- 6 weeks ago
Looking for cozy winter soups that practically make themselves? In this video, Nicole shares five easy slow cooker recipes that are hearty, comforting, and perfect for cold nights. From creamy, cheesy favorites to protein-packed classics, these soups simmer to perfection while you stay warm and relaxed. We start with Slow Cooker Swamp Soup, a rich and flavorful bowl loaded with sausage, potatoes, and vegetables. Next up is Million Dollar Soup, a creamy, crowd-pleasing recipe that lives up to its name. Nicole then stirs up a decadent Cheeseburger Soup that’s cheesy, hearty, and pure comfort in a bowl. For something classic, she serves Ham and Bean Soup, a slow-simmered favorite packed with smoky flavor. Finally, she wraps things up with Chicken Tortilla Soup, complete with tender chicken, spice, and crunch for a Tex-Mex finish.
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00:00Soup's on.
00:01I've got five winter soup recipes
00:04and none of them are chili.
00:05We still have many cold days ahead of us,
00:07so soup is what's for dinner
00:08and I've got them all made in the crock pot
00:10because we want to keep it super easy.
00:12Because if you're like me,
00:13we're just tired of cooking by now.
00:14I'm starting out with one of my favorite soups
00:16from a while back, Swamp Soup.
00:18And trust me, the name is deceiving
00:20because I'm telling you it's one of the best things ever.
00:22This soup makes a ton and it's fairly inexpensive
00:25and we use a few shortcuts.
00:27I believe the name comes from the fact
00:28that it is the color of Swamp,
00:32thanks to some turnip greens added,
00:34but I just don't want you judging a book by its cover here.
00:37So I'm just gonna start by chopping up an onion.
00:39Somebody used gold potatoes here.
00:41I like gold potatoes because the skins are really thin.
00:44You don't have to peel them.
00:45I've already washed these.
00:47This recipe is perfection.
00:48However, make it suitable for what you like.
00:51If you don't want a jalapeno in there,
00:52you could substitute bell pepper or leave it out.
00:55I take the seeds out
00:56because I'm not trying for it to be too spicy
00:58because I need it to feed everybody, even the picky ones.
01:03You really can just dump everything at this point.
01:05I like to give it just a little head start on the skillet
01:08just to develop some color and extra flavor from the sausage.
01:11If you know, you know.
01:14Not sponsored.
01:15Just cut it up into bite-sized pieces.
01:17I like this soup because sausage is the main protein.
01:20It adds a ton of flavor
01:22and it's just something different than your ground beef
01:24or chicken soups.
01:26We've developed the color and the flavor from the sausage.
01:28It's also rendered out the fat.
01:30The fat from the sausage is going to transfer
01:33throughout the whole dish.
01:34We know fat is a good carrier of flavor.
01:36Then I'm going to add in the onion and peppers
01:38and just let them cook for about one minute
01:40and then it all goes into the crock pot.
01:41All right.
01:42Start dumping in with our potatoes
01:44and then you go to the canned vegetable aisle
01:47and you get yourself some navy beans,
01:51some Hoppin' John or you can get the canned black eyed peas
01:53but if you can find the Hoppin' John,
01:54they're going to have a little more flavor.
01:55Some Rotel.
01:57You can get the mild if you don't want to add any extra spice
01:59and then just don't be scared.
02:00This is what makes it swampy.
02:02This is what makes it delicious and nutritious.
02:05A big can of turnip greens.
02:06I just drained the navy beans.
02:08I didn't rinse them
02:09because I'm fine with a little of that creaminess.
02:11Sort of reminiscent of the New Year's Day soup a little bit.
02:15I like to add in some reduced sodium bouillon paste
02:19or you can just do chicken bouillon cubes.
02:22I just like using the bouillon paste
02:25because it lasts for a long time in your fridge.
02:28And then I'm going to add in two cups of water.
02:29You could also just do chicken stock if you want to.
02:32I'm going to get two and a half cups of water.
02:34I like it brothy.
02:36Notice I have not added salt or pepper or anything
02:40because we use those shortcuts.
02:41They have plenty of salt and flavoring already added.
02:44That's it.
02:45You can go high for about three hours or low for six
02:49or just till you get home from work.
02:51Those potatoes are going to get nice and tender and buttery.
