It's cold today, so it's time to warm up with a delicious, hardy soup. Check out my 12 best soup recipes, plus two stews and three chili recipes. Most are small-batch soup recipes you can make for two or adapt to the amount you need. All the recipes are labeled as stovetop or the size of crock pot required and have step-by-step photo instructions.
Table of contents
It is time for a roundup of my best soup and stew recipes. We have traditional soups, a few change-of-pace soups, a couple of traditional stew recipes, and a bonus of 3 of my best chili recipes.
😀My Three Favorite Soups
It is hard to pick, like picking a favorite child, but these are my favorites— at least for today.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Stovetop only—crock pot version belowThis amazing Broccoli Cheese Soup is delicious and creamy. One of the best soup recipes for home cooks. It is a simple one-pot soup from scratch with multiple options to make it your way.
Broccoli Cheese Soup Recipe
Crock Pot French Onion Soup
For Mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsThe best Crock Pot French Onion Soup has a rich beef broth and deeply caramelized onions. The easiest way to caramelize onions is by cooking them all day in a slow cooker rather than on the stovetop. The onion soup is served with toasted crusty bread and melted cheese.
Crock Pot French Onion Soup
Easy Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsThis Easy Homemade Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe is packed with tender beef, vegetables, and hearty broth. Adapted from Betty Crocker, it has trimmed a chuck roast, chopped vegetables, and cooked in flavorful beef broth with spices on the stovetop or in a crock pot. It's the perfect old-fashioned soup for a cold winter day.
Vegetable Beef Soup Recipe
👨🍳Four Traditional Soups
A collection of old-fashioned soups with great taste. All are easy to make with simple instructions.
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup
For Mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsRich and creamy, this easy Crock Pot Broccoli Cheddar Cheese Soup is made with frozen or fresh broccoli, cheddar cheese, and common ingredients in only a few minutes of prep before going in your slow cooker—the perfect comfort food for a cold winter day.
Crock Pot Broccoli Cheese Soup
Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsAn easy and delicious dump-and-go crock pot beef barley soup recipe with tender stew meat, beef broth, vegetables, and plump barley. Use any size slow cooker, from mini crock pots to full-size.
Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup
Old Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsThis simple classic Chicken Noodle Soup recipe can be made in a crock pot or on the stovetop—get a great homemade taste with tender chicken, noodles, and vegetables.
Small Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Healthy Tomato Basil Soup—Quick and Easy
Stovetop onlyThis Healthy Tomato Basil Soup has a thick, creamy texture and deep, rich flavor. A fast and easy recipe that only takes 25 minutes (or less) to make.
Healthy Tomato Basil Soup
👍Three Change of Pace Soups
When you want something delicious but different.
Crock Pot Taco Soup
For Stovetop, small and full-size crock potsThis easy crock pot taco soup recipe features seasoned ground beef, beans, and thick, spicy tomato broth. You can make it spicy, thick, or thin, or make a small batch for two. But you will never make a more delicious taco soup. It's spicy tacos in a bowl, perfect for Taco Tuesday.
Crock Pot Taco Soup
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
For Stovetop or large crock potOlive Garden's Pasta e Fagioli Soup is a version of the traditional Italian Pasta Fagioli recipe. It is loaded with beans, pasta, vegetables, a spicy tomato sauce, and beef. My copycat version is easy to make at home in a crock pot or a Dutch oven.
Pasta e Fagioli Soup
Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup
For Small or large crock potLoaded with ground beef and vegetables in a cheesy broth, this Crock Pot Cheeseburger Soup is an easy dinner the whole family will love.
Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
🐖Three Ham Bone Soups
Most people only know about ham and bean soup, but there are more delicious choices to use a ham bone.
Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
For Large crock pot onlyCrockpot Ham and Bean soup is easy to make with leftover ham bones, dry white beans, and vegetables. It is old-fashioned comfort food at its best—delicious and hearty—and is a simple and economical recipe for ham and beans in the crock pot.
Crock Pot Ham and Bean Soup
Ham Bone Vegetable Soup
For Stovetop or large crock potDon't toss that leftover ham bone; make a delicious hearty soup loaded with tender vegetables and ham instead. Super easy on in your crock pot or on the stovetop.
Vegetable Ham Soup Recipe
Puerto Rican Ham Bone Soup with Potatoes and Beans
For Stovetop or large crock potAn excellent ham soup bursts with potatoes, rice, carrots, and beans in a spicy broth. Give that ham bone a great ending today with this hardy soup you will love.
