Hearty Slow-Cooker Soups, Stews & Chilies
Make cheesy potato soup, black bean chili, beef stew and more with our kitchen-tested recipes.
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Mexican Meatball Stew
This easy slow-cooker meal has just five ingredients, all packaged or canned. Toss it together in minutes.
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Slow-Cooked Chickpeas with Saffron.
This stew appears in the cookbook On the Curry Trail, by Raghavan Iyer (Workman, $30). You can use our recipe for the Moroccan spice blend ras al hanout, or purchase ras al hanout at specialty stores or online.
Related: Top Vegetarian Recipes
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Red Bean, Chicken, and Sweet Potato Stew
Vitamin-rich sweet potatoes and creamy peanut butter complement spicy Cajun seasoning in this easy chicken slow-cooker stew.
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Chipotle Black-Bean Chili
This chili is great for tucking into your slow cooker in the morning, so you can come home to a warm dinner. Omit the meat if you'd prefer a hearty meatless main dish. If you like, add chopped avocado or shredded cheese as toppers before serving.
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Tomatillo Chicken Soup
Tomatillos (the key ingredient in green salsa) look like green tomatoes with papery husks. Although they can be eaten raw, we like to cook tomatillos with other ingredients to mellow and balance their tart flavor.
Related: Sizzling Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes
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Smoky Beef, Black Bean and Corn Chili
This hands-off, slow-cooker recipe has just a pound of ground beef and a can of stock. All the rest of the heft and taste comes from black beans, fire-roasted tomatoes, smoked paprika, chipotle peppers and corn tortillas.
Related: Warm-You-Up Chili Recipes
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Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
This 170-calorie slow-cooker version of a classic comfort food takes just 25 minutes of prep and uses reduced-fat cream cheese in its creamy homemade broth.
Related: 25 Healthy Dinner Recipes
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Lentil-Ham Soup
Fresh spinach and sliced carrots add a vitamin-rich veggie punch to this easy slow-cooker soup. Top with shaved Parmesan, if you like.
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Cheesy Potato Soup
Potato, bacon and cheese—all the flavors you love in a bowl of soup! The American cheese keeps the soup from curdling while it slow cooks. Mashing cooked potatoes a bit gives the soup some body, while the bacon adds a smoky-salty taste.
Related: Smoky, Sizzling Bacon Recipes
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Slow-Cooker Brat and Sauerkraut Soup
Potatoes, onion, sauerkraut and brats pack in the German flavor in this homey slow-cooker soup. Try with Whole Wheat Pretzel Rolls; the soft pretzels' chewy, brown exterior comes from being boiled in an alkaline solution—the 1/4 cup baking soda in the water isn't a typo!
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Soy-Ginger Soup with Chicken
Somen are thin Japanese wheat noodles. Find them at Asian groceries or large supermarkets, or substitute vermicilli in this light chicken soup.
Related: Soul-Satisfying Asian Soup Recipes
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Beef and Sweet Potato Stew
Sweet potatoes, cumin, cinnamon, and dried apricots or plums add a North African flavor to this lower-sodium version of slow-cooker beef.
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Italian Vegetable Soup
Purchased pesto adds zip to this veggie-barley slow-cooked soup. Serve with a sandwich for a light meal.
Related: Vegetable Soup Recipes
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Chicken Chili
Short on time? Move the slow-cooker setting for this mild white chili recipe to high. If you like, serve in store-bought bread bowls.
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Chicken and White Bean Stew
Great Northern or cannellini beans blend with chicken thighs and purchased Alfredo sauce in this easy-to-assemble meal. Serve with crusty bread and tossed salad.
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Warm-Me-Up Chicken Chili
Combine chicken, chopped vegetables and canned beans for this warm-and-comforting chili. Our recipe gives variations for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili as well as a spicier Chipotle Chicken Chili.
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Slow-Cooked Minestrone
Ground beef turns this soup into a satisfying meal. Top the slow-cooked main-dish soup with fresh-grated Parmesan cheese.
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Sausage and Tortellini Soup
Prep time is just 10 minutes for this slow-cooker soup; combine canned Italian-style stewed tomatoes, frozen green beans, water, a can of onion soup and turkey sausage. Add coleslaw mix and refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini 15 minutes before serving.
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Loaded Bratwurst Stew
Smoked bratwurst, cabbage and potatoes cook in a mixture of broth, mustard, vinegar, and spices. You can try kielbasa or a flavored chicken sausage in place of the smoked bratwurst if you prefer.
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New World Chili
Pumpkin, dried cranberries, jalapeno peppers, and turkey add a distinctive flavor twist to slow-simmering chili.
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Southwestern Potato-Sausage Chowder
Vary the heat of this easy chowder by choosing sweet or hot sausage and serrano or jalapeno pepper. Cumin adds subtle Southwest character.
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Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili
What's the secret ingredient in this recipe? Chocolate syrup, which adds a rich taste to a blend of kidney beans, black beans and small white beans. Rinse canned beans to reduce the sodium.
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Nacho Cheese Chicken Chowder
This 5-ingredient slow-cooker chowder goes together in minutes and then cooks two hours on high or four to five hours on low. Serve with breadsticks for dipping.
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Fireside Beef Stew with Root Vegetables
Cranberry juice makes a surprise appearance in this slow-cooker main dish. The juice adds a little sweetness to the winter veggie-packed soup.