02:53We're going to be eating good.
02:54I don't know if I should have started with this one
02:56because this one I can tell you already is going to be hard to beat.
02:59The smell alone.
03:01The potatoes have absorbed the flavor from the sausage.
03:05I mean, I love this because like, you don't have to do anything to it.
03:08I mean, you could add hot sauce, you could do things,
03:10but I feel like you trust me when I say you don't need anything.
03:13And you just go in with your spoon
03:15and you just come out with the perfect bite.
03:21Mmm.
03:23Has a kick from the Rotel.
03:26I mean, like if you need nothing, you need nothing.
03:28The whole thing is like a mouthful of umami.
03:30It's like every taste bud is satisfied.
03:32And don't worry.
03:34I went ahead and got me a vessel.
03:37You could do cornbread.
03:38I kind of like the crusty bread here.
03:40Get a little bit on there.
03:41Let it get some of that juice.
03:43That's the perfect bite of soup right there.
03:49Mmm.
03:50This makes me so happy.
03:52It's the happiest a swamp will ever make you.
03:54Trust me.
03:55I'll be having to save this one for dinner.
03:57As much as I want to eat the whole bowl now,
03:59we got more soups to make.
04:00Next up, super trendy recipe, million dollar soup.
04:04When you hear million dollar in any recipe,
04:07what you can expect is creamy cheesiness.
04:10Rich in flavor, thus million dollar.
04:13You know what I mean?
04:14So this recipe from all recipes
04:16is actually not a crock pot recipe.
04:19But do know, I'm gonna guess like 95% of soups
04:23can be made in the crock pot.
04:24If they're written for the stove, you can adapt them.
04:26And generally it's the part in the recipe
04:28that just says bring to a simmer.
04:30You can do everything else according to the recipe,
04:33but when it says bring it to a simmer,
04:35throw it in this baby and let it go low and slow.
04:38You don't need to do any advanced work,
04:40except possibly saute your onion and celery
04:44and a little butter.
04:45You could also skip the step
04:46and just dump it straight into the crock pot.
04:48Again, I like that fat to transfer the flavor,
04:50so I did it.
04:52To that, I'm going in with some potatoes.
04:54The creaminess plus potato is reminiscent of a chowder.
04:58And then for the creaminess, some cheddar cheese soup.
05:01This is one of my mom's favorite ingredients
05:03from back in the day and cream of chicken.
05:06So this right here is gonna help us achieve that
05:08without having to make a roux and do all the hard stuff.
05:12Sometimes shortcuts are in order.
05:15And then four cups of chicken stock or chicken broth.
05:18If you wanna choose a low sodium here, you can.
05:21All right, then we're just gonna add
05:22a few more seasonings to kick it up.
05:25A little onion and garlic powder
05:27and a little Cajun seasoning.
05:28I'm cutting the Cajun seasoning in half
05:30according to the recipe.
05:31Again, just so it appeals to my whole family.
05:33Okay, and then chicken.
05:35So I'm using a just pre-cooked chicken here.
05:38A rotisserie is great.
05:40And this, all you're doing is letting it cook
05:42until those potatoes are tender.
05:43So you can go on low for an extended period of time.
05:46I'm gonna go high for about two hours.
05:49All right, now we are going to up the game
05:52with our million dollar soup.
05:54Potatoes are tender, slightly creamy,
05:57but to really be million dollar,
05:59you gotta make it even creamier.
06:00So we're going in with some creamy mozzarella.
06:05At this point, really,
06:06you could just empty out your cheese drawer.
06:07Whatever you've got, throw it in here.
06:09You just need more cheese.
06:10But this like creamy mozzarella
06:12has like a little bit of cream cheese in it.
06:13So you're kind of getting a two for one special.
06:16And then a half a cup of sour cream.
06:18You don't want to do this in the beginning
06:19because the sour cream will curdle if it cooks too long.
06:23I feel like since it is million dollar,
06:26should break out the gold ladle.
06:28Smells so good.
06:30Top it off with some shredded cheddar
06:32or more of whatever you put inside.
06:34Bacon and some green onions for a pop of color and freshness.
06:38And she suggests serving them with Ritz crackers
06:40because the million dollar dip
06:43is kind of what made these flavors kind of famous.
