12 Best Crockpot Soup Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

Tender vegetables

Vegetables such as peas, asparagus and peppers can become a flavorless, mushy mess in a slow cooker.

You'll be happy to know that many of the best soup recipes can be adapted for that oh so-magical appliance: the slow cooker. Not only can you can cook ingredients and build flavor without hovering over the stove, but these Crock-Pot soups don't involve a lot of prep or extra cooking steps.

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

Is your homemade soup missing something? Add a splash or two of ACV when the soup is done cooking. The vinegar helps lift and highlight flavors. Pickle with ACV.

Place firm, slow-cooking root vegetables like potatoes and carrots at the bottom of the crock and pile the meat on top. Set the heat level: A general rule of thumb is that cooking on the low setting (170 degrees F for most models) takes about twice as long as cooking on high (280 degrees F on most models).

The document provides 5 basic principles of preparing soup: 1) Starting with cold water. 2) Cutting vegetables to an appropriate size. 3) Selecting a protein such as beef, chicken, pork, or fish. 4) Simmering the soup for 4 hours.

The best slow cooker: Cuisinart 4-Quart Cook Central 3-in-1 Multi-Cooker. If you're looking for a slow cooker that will produce tender meat without overcooking anything, go for the Cuisinart 4-Quart Cook Central 3-in-1 Multi-Cooker.

What size slow cooker is best for soup? ›

If you're cooking for yourself or for only two people, a 2 1/2 to 3 1/2-quart slow cooker might be large enough. It's great for smaller amounts of soups and stews. Many slow cooker recipes are written for 6-quart models and can simply be halved for this size.

But once those vegetables are exhausted, they're strained and switched out for a fresh set of thinly sliced celery and carrot. These are added for the final 4–5 minutes of cooking so that they're tender but nowhere near mushy. You get the sweet luxury of long-cooked vegetables and the freshness of crisp-tender ones.

A bit of fat, usually in the form of butter and olive oil, is essential to making a robust soup. Fat is also a vehicle for flavor, and helps to brown vegetables.

The Foundation: Broths and Stocks

The homemade soup recipes that are most memorable are ones that require a long simmer, with carefully browned bones, vegetables, and seasoning added in.

Vinegar, much like salt, is a flavor enhancer — it not only imparts its own taste and acidity to a soup, but in small quantities, it helps to bring out the brightness of other ingredients as well.