16 slow cooker soups for nights when you’re already worn out

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Cooking dinner takes energy you don’t always have at the end of a long day. The beauty of slow cooker soups is that they work while you don’t. Toss everything in before you leave the house, and return eight hours later to something hot and ready to eat.

A brown bowl of lasagna soup topped with shredded cheese, with a spoon lifting a portion of soup.
Lasagna Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup

Ham and Potato soup in a gray and white bowl with a spoon.
Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

When you’re too tired to think about dinner, this ham and potato soup does the heavy lifting for you. Toss everything in the crock pot and let it simmer into a rich, creamy bowl that’s perfect for those nights when cooking feels impossible.
Get the Recipe: Crock Pot Ham and Potato Soup

Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

A bowl of broccoli cheddar soup with broccoli and carrots.
Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Skip the drive-through and make Panera’s famous broccoli cheddar soup at home with almost no effort. The slow cooker handles everything while you’re at work, so you can come home to that same thick, cheesy goodness without leaving the house.
Get the Recipe: Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew

A ladle scooping vegetable stew with corn, tomatoes, beans, and shredded meat from a pot.
Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

This Southern-style Brunswick stew is built for exhausted evenings when you need something hearty but can’t manage much prep. Chicken, pork, and vegetables cook down in a tangy tomato broth while you go about your day.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew

Beef Stew with Squash

A bowl of chunky beef stew with carrots, onions, and herbs, served on a wooden board.
Beef Stew with Squash. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Tender beef and butternut squash simmer together all day to create a filling soup that’s waiting when you walk through the door. This is the kind of meal that makes a rough day feel a little easier.
Get the Recipe: Beef Stew with Squash

Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup

Bowl of copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup in a bowl with breadsticks in the background.
Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Get that Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup at home without any of the usual dinner prep stress. The slow cooker turns simple ingredients into creamy, comforting bowls that taste like you put in way more effort than you actually did.
Get the Recipe: Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup

Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli

A white bowl of soup with pasta, beans, vegetables, and herbs on a checkered cloth, with yellow squash and parsley in the background.
Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

This copycat Olive Garden pasta e fagioli cooks itself while you’re dealing with everything else on your plate. Ground beef, beans, and pasta come together in a rich tomato broth that’s ready when you need it most.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Pasta E Fagioli

Mexican Street Corn Soup

Street corn soup with potatoes, corn and red pepper in the crock pot with a spoon on the side.
Mexican Street Corn Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Capture all those street corn flavors in soup form with practically zero hands-on time. Just load up the slow cooker in the morning and come home to something that actually tastes exciting on a weeknight.
Get the Recipe: Mexican Street Corn Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

A bowl of chicken chili topped with cheese and green onions, surrounded by tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

This chicken taco soup is a true dump-and-go recipe for nights when standing over the stove sounds unbearable. Everything goes into the slow cooker at once, and you get bold, spicy flavors without the usual dinner rush chaos.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

Lasagna Soup

A brown bowl of lasagna soup topped with shredded cheese, with a spoon lifting a portion of soup.
Lasagna Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

All the cheesy, saucy comfort of lasagna without the assembly required makes this soup perfect for worn-out weeknights. The slow cooker does the work so you can skip the layering and still get those classic Italian flavors.
Get the Recipe: Lasagna Soup

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chili

A green bowl filled with a stew containing beef, potatoes, beans, and onions, topped with avocado slices and chopped green onions.
Slow Cooker Pineapple Chili. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Sweet pineapple meets spicy chili in this easy slow cooker recipe that requires almost no effort from you. It’s different enough to keep weeknight dinners interesting, even when you’re running on empty.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Pineapple Chili

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

A bowl of creamy chicken noodle casserole with vegetables, garnished with parsley.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Nothing beats coming home to a pot of chicken noodle soup that made itself while you were gone. This version is creamy and packed with vegetables, giving you real comfort food without the exhausting prep work.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

A bowl of creamy potato soup topped with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped green onions, and crumbled bacon, next to a spoon and a blue and white checkered napkin.
Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Loaded potato soup in the slow cooker means you get all your favorite toppings on a creamy base with minimal morning prep. Customize it however you want and let the machine handle the rest on those draining evenings.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

A bowl of French onion soup topped with melted cheese and chopped parsley on toasted bread, with a spoon in the bowl.
Slow Cooker French Onion Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

French onion soup sounds fancy, but the slow cooker makes it dead simple for tired weeknights. Rich, cheesy, and deeply flavored without requiring you to stand around caramelizing onions when you’re already wiped out.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup

A creamy chicken and rice stew with carrots and herbs is served in a slow cooker with a wooden-handled ladle.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Chicken and rice soup is classic comfort that practically makes itself in the slow cooker. Everything cooks together into a hearty meal that’s ready when you are, no hovering over the stove required.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chicken and Rice Soup

Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnatti chili on top of spaghetti and covered with cheese, beans and onions.
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Cincinnati chili is a nice change from regular weeknight rotation, and the slow cooker makes it completely hands-off. Ground beef and spices do their thing all day so you can serve something a little different without extra stress.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Cincinnati Chili

Slow Cooker Chili Mac

Cheese covered slow cooker chili mac in the crock pot with a wooden spoon.
Slow Cooker Chili Mac. Photo credit: Upstate Ramblings.

Chili mac combines two comfort food favorites in one pot that requires almost nothing from you. The slow cooker handles both the chili and the cheesy pasta situation while you deal with more pressing matters.
Get the Recipe: Slow Cooker Chili Mac

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