Slow Cooker Soup Beans & Ham

Not only is this Slow Cooker Soup Beans & Ham recipe super flavorful & simple to make, but it also happens to be budget friendly as well... 

Let me introduce you all to the only way I can get my husband to eat beans- this Slow Cooker Soup Beans & Ham recipe I am sharing with you all today. As long as I serve it alongside a slice of fresh baked cornbread, he dives right in. 

But beans in chili? Nope. He picks them out. A three bean salad at a backyard BBQ? The man won't go near it. Refried beans at our favorite Mexican restaurant? It's never going to happen. But somehow homemade soup beans & cornbread is a whole other ball game for him. 

Maybe it is the nostalgia factor. I think most of us (at least most of here in West Virginia) grew up eating some variation of soup beans. In fact, many local diners and family owned restaurants around here often have a daily special of soup beans & cornbread on their menu board. 

And yes, I do think that the cornbread is essential, folks. I am not saying that you can't be perfectly content with a bowl of these soup beans and ham on their own, but the sweet cornbread just pairs so well with the creamy beans and the saltiness of the ham. 

It is definitely worth the extra 30 minutes or so to bake up a little homemade cornbread. This Cast Iron Skillet Corn Bread recipe happens to be one of my personal favorites... :)

Chicken Marsala Noodle Soup

This Chicken Marsala Noodle Soup incorporates all the flavors of the classic chicken dish- sauteed mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, & rich Marsala wine- into a comforting, cozy soup your entire family will love...

The crazy weather we have been having here lately has been wreaking havoc on my immune system. We went from arctic-like, below zero temperatures one week to Florida-like weather the next week. And the weather is still see-sawing here between rainy spring & snowy winter this week. 

I ended up with a sinus infection over the weekend that quickly morphed into a full-on case of laryngitis. Let me just say that I am glad that I have a job where I work from home & do not have to talk on the phone very often. ;)

Feeling under the weather has me craving some of my favorite comfort foods like the recipe for this Chicken Marsala Noodle Soup I am sharing with you all today. This soup is a classy, flavorful take on my classic homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. It incorporates all the classic flavors of Chicken Marsala- sauteed mushrooms, crispy prosciutto, & rich Marsala wine- into a comforting, cozy soup your entire family will love...

Slow Cooker French Onion Soup

This rich and flavorful Slow Cooker French Onion Soup simmers away all day in your slow cooker...

Okay, I know what you all are thinking- Soup?? A slow cooker soup?? But it is JULY, lady! 

Yes, I am aware that we are all smack dab in the middle of the summer heat here. I get that soup isn't normally a go-to dinner idea for the month of July. And yes, I will totally be curling up with a bowl of this rich and delicious Slow Cooker French Onion Soup when the temperatures start to drop and the snow starts to fall (far away from now in like December-ish or something). But who says that soup just has to be a fall/winter thing anyways? I have always been one to rebel a little against the conventional, so today I am sharing a slow cooker soup recipe with you all. ;)

I break out my slow cooker a lot during the summer months. Why? Because I hate turning on my stove or oven when it is hot outside! Even with the air conditioning going, my kitchen still heats up to an almost Hades-like temperature. So, I get out my slow cooker & make roasts, and pulled pork, and chicken for cubing and shredding for recipes, and taco meat, and yes, even soups. 

Strangely, french onion soup happens to be one of my husband's favorite soups. I say strangely because he pretty much hates onions on anything. But french onion soup? He loves. Granted, he only eats the broth, croutons, and cheese and leaves a huge mess of onions in the bottom of his bowl... ;)

This Slow Cooker French Onion Soup requires a little extra prep in the beginning, but the little bit of sauteing and caramelizing this recipe requires is well worth it for the rich, amazing flavor it gives this classic soup...

Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup

Roasted butternut squash & creamy pumpkin are blended together with warm spices & a little kick of heat in this perfect for fall Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

While I am not a fan of the cooler temps (and *gasp* the impending snow), there is one thing I do look forward to as fall progresses into early winter and that is the ushering in of one of my favorite seasons of the year- soup season! 

Honestly, we eat soup all year round in this house. But I definitely kick up my comforting and cozy soup game once the temperatures start to dip below the 40's on the regular.

I mean, what is better than a bowl of warm and creamy homemade soup when it is a cold and rainy (or snowy) outside? Not much else, folks. Except for maybe a mug of my Pumpkin Chai Hot Buttered Rum or a dish of my Slow Cooker Apple Butter Rice Pudding. ;)

This recipe for Chipotle Butternut Squash & Pumpkin Soup that I am sharing with you all today just might be the best fall-inspired homemade soup recipe that I have come up with so far for the blog. 

It is creamy & smoky, with a little kick of heat, and a touch of spice & sweetness. Everything you could possibly ask for in a fall-time soup! 