06:45And we eat it with crackers.
06:46So may as well.
06:48Does the taste live up to its name?
06:55Right off the bat, it does.
06:57Perfectly salty.
06:58Just a tiny hint of kick from the Cajun seasoning.
07:02I love a good salty bite.
07:03This is that.
07:04It's creamy.
07:05It's comforting.
07:06It's a great alternative to any kind of chowder
07:08or potato soup.
07:09Your family will completely devour this one.
07:11Thousand percent.
07:16A million percent.
07:17Forget the old school vegetable beef soup.
07:19We are making creamy, cheesy cheeseburger soup.
07:23A lot of the same elements, but double the flavor.
07:26I'm starting by chopping up some potato.
07:28This is like the French fry to your cheeseburger.
07:30So it just makes sense.
07:32Although I want you to bear with me.
07:33This is a perfect example of me practicing what I preach.
07:37You know, I always tell you a recipe is just a guide.
07:42I'm gonna, you know, kind of zhuzh this one.
07:44Make it my own.
07:45Starting with the fact that the recipe says
07:47it only makes six servings.
07:49And if I'm making a pot of soup,
07:51I want leftovers because I eat soup for days
07:53or you can freeze the leftovers for another time.
07:55So I am doubling the recipe for the most part,
07:58but I'm also kind of making it my own.
08:00For example, I'm using the Yukon gold potato
08:02instead of the russet because that's what I like.
08:03You should just do what you like, you know?
08:05Yes, Nicole, I know.
08:07That's basically the extent of the prep.
08:09Cut up some onion and potatoes.
08:11Now we are going to brown off our hamburger meat
08:13because you do want to do that
08:14when you're slow cooking with a ground beef soup.
08:17I'm gonna drain off a little of the grease
08:18and then add in the onion.
08:19Everybody does this by now, right?
08:21The burger to our cheeseburger is done.
08:24Into the crock pot we go, then in with our fries.
08:27I use this maybe once every five years
08:29and I'm using it twice in the same day.
08:31The cheddar cheese soup, just makes sense.
08:34Then tomatoes, diced tomatoes
08:36because we're gonna have tomato on our burger.
08:38And I'm using the fire roasted diced tomatoes
08:40because I just kind of thought that might mimic
08:43the grilled cheeseburger a little bit more than regular.
08:47Yes, yes, that's some flavor.
08:49It also calls for an eight ounce tomato sauce
08:51in the regular recipe.
08:52I'm not gonna double this part
08:53because I think we have enough tomato going on.
08:55And then some beef stock.
08:58Oh yeah, this is gonna be good.
09:00And then two more things for now
09:04to make it cheeseburger status.
09:06Ketchup and mustard.
09:08I'm going in with about a half a cup of ketchup
09:10and then some mustard.
09:12Three tablespoons.
09:13This can go on low for like six to eight hours
09:15or on high for three to four hours.
09:18Just want those potatoes tender
09:19because everything else is pretty much cooked.
09:20And when we finish it off, we will close in
09:22on the cheeseburger experience even more.
09:25Have you ever had a slow cooked cheeseburger?
09:27Today's the day.
09:28Those little black specks are from the fire roasted tomatoes.
09:32It's that grill flavor.
09:33Now we gotta make it even cheesier.
09:36So in goes about a cup of cheddar cheese.
09:39And we're gonna top it with more cheese too.
09:42Now recipes suggest you could also top it
09:44with more mustard and ketchup.
09:45I don't think I'm gonna do that, okay?
09:47But I am gonna top it with some chopped pickles.
09:50That is gonna give us the cheeseburger effect.
09:52Just a little bit of pepper.
09:54This might be my first time for cheeseburger soup.
09:57Get that perfect cheeseburger bite.
10:00Mmm, it does work.
10:03You get all the flavors of a cheeseburger.
10:04Not like a ton of mustard and ketchup.
10:07You just get like the hint of that.
10:09That pickle on top really does seal the deal though.
10:11The new way to vegetable beef is the cheeseburger soup.
10:14This next soup I make at least two or three times a year.
10:18My family loves it because we love beans.
10:20And this is ham and bean soup.
10:22It utilizes one of my favorite tricks
10:25or one of my favorite secrets
10:26that I just need to tell you about.
