11 Slow-Cooker Soup and Stew Recipes to Warm Your Body and Soul

Stephen Kent Johnson

The only thing better than a nearly effortless dinner is the smell of it simmering all day long.

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Stephen Kent Johnson

There are so many reasons we love using a slow-cooker. It's a master at breaking down and tenderizing tougher cuts of meat, such as beef chuck, which is used in our recipe for Slow-Cooker Sicilian-Style Beef Stew. Over the course of four to eight hours, these multicookers can slowly but surely build flavor, as demonstrated with the absolutely beautiful Slow-Cooker Persian Lamb Stew pictured here. Plus, slow cooker recipes are one-pot meals, which makes for easy clean-up, and we especially like that you can prepare them ahead of time. Gone are the days of entertaining friends and rushing to put the main course together at the last minute. With our crowd-friendly slow-cooker recipes, you'll be asked to host again and again.

One of our favorite warm and cozy slow-cooker recipes is this Italian-inspired Slow-Cooker Ribollita. It's a hearty vegetable stew that brings together four cups of Lacinato kale, zucchini, chopped tomato, and cranberry beans. It's served with toasted bread and plenty of grated cheese. It's a guaranteed winner, because no one has ever said no to a dish made with those savory ingredients.

Another vegetarian slow-cooker winner is Slow-Cooker White-Bean Soup, which we especially love to make in fall. Cubed butternut squash is accented with springs of sage and garlic, and float alongside beans, leeks, and spinach. If you're a carnivore craving beef, try our take on classic Cuban beef stew—Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja. Tender flank steak gets plenty of flavor from capers, Spanish olives, tomatoes, cumin seeds, and jalapeño pepper.

From spiced fish curry to a hearty beef stew, enjoy these slow-cooker recipes during the colder months.

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Slow-Cooker Ribollita

Stephen Kent Johnson

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Whether you're a vegetarian or a meat-lover, everyone will love this plant-based, Italian-inspired stew. It's packed with vegetables like Lacinato kale, zucchini, and tomatoes, plus rich cranberry beans that help to create a silky broth.

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Slow-Cooker Ropa Vieja

Stephen Kent Johnson

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This may be the most satisfying dish you'll eat all week—okay, all winter long. It's meaty, fatty, spicy—a totally welcome take on flank steak. Serve over rice and with plantain chips so that no drop goes to waste.

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Slow-Cooker Sicilian-Style Beef Stew

Lennart Weibull

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Aromatic orange zest, rosemary, and rich green olives are the key, Sicilian-inspired ingredients in this rich stew. Before adding cubed beef chuck to the slow-cooker, brown it in a sizzling hot cast-iron pan to seal in the juices and create gorgeous color.

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Slow-Cooker White-Bean Soup

Lennart Weibull

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We're declaring this the best ever vegetable stew. It's packed with protein, thanks to Great Northern beans, and plenty of color from leeks, butternut squash, and spinach. To put it simply, it's a home run.

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Slow-Cooker Indian-Style Fish Curry

Stephen Kent Johnson

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A fabulous curry is nothing without a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Nearly a dozen spices and herbs are puréed together to form a paste, which is added to coconut milk to create a thick and flavorful sauce. Flaky white fish is added near the very end so it cooks through but doesn't become overcooked.

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Slow-Cooker Green Chili

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While this Mexican-style green chili would have you dirty a few pots and pans, the effort pays off in a two-for-one meal plan: stew one night and tacos the next.

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Spicy Turkey Chili

Yunhee Kim

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Chop a few chiles, open a few cans, and you're looking at a hearty, flavorful dinner.

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Hearty Beef Stew

Johnny Miller

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This back-pocket winter meal is a godsend on busy, chilly days—it requires just five minutes of prep.

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Slow-Cooker Beef and Tomato Stew

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This lighter beef stew calls for extra-lean beef chuck; with so much time to mingle, the flavors develop a heartiness and you don't even miss the fat.

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Slow-Cooker Cajun Stew

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Strategically adding ingredients to this Cajun stew ensures that every element is perfectly cooked.

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11 Slow-Cooker Soup and Stew Recipes to Warm Your Body and Soul

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