Easy Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Campbell Soup Company. 

All opinions are 100% mine.

Some of my favorite weeknight dinner recipes all have five things in common-

1. They are ready in 30 minutes or less, from start to finish.
2. They require 5 ingredients or less to make.
3. Need very little prep (if any at all) ahead of time. 
4. They are made in just one pot or dish (ahem- easy & quick clean-up!).
5. Everyone one in the family loves them.

Folks, this Easy Cheesy Broccoli Chicken Soup meets all five of those requirements. This has to be one of the easiest weeknight soups that I have ever served to my family, and it is all thanks to Campbell’s® Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Oven Sauce. It just so happens to be the secret ingredient in this simple & satisfying soup recipe... ;)

Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole

This creamy & cheesy Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole requires only five simple ingredients to make & can be on your dinner table in under an hour...

At least once a month, I whip up a pot of my Easy Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for dinner. It is so much better than most of that stuff that comes out of the can or the carton, and it also happens to be one of my daughter's favorite dinners that I make. 

My recipe makes a generous batch of this homemade goodness. And because of this, we often get tired of enjoying the leftovers before they are all gone. 

My solution? I transform some of that leftover chicken noodle soup into a creamy, cheesy, & comforting casserole perfect for busy weeknights! :) 

This easy to make Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole requires only five simple ingredients to make & can be on your dinner table in under an hour...

Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup

A favorite fall soup gets a tasty vegetarian & vegan friendly update in this creamy Veggie Packed Butternut Squash Soup...

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

If you have been following along with me for a little while now, then you probably already know that fall is by far my favorite time of the year. I love it when the air gets a little crisper, the leaves on the trees start to turn vibrant shades of red, orange, & yellow, and I get to break out my favorite flannels & fall boots. 

But perhaps my most favorite thing about fall is the seasonal flavors that it brings with it- pumpkin spice, apples, autumn squash, chai tea, & warm, cozy bowls of creamy soup.

One of my favorite fall soups happens to be a good homemade butternut squash soup. I decided to take the traditional butternut squash soup recipe & give it a veggie packed, dairy-free update with a little help from some of my favorite Silk products that I picked up at my local Target the other week...

Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup

Enjoy your favorite flavors of late summer in this comforting & nourishing soup that is perfect for fall...

As you all may recall from the recipe I shared for my Italian Steak Sandwiches with Roasted Vegetable Tapenade last month, I am on a mission this outdoor farmers market season to show you all how you can create a delicious recipe purchasing only locally grown & raised produce and meats at your local farmers market this summer. Each month I will be sharing a recipe here to the blog inspired by and featuring some of my own personal favorite fresh & local finds from my local market. 

For the month of September, I am sharing the recipe for this comforting & nourishing Slow Cooker Chicken & Veggie Soup with you all. This soup is the perfect dinner idea for making the transition from late summer to early fall with. 

It fully takes advantage of the late summer veggies that are still in season like sweet corn, okra, & fresh basil. But this soup is so cozy and satisfying that it will have you wishing for crisp fall days.

Coconut Curry Tomato Soup

 A classic favorite comfort food gets a delicious update with the addition of Indian & Thai-inspired flavors in this easy to make Coconut Curry Tomato Soup...

This post may contain affiliate links. Purchasing through them helps support this website.

Dating someone who used to own a British/Indian fusion restaurant certainly has its advantages. Not only can he cook homemade Indian food like nobody's business, but he has been providing me with a whole new world of recipe inspiration for the blog.

I haven't experimented very much with Indian flavors or curries on the blog yet even though I have been a fan of Indian cuisine for decades now. I have always found the idea of cooking Indian food from scratch a bit daunting and intimidating, to be honest.

If you find yourself feeling the same way about trying your hand at Indian cooking at home, then today's recipe for this Coconut Curry Tomato Soup is the perfect way for you to dip your toes into the waters of homemade Indian cuisine. 

This flavorful soup requires no complicated cooking techniques, is made from ingredients that are easy to find, and can be on your dinner table in less than 30 minutes...

Light & Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup

This one pot, weeknight friendly Light & Healthy Broccoli Cheddar is packed full of fiber rich veggies... 

When my son was younger, he pretty much refused to eat any vegetable that was green. It didn't matter how I prepared it or tried to hide it, the second that he saw a hint of green he would scoff and turn his nose up at it.

But that all changed the day he had Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Panera for the first time.  I am not sure what made him try it that day, but he was hooked... and he was eating broccoli, folks!

I wasn't going to question it. ;)

There are tons of copycat recipes floating around out there for Panera's Broccoli Cheddar soup, so what makes my version so special? Because A. It is 100% vegetarian. B. No cornstarch or flour was used to thicken this soup thanks to my secret fiber rich ingredient. & C.  Despite all of these healthier changes I made to this beloved recipe, my son was clueless. He gobbled down a bowl of this, exclaimed how much it tasted like Panera's, and then went back for seconds...

