Squash and Apple Soup Recipe

This soup celebrates two of autumn's favorite flavors: butternut squash and apples. It's also a great make-ahead meal, since it keeps in the fridge for up to four days and up to two months in the freezer.

Pork-and-Hominy Stew Recipe

Pork and hominy (a type of corn) are a classic flavor pairing, especially in soups and stews. This easy slow-cooker stew calls for only nine ingredients and costs less than $2 per serving.

Sausage, Eggplant and Pepper Stew Recipe

Sausage, Eggplant and Pepper Stew requires only minutes of hands-on prep work. After that, simply turn on the slow-cooker, and a delicious meal awaits when you return.

Steak Soup Recipe

Brown your meat, and throw ingredients into your slow cooker. Eight hours later you've got a warm, hearty soup perfect for a chilly night.

Beef-and-Bean Chili Recipe

This classic red chili has chunks of stew meat and ground beef along with tomatoes, red beans, and spices. Fire-roasted tomatoes add a note of smokiness to the mix. If you can't find fire-roasted, use plain tomatoes and add a pinch of smoked paprika.

Provençal Beef Daube Recipe

An inexpensive cut of beef is elevated by flavorful herbs and vegetables in this classic French-style soup.

Chicken Fricassee with Cream and Morel Mushrooms Recipe

This earthy chicken stew features dried mushrooms, new potatoes, leeks, bacon and fresh herbs for a savory, satisfying one-dish meal.

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup Recipe

The slow cooker completely eliminates the stirring part of caramelizing onions; it all goes happily unattended. Freeze the bag of soup in a bowl rather than laying it flat, so it will fit in the saucepan when it's time to thaw.

Caribbean Black Bean Soup Recipe

A little of this spicy soup goes a long way, so it's best when served as an appetizer soup. If you want to decrease the heat, seed the jalapeños.

Thyme-Scented White Bean Cassoulet Recipe

Butter-tossed breadcrumbs stirred in at the end give this dish a robust stewlike consistency. Meatless Italian sausage stands in for the traditional pork sausage.

White Bean Soup Recipe

This hearty soup is comfort food at its best with white beans and pork in every bite.

Shrimp-and-Sausage Gumbo Recipe

This simple shrimp-and-sausage gumbo is the perfect way to add a little Cajun flair to your slow-cooker recipe collection.

Mexican Stew Recipe

Classic posole, a delicious slow-simmered Mexican pork stew often reserved for special occasions, is typically a time-consuming labor of love. But this one gives you all the comfort and flavor of the old-world version made in your slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Cioppino Recipe

Simmering the base of this rich stew in the slow cooker allows for ultimate flavor concentration. When you're almost ready to serve, add raw fish to poach quickly. A signature dish of the West Coast, cioppino can be made with a wide variety of fish and shellfish, so feel free to ­experiment with your favorites.

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Chili Recipe

This easy black bean and butternut squash chili will fill your kitchen with wonderful aromas while it simmers in the slow-cooker all day. Serve with cornbread and your favorite toppings.

Classic Minestrone Recipe

Try our slow-cooker version of minestrone, a traditional Italian soup.

Brazilian Feijoada Recipe

This traditional Brazilian stew of pork and black beans is served over rice with fresh orange slices.

Chickpea Chili Recipe

Add this tasty chili dish to your winter month meal plans. It’s loaded with fiery flavors and served hot off the slow cooker. Serve over couscous with lime wedges and sprinkle with cilantro.

Vegetable-Lentil Soup Recipe

After a hectic day at work, hearty bowlfuls of Vegetable-Lentil Soup await you in the slow cooker.

White Bean, Kale and Sausage Stew Recipe

Serve White Bean, Kale and Sausage Stew with lots of crusty bread to soak up the flavorful liquid.

Creamy White Bean Soup with Smoked Ham Hocks Recipe

Creamy, starchy, and filling, this hearty, rustic soup is the epitome of comfort. And convenient: Beans go in dry--no need to soak.

Sausage-and-Bean Stew Recipe

This dish is so easy: Just brown your favorite smoked sausage, toss the ingredients together, and let the slow cooker do the rest. All you need to round out the meal is a simple green salad and loaf of crusty bread.

Green Tomato Chile Verde Recipe

We like the tang and body that green tomatoes give this comforting stew.

Smoky Slow-Cooked Chili Recipe

This hearty slow cooker pork chili with pinto beans gets its smoky flavor from the combination of chili powder, cumin, oregano. tomatillos, and Mexican-style hot tomato sauce.