CrockPot Soups - it's that time of year again

So, I have a thing for soups. Maybe it's because Houston had such a stiflingly hot summer - now all signs of fall are welcome as we ease in to cooler weather (sort of - we keep flip flopping).

These are two CrockPot soups I have made recently. Since I am working so much closer to home now, I can go home during lunch and turn the CrockPot on - it's very handy! Just come home and eat, basically. CrockPot meals are also nice since I am getting off later now - less dinner prep to do when I get home.

This first recipe was a BIG HIT with my family (Mom, Memaw and Aunt Mary) when they visited a few weeks ago. I thought it was really cool that the soup was based on a boxed rice mix - the seasoning from the Rice-A-Roni seasoned the chicken and broth, too - very cool! See below recipe for my thoughts and plans for next time...

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Sorry, I didn't think to take a picture until I was putting up the leftovers... There's a better picture on the original blog - see the link below!

CrockPot Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Recipe from Chef Mommy Blog!

Ingredients:
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups half and half
1 cup grated carrots (I diced mine and used some baby carrots I had on hand)
1 cup diced celery (we didn't have any celery, so I left this out)

Directions:
Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet) in a large slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Take out chicken and shred with two forks and then add back into slow cooker. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes.

WARNING - Don't blindly dumb all the cream mixture into the crock pot at the end unless you want REALLY thick soup. Add it until it reaches the consistency you're looking for. I didn't use all of my cream mixture, and I still think I added too much.

IN REVIEW - Next time, for one, I think I will add onions to the soup (I love cooking with onions and always think they improve this sort of recipe). Also, I'll be more careful with the cream sauce. I also think that the soup would be good without the cream sauce (so just regular chicken and rice). My mom was going to try it this way (she's not into creamy soups).

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Chicken Enchilada Soup was a favorite of mine at the Chi Omega house, and ever since graduating, I've been searching for a recipe as good as theirs, and this one comes close! It seems a little thinner than theirs, but it was sooo good and heated up nicely.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

From Real Mom Kitchen!

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained (I opted for pinto instead)
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 10-ounce package frozen whole kernel corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped yellow, green, or red bell pepper
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (I used medium, per Lan's request)
1 10.75-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (4 ounces)
2 chicken breasts

In a 3 1/2 to 5 quart slow cooker, combine drained beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in cooker.Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with pepper jack cheese (I did this after plating) and serve. Can also be topped with avocado, sour cream, or crushed tortilla chips.

Note: if the soup is too thick for you, just add a little more milk after it’s all cooked.

IN REVIEW - This makes A LOT (see below). We could probably eat on it 3 times (with me taking leftovers to work the next day each time). It's hard to cut down, since it calls for whole cans of things, but I made a whole recipe of it and froze the leftovers. We are having it again this week, so I'll see how well it held up in the freezer! It was SO GOOD. Definitely my favorite over the creamy chicken and rice. We had cheese enchiladas with it, which was nice too.

See, it makes a lot! This was after we'd both eaten.

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I hope you have time to make these recipes, because they are great! PS - both of these recipes are from Pinterest. If you aren't on Pinterest yet, stop what you are doing and go join immediately. It changed my life. (Well, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but it is a wealth of good ideas, and I LOVE it and I have a feeling you will too - trust me.)

More Holloway fun to come soon - weekend recap and Canton finds.

Love from Houston,

L and J