Puerto Rico Ham Soup
🙂BONUS #1: Two Stew Recipes
There is nothing like a great hearty stew on a cold winter day. Give these easy recipes a try.
Small Crock Pot Chicken Stew
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsThis easy crock pot Chicken Stew recipe features tender chicken, potatoes, and lots of vegetables in a tasty broth. This versatile small-batch recipe can be made for two in a mini crock pot or scaled up for a crowd. I have also included stovetop instructions for faster results.
Small Crock Pot Chicken Stew
Small Crock Pot Beef Stew
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsIt's easy to make and one of the best beef stew recipes. This simple classic stew features tender chunks of stew meat, soft potatoes, and carrots in a rich tomato sauce. It's also a versatile small-batch recipe—you can make it for two in a mini crock pot or larger for a crowd.
Small Crock Pot Beef Soup
🙂BONUS #2: Three Top Chili Recipes
Not soup, not stew, but still, you will love these recipes.
Small Crock Pot Chili
For Mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsEasy to make and one of the best homemade chilies, this small-batch crock pot chili recipe is versatile—you can make chili for two in a mini crock pot or larger for a crowd. It's a classic recipe with ground beef, a mildly spicy tomato-based sauce, and tender beans.
Small Chili Recipe
Small Crock Pot White Chicken Chili
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsThis easy-to-make homemade chicken chili is my best chicken chili. Only 5 ingredients are needed: shredded chicken, white beans, salsa, cheese, and cumin to make this dump-and-go small-batch white chicken chili recipe, which can win the office chili cookoff.
Small Crock Pot Chicken Chili
Texas Style Chili
For Stovetop, mini 2-qt, small, and full-size crock potsTexas Style Chili with tender chunks of beef with a rich, warm heat from three types of chili peppers. Easy to cook on the stovetop or small crock pot, but adjustable for larger amounts to fit your needs.
Texas Chili Recipe
Editor's Note: Originally Published as "A Week of Soups" on January 6, 2018. At that time, I updated and republished yearly with variations. I will be updating this roundup yearly.
Nancy Fish says
I have used several of these recipes before but I have now saved this post with them all together. I have printed a couple of them to make in the next few weeks.
t
Thank You for helping save some of our old but favorite soup recipes.
Nancy Fish
P.S. I love the head shot photos of your dogs in the main picture for this post.
Celesti says
I sent my daughter your recipe for Crock pot French onion soup and she loved it. We made this soup several times at my husbands request. Onions are so delicious in the beef broth we always double up on this recipe. We call this an eat today and enjoy later in the week meal. Your recipe for Cheesy broccoli was delicious, and so was your Taco soup.
Sandra says
The cheeseburger soup is my husband’s all time favourite. Can’t get enough of it. We’re out here on the wet west coast, no snow but the soup still fits the bill for comfort food .
DrDan says
Hi Sandra,
A stick to the bone soup like this works almost anywhere.
Dan
Linda Lee says
As a Michigan gal myself I was thrilled to get the recipe again for the soups. I had tried the Broccoli Cheese Recipe and it was a keeper! Today a great day for a warm hearty easy to make yet delicious and filling. Dr. Dan maybe you could create a good tomato basil soup? Quite hearty and good with a grilled cheese some evening:) Thank you for the time taken to provide these recipes!
DrDan says
Hi Linda,
Welcome to the blog.
I was "due" to do this post a few weeks ago but we hadn't had snow for weeks. I saw the forecast so brushed it off for today.
I do have a tomato basil soup that I just published last week. I didn't include it in this roundup since I just published it. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/tomato-basil-soup/
Dan
Sonia says
can't have more colder winters than what we have here in Canada
I am in Montreal, Quebec and we are going through a real chill now temperatures
minus 30 including wind chill factor feels like minus 40 no kidding BURRRRRRRR
Soup is great at this time
Maryellen says
North Dakota girl here!! Soup = winter comfort food for sure!!
Joan says
Actually, we have agreed to leave February 22 and will try to stretch the trip until March. We are returning to Kalamazoo, our hometown. We have some excited children and grandchildren. It’s a change of lifestyle, but we did it before when moving to Florida. We sold turnkey so we will just pack the car and leave.
DrDan says
Ahh, the south snow/tornado belt. Be careful on I-94 around there. I'm near Grand Haven.
Dan
Joan says
It looks good! We are moving back to Michigan after 25 years in Florida. I know the soup recipes will come in handy.
DrDan says
Hi Joan,
OK, I'll bite, where in Michigan and hopefully not for a few months.
Dan