10:28Now, surely you did not throw away the ham bone
10:31when you finished your holiday ham.
10:33That thing better be hanging out in your freezer
10:35because this is what you're gonna do with it.
10:36But first, I'm cutting up some vegetables.
10:38Recipe just calls for onion and carrot.
10:41Have a little leftover celery.
10:43There are leaves left on your celery in a soup
10:47is where they play a huge role.
10:49So don't be tossing that out either.
10:51It's where all the flavor is.
10:53Veggies, I'm gonna dump them straight in.
10:55Then you're gonna get a bag of 15 bean soup.
10:58It's got 15 different kinds of beans in there.
11:01And you're gonna soak it the night before in water.
11:03You're gonna discard the little seasoning packet
11:05that it comes with because we don't need that.
11:06So these have already been soaked and drained.
11:10And then because maybe there's not enough bean,
11:12we're gonna add a can of Great Northern beans.
11:15Gonna drain and rinse these.
11:17I suppose you could leave those out
11:18if you think you have enough beans.
11:20That's just gonna kinda lighten it up a little bit.
11:22Now, this is my favorite dinner trick.
11:24You can just buy the ham bone from,
11:29you know, the famous ham place.
11:30And it is way cheaper than buying a whole ham.
11:34Plus they leave so much ham on there.
11:38You can have enough for the soup.
11:39You can make a couple sandwiches out of it.
11:40But the flavor from this, it's my favorite.
11:43And a lot of times they are buy one, get one free.
11:46I mean, you can get them, you know, for six, seven bucks.
11:49This one's a big one.
11:50Look at this.
11:51I'm also gonna just throw in that juice.
11:54I mean, they leave so much ham on there.
11:56I like to trim off the really big pieces.
11:58And then you're gonna throw this into your crock pot.
12:01As it cooks, it's gonna clean itself off of the bone.
12:05And all the meat closest to the bone
12:07is where the best flavor is.
12:09And then we'll be able to tear it and shred it up further.
12:11The recipe actually just calls for three cups of cooked ham.
12:15But I'm telling you right now,
12:17you throw that ham bone in there.
12:19I'm calling this ham bone soup.
12:20The flavor using the bone versus just throw it in cooked ham
12:23is going to be unmatched.
12:27Okay.
12:28I'm gonna go in with a little bit of garlic.
12:29Then I'm gonna throw in a couple little bay leaves.
12:31Recipe calls for two cups of chicken broth
12:33and two cups of water.
12:36I'm just gonna do all this chicken broth.
12:38And I like to cook this until it is creamy.
12:40I don't like my bean soup super brothy.
12:43The beans have soaked overnight,
12:44so they have already reconstituted,
12:46but they're still gonna absorb a lot of this liquid.
12:48I didn't add any extra salt because this has salt
12:52and the ham obviously has salt.
12:53I do want there to be enough liquid to come to the top.
12:57We're just a little bit shy,
12:58so I'm gonna add in just a little more water.
13:00This is the one you're gonna cook all day
13:01until those beans are tender and creamy.
13:04So you can go low for eight to 10 hours the whole day
13:06while you're at work,
13:07or you can go high for half the time.
13:09Okay, let's check on our beans, shall we?
13:13Our ham and beans.
13:15Oh yeah, look at that.
13:16The bone has like fallen apart.
13:19He has come clean.
13:20Just gonna pull the bigger pieces out
13:22and chop them up if needed.
13:23And look how creamy this has gotten.
13:26Smells so good.
13:28This to me is the epitome of winter comfort food.
13:31And really, this is like a super healthy soup,
13:33as far as I'm concerned.
13:34We didn't add any like fat or anything.
13:37It gets all the flavor from the ham,
13:39but it satisfies that kind of rich and creamy,
13:41you know, craving that you get,
13:42but without all the unhealthy stuff.
13:45Get some cornbread or some other crusty bread
13:48so that you can sop up the goodness.
13:51This is how I eat my ham and bean soup.
13:53Little bit of freshness, some hot sauce,
13:56and some cornbread.
13:57That right there is the definition of comfort food.
14:00This is the perfect winter soup for your crock pot.
14:03You can kind of crumble that cornbread in there
14:05to get the perfect bite.
14:11That ham bone flavor is irreplaceable.
