20 Slow-Cooker Soups, Stews, and Braises to Make When You’re Snowed In
Slow cookers are often used by busy people who are rushing out the door and want a hot, ready-to-go meal when they return. But the slow cooker works just as well for the more leisurely paced snow day. Imagine throwing a soup together in the slow cooker upon hearing the news that you’re not going anywhere and then going about your snow-day business (which will likely involve a fair amount of shoveling and fort-building.) A few hours later, you return to the kitchen and presto! A hot lunch is ready for everyone.
So many delicious foods respond to the low-and-slow method of cooking that a slow cooker provides. Consider a spicy chicken enchilada soup, comforting maple and Dijon pot roast, or a creamy lemon dal. Cozy up and hunker in for the long haul!
Slow-Cooker Soups
The key to a delicious soup is giving it enough time for all the flavors to cook and meld together. This is why soups are often much better the day after they’re made. Another way to accomplish this is to use a slow cooker to give the soup a chance to come together over a long, low-temperature cooking period.
Meaty Soups
Vegetarian
Slow-Cooker Stews & Braises
Stews are similar to soups, only chunkier and less brothy, and braises are even less brothier still. So once again, the slow cooker rules as the cooking method in this category, giving us moist, tender meats and flavorful perfectly cooked legumes and vegetables.