Soup-er Easy Weeknight
Dinner Ideas

Fantastic Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

With flavorful broth, gooey cheese, and soft bread, it’s hard not to love French onion soup. The best part about this recipe? You can throw all the ingredients for the onion soup base in your slow cooker!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 tablespoons butter
• 4 large yellow onions, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup cooking sherry
• 7 cups beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 slices of French bread
• ½ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• ⅓ cup shredded Emmental cheese
• ¼ cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons shredded mozzarella cheese

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

Heat butter in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onions until they become translucent, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle onions with sugar; reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring constantly, until onions are soft and browned, at least 30 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Step 2

Stir sherry into onion mixture and scrape bottom of pot to dissolve small bits of browned food from the pot. Transfer onions into a slow cooker and pour in beef broth. Season to taste with sea salt; stir in thyme and bay leaf. Cover cooker, set on High, and cook 4 to 6 hours. If desired, set on Low and cook 8 to 10 hours.

Step 3

About 10 minutes before serving, set oven rack about 8 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange bread slices on a baking sheet.

Step 4

Broil bread slices until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Step 5

Combine Gruyere, Emmental, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses in a bowl, tossing lightly. Fill oven-safe soup crocks full of onion soup and float a bread slice in each bowl. Top with about 2 tablespoons of cheese mixture per serving.

Step 6

Place filled bowls onto a baking sheet and broil until cheese topping is lightly browned and bubbling, about 2 minutes.

Go-To Garden
Fresh Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is a cold-weather classic, and with this two-step recipe, you can enjoy it any night of the week. Serve it with a side of grilled cheese for the ultimate comfort meal.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1 slice onion
• 4 whole cloves
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves, and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat and run the mixture through a strainer into a large bowl or pan.

Step 2

In the empty pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour, cooking until medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt and adjust to taste.

Seriously Good Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Turn taco Tuesday into tortilla soup Tuesday with this recipe that’s jam-packed with flavor. It’s nutritious, delicious, and simple to make in your slow cooker.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
• 1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups water
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 7 corn tortillas
• vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Step 1

Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

Step 3

Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.

Step 4

Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.