Loaded Smashed Potato & Beer Soup

This Loaded Smashed Potato Beer Soup has all the flavor of a traditional homemade baked potato soup, but is ready in half the time!

I have always been a fan of homemade baked potato soup.

What I have not been a fan of is the actual baking of the potatoes.  I mean, it can take over an hour for them to bake & be done all the way through. 

And then you have to wait for them to cool enough to be able to handle them...

Ain't nobody got time for that! Especially on a busy weeknight, right? ;)

So, I had to find a tasty solution one busy, time crunched evening when I was just craving a good homemade baked potato soup.

Forget baked!  Let's do smashed potatoes! 

And while we are at it, let's throw a little beer in there.  I did say it is loaded smashed potato beer soup, didn't I? ;)

A Weekend Lunch Made Easy

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Campbell’s Soup Company.  

All opinions are 100% mine.

Being a full time food blogger, I usually end up doing quite a bit of cooking and baking during the week. The kitchen is my "office", so when the weekend rolls around I actually try to stay out of it as much as possible. ;) And weekend time also happens to be family time for me, so I still want to make a fun lunch that I can feel good about giving to my kids but that gets me out of the kitchen and at the table with them quicker. Cue one of my new favorite weekend lunch go-to's, Campbell’s® Organic Kids Soup! :)

Campbell’s® Organic Kids Soups are crafted from certified organic ingredients and contain no preservatives. (A soup that I can feel good about serving to my kiddos as part of a weekend lunch? Check!) And Campbell’s® nine delicious varieties of Organic Kids Soups can be ready in mere minutes. (A soup that gets me out of the kitchen and back to my weekend quicker? Check!)

Since my youngest is a huge fan of the movie Frozen, I decided to make her a special lunch this past weekend with Campbell’s® Organic Kids Soup featuring fun shapes from Disney's Frozen. And what better to go with a warm bowl of Frozen inspired soup than some snowflake shaped grilled cheeses to dunk in it? These snowflake grilled cheeses are so easy to make and so much more fun than boring ole grilled cheese sandwiches! :) You can even get the kiddos to help with making these (aka, even more quality family time together)...

Homemade Chicken Lemon Soup

Make a Greek restaurant favorite at home with this easy recipe for Homemade Chicken Lemon Soup...

It is that time of the year again... time for chilly evenings, cups of warm cocoa, those first snow flurries.... and those cold & flu germs.

Yep. Those yucky germs with the coughing, stuffiness, sneezing, and sniffles they bring start invading the pleasantness of the season.

We pick them up at work or school and bring them home.  Friends & family who stop over & visit leave them at our doorstep.  Play dates always come with the risk of it.  You name it.

Weeknight Lasagna Soup

Enjoy all the gooey, cheesy goodness of a homemade lasagna in just 30 minutes with this easy to make Weeknight Lasagna Soup...

Having Italian roots and all, I am a sucker for homemade lasagna. It is just one of those classic Italian dishes that you just can't go wrong with. 

My only gripe about it? Making it. Call me lazy, but why does a good homemade lasagna have to take so much time to assemble and bake? 

From the browning of the meat, to the layering of the noodles with the filling, to the actual baking time, it can take up to two hours to whip up a dish of lasagna! 

And of course my homemade lasagna cravings always seem to hit me on a busy weeknight. The last thing I have on a busy weeknight is two hours to kill on making dinner. 

My solution? This easy to make Weeknight Lasagna Soup. :)

Seriously, folks. If you want all the gooey, cheesy goodness and flavor of a homemade lasagna without waiting hours for it, then this lasagna soup is about to become your new dinner time best friend...

12 Healthy & Comforting Soups

Not only are these 12 Healthy & Comforting Soups better for you & packed with the good stuff, but they are also hearty & comforting at the same time...

The colder temperatures have finally started to settle in around here.  With temperatures in the 60's & 70's over Christmas weekend, I was beginning to wonder if I was ever going to be able to break out my cute winter sweaters and cozy scarves. ;) 

But it seems that winter has finally caught up with us here in the mountain state & just in time for the new year. Time to cozy up with a warm bowl of comforting soup now that it is finally cold enough to.

I know healthy isn't usually the first thing that people think of when they think of a big warm bowl of comfort food, but who says that comfort food can't also help you reach those healthier eating goals for the new year? 

Not these 12 Healthy & Comforting Soups I have rounded up from some of my favorite food blogs! :) That's right, folks. A dozen homemade soup recipes that are not only healthy, better for you, and packed with the good stuff, but that are also hearty and comforting at the same time...