Crockpot Soup Recipes That Hold Up for a Week of Lunches

A slow cooker and a pot of soup is the easiest meal prep there is. You put things in, you leave, and eight hours later there are six to eight portions of lunch. The problem is that many slow cooker soups go flat on day three. Pasta swells, potatoes turn grainy, greens go grey.

These eight are chosen because they keep. Each one notes what goes in at the start, what goes in at the end, and how long it lasts.

Crockpot Soup Recipes Have One Rule: Some Things Go in Late

Raw meat, dried beans and lentils, onions, carrots and broth go in at the start. Pasta, dairy, delicate greens and cooked rice go in during the last 30 minutes, or into each bowl when you reheat. That one rule fixes most slow cooker soups.

A note on safety: don’t put frozen raw meat in a slow cooker. It stays in the unsafe temperature zone too long while it thaws. Thaw it in the fridge first. Soup should be cooled and refrigerated within two hours of cooking, and keeps three to four days in the fridge or about three months frozen.

1. Chicken tortilla soup

A stoneware bowl of chicken tortilla soup with shredded chicken, black beans and corn, topped with avocado slices and tortilla strips — Toppings go on the day you eat it.

Two pounds of chicken thighs, a can of black beans, a cup of corn, a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, an onion, garlic, cumin and 6 cups of chicken broth. Low for 6 to 8 hours. Shred the chicken in the pot with two forks.

Keep avocado, cilantro, lime and tortilla strips separate. Added when you eat, they make reheated soup taste fresh.

2. Beef and barley soup

A deep bowl of beef and barley soup with carrots and celery in a dark broth — Barley keeps absorbing broth. Add water when reheating.

A pound and a half of beef chuck in cubes, browned first if you have ten minutes. Carrots, celery, onion, 3/4 cup of pearl barley, a spoon of tomato paste, thyme and 8 cups of beef broth. Low for 8 hours.

Barley keeps drinking liquid in the fridge. Add a splash of water or broth when you reheat each portion.

3. White chicken chili

A bowl of creamy white chicken chili with white beans and green chiles, topped with cilantro and a lime wedge — The cream cheese goes in at the end.

Chicken breasts or thighs, two cans of white beans, a can of green chiles, onion, garlic, cumin, oregano and 4 cups of broth. Low for 6 hours. Shred the chicken, then stir in 4 ounces of cream cheese for the last 20 minutes.

It thickens in the fridge. That’s normal; it loosens when heated.

4. Loaded potato soup

A bowl of thick potato soup topped with shredded cheddar, crumbled bacon and sliced green onion — Waxy potatoes reheat better than russets.

Three pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes in cubes, an onion, garlic and 6 cups of broth. Low for 7 to 8 hours until soft. Mash partly in the pot, then stir in a cup of milk or half-and-half and shredded cheddar.

Yukon Golds stay creamy when reheated; russets can turn grainy. Keep bacon and green onion separate and add them to each bowl.

5. Minestrone

A bowl of minestrone with small pasta, kidney beans, zucchini and spinach in tomato broth, parmesan on top — Cook the pasta separately for meal prep.

Onion, carrots, celery, a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, zucchini, Italian seasoning and 6 cups of vegetable broth. Low for 6 to 7 hours. Stir in spinach for the last 15 minutes.

For meal prep, cook small pasta separately and add it to each container. Pasta stored in soup turns soft by day two.

6. Lentil soup

A bowl of brown lentil soup with carrots and cumin, a swirl of olive oil and crusty bread beside it — No soaking needed for lentils.

Two cups of dry brown or green lentils, rinsed, with carrots, celery, onion, garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, cumin and 8 cups of broth. Low for 8 hours. A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens it.

Lentils don’t need soaking. This one is inexpensive and freezes very well.

7. Split pea soup with ham

A bowl of thick green split pea soup with diced ham and cracked black pepper — A ham bone if you have one, diced ham if you don’t.

A pound of dry split peas, rinsed, with a ham bone or 2 cups of diced ham, carrots, celery, onion and 7 cups of water or low-sodium broth. Low for 8 hours. Remove the bone, pull off any meat and return it to the pot.

Taste before salting. Ham adds a lot of salt on its own.

8. Sausage, potato and kale soup

A bowl of creamy soup with sliced Italian sausage, potato rounds and dark kale — Brown the sausage first and drain the fat.

Brown a pound of Italian sausage and drain it. Add sliced potatoes, onion, garlic and 6 cups of chicken broth. Low for 6 hours. Stir in a bunch of chopped kale and a cup of cream for the last 20 minutes.

Kale holds up far better than spinach when reheated.

Portioning Soup for the Week

A 6-quart slow cooker makes about 10 to 12 cups of soup, which is six to eight portions. Portioning it right the same evening is what turns one pot into a week of lunches.

Cool it first. Ladle the soup into shallow containers and let it cool for 20 to 30 minutes before the lids go on. Refrigerate within two hours.
Two cups per portion is a full lunch for most adults; one and a half if there’s bread or a side.
Fridge or freezer: keep three or four portions in the fridge for the next few days and freeze the rest flat in bags.
Toppings separate. Avocado, cheese, herbs and crackers go in a small container or get added at work.
Reheat until steaming, to 165°F, stirring halfway through in the microwave.

Glass containers with snap lids handle hot soup and the microwave; our guide to meal prep containers covers sizes.

What We Would Skip

Adding pasta or rice to the whole pot if it’s for the week.

Frozen raw meat straight into the slow cooker.

Opening the lid repeatedly. Each time adds cooking time.

Where We Would Start

Lentil soup or chicken tortilla soup. Both are hard to get wrong, both freeze well, and both make six to eight portions.

For containers that work with soup, see our guide to meal prep containers. And for building a full week around one pot, our plan for lunch meal prep shows how.

Questions We Get Asked

Can you put raw meat in a crockpot for soup?

Yes, thawed raw meat can go straight in. Don’t use frozen raw meat; thaw it in the fridge first.

How long does crockpot soup last in the fridge?

Three to four days, cooled and refrigerated within two hours of cooking.

Can you freeze slow cooker soup?

Most broth- and bean-based soups freeze well for about three months. Soups with lots of cream or potatoes can change texture.

When do you add pasta to crockpot soup?

In the last 20 to 30 minutes, or cook it separately and add it to each bowl.

Should I cook soup on low or high in a slow cooker?

Low gives better texture for beans and meat. High works when time is short; roughly halve the low time.

Do you need to brown meat before putting it in a slow cooker?

It isn’t necessary for safety, but browning adds flavor, especially for beef and sausage.

How many servings does a 6-quart slow cooker make?

Usually about 10 to 12 cups of soup, enough for six to eight servings of about one and a half to two cups.