14:15It is salty, yet just like a hint of sweetness,
14:18but the whole thing is just so like comforting.
14:23I mean, it's like a warm velvety hug.
14:25The way those beans cook down and get creamy is magical,
14:29but the flavor of the ham bone is even more magical.
14:32Top it off with some of those contrasting flavors,
14:35the freshness, the little heat, and that cornbread.
14:38Winner, winner, beans for dinner.
14:41You know I never give you a full list of recipes
14:44fit for a whole week without including something
14:46for your taco Tuesday.
14:47So I'm giving you a slow cooker chicken tortilla soup.
14:50This one is going to be the fastest one of the day.
14:53No prep ahead of time.
14:54You just dump and go.
14:55I'm starting out with some onion.
14:57Chicken, I'm doing the cooked chicken again.
15:00And then tomatoes, whole tomatoes.
15:02It calls for the mashed.
15:03I'm just gonna kinda, you know, zhuzh it with my hand.
15:08I also happen to love like the juicy chunks
15:10of tomato you get.
15:11My kids, not so much.
15:13So you could always just sub in crushed tomatoes here.
15:16And then I'm gonna use my hands.
15:17You could use a potato masher here
15:19and just kind of break them up.
15:21Always rinse my tomato cans out for extra flavor.
15:24Little extra broth.
15:26And I love this ingredient in this recipe.
15:28It calls for enchilada sauce.
15:29This is gonna really be a big flavor booster for the soup.
15:33It's just like a super thin tomato sauce,
15:35but it's packed with flavor.
15:36And then just one can of chicken broth.
15:39You can always just add in a couple cups of water
15:40and then add in a cube or two of your bouillon.
15:43A can of chopped green chilies.
15:45Going in with a bay leaf.
15:47And then 10 ounces of frozen corn.
15:50See, everything in this soup is pretty much cooked.
15:53So you're just really heating it through.
15:54So you can go low for several hours,
15:57or you can just pop this on high for, you know,
15:59one to two hours.
16:00All right, and then just a little bit of cumin,
16:02chili powder, salt and pepper.
16:04Stir it up, crank it on, and let it go.
16:08But Nicole, where are the tortillas?
16:09If this is tortilla soup, they come later.
16:12All right, guys, guys, guys, I almost forgot.
16:16Some water.
16:17I thought it needed to be a little soupier,
16:19and now we let it go.
16:22Our final soup is almost done,
16:24but it can't be tortilla soup without tortillas.
16:27So this recipe has a really easy way
16:30of preparing your tortillas for the soup.
16:32So you're gonna take some super inexpensive corn tortillas
16:36and cut them into strips.
16:37Gonna add them to a baking sheet.
16:39You could also do this in the air fryer.
16:41Drizzle them with a couple tablespoons of oil,
16:43and then we're just gonna pop them in the oven
16:45at 400 degrees.
16:46And bake for about 10 to 15 minutes.
16:49That was an easy way to make tortilla chips.
16:52All right, good and crispy.
16:53Now we build.
16:54Take a look at my tortilla soup.
16:57Oh yeah, this smells so good.
16:59You can put some tortillas down on the bottom,
17:02or on the top, or do like me,
17:04and do a little bit of both, because they kind of turn
17:06into like the noodle in your tortilla soup.
17:09Some more on top.
17:11Cheese is optional, but is it?
17:13And then some cilantro.
17:15Could also do some sour cream here, some jalapeno.
17:18We are rounding it out with a flavorful bowl right here.
17:24It's perfect.
17:25The way the enchilada sauce flavors the broth of the soup
17:29is my favorite part.
17:30I just wanna put like more of these in here,
17:33because as they soak up that delicious juice,
17:36it makes for the perfect tortilla bite.
17:38It's like you're eating an enchilada.
17:40You know, when it's kind of like the soft corn tortilla.
17:42But just the perfect, no fuss dinner
17:45for the next Taco Tuesday.
17:47We have done it.
17:48We have created some perfect winter soups in the crock pot.
17:54The crock pot is the perfect way to dish out some comfort
17:57without standing over the stove.
17:59It will definitely warm you up this winter season.
18:01We did it.
18:02Five soups, no chili.
18:04Now if only these slow cookers could do the dishes.
18:07Sorry, one more.
18:09Thanks.
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