Slow cooker chunky vegetable soup is a delicious way to get extra veggies into your family. This kid-friendly crock pot vegetable soup cooks all day then is pureed, creating a creamy soup along with disguising some of the veggies. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and dinner is served!
Our crock pot vegetable soup is a great dish to get your family excited about eating vegetables. Especially the kids! It’s a super flavorful recipe making it a top pick for kids.
This version of vegetable soup is simple to assemble and is left to cook throughout the day. Always ready in time for dinner, the soup can be sprinkled with parmesan cheese and served once your family is gathered around the table.
It’s our belief that eating homemade meals together as a family creates strong family bonds. We hope this vegetable soup brings you and your family closer as you enjoy each and every bite!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 6 large carrots, chopped
- 6 large yellow potatoes, cubed
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 15 ounces tomato sauce
- 1 parmesan cheese rind, plus shredded parmesan cheese for serving
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 lemon, optional
How To Make
- Add ingredients to the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, chicken broth, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese rind, salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir and cover.
- Cook. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove cheese rind and bay leaves.
- Puree the soup. Remove 3-4 cups of vegetables (or however many you’d like to keep as whole vegetables). Using an immersion blender, puree the remaining soup. Add the vegetables that were removed back to the soup.
- Garnish and serve. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Customize the vegetables by using each and every veggie listed or omitting and adding your family favorites.
- Remove the cheese rind and bay leaves before pureeing. These two ingredients are added during cooking to boost the overall flavor but should be removed after cooking.
- Boost the protein by adding cooked chicken, ground beef, beans or lentils into the soup when it’s done cooking.
- Add more seasoning in addition to the salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaves. Oregano, rosemary, parsley or basil are other spices that pair well with vegetable soup.
- Squeeze the lemon juice right before serving for an extra flavor boost.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
FAQs
In addition to the vegetables in this recipe, consider adding or substituting green beans, corn, zucchini, squash or peas to your veggie soup.
For this recipe, all the vegetables get tossed into the slow cooker at the same time. It is one of the many reasons we love this slow cooker recipe.
We find that an immersion blender is the easiest when it comes to pureeing soup. However, there are other options. The cooked soup can be (carefully) poured into a blender or food processor and pureed. You can also leave all of the vegetables chunky.
Grilled cheese, a crispy baguette, or gluten-free crackers pair well with vegetable soup.
Storage Instructions
First, allow the soup to cool to room temperature before attempting to store it. Once it has cooled, you can either refrigerate or freeze it, depending on your consumption timeline.
For short-term storage, place the soup in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Ensure that the container is clean and tightly sealed to prevent any bacterial contamination. Vegetable soup can typically be safely stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Be sure to label the container with the date to help you keep track of its freshness.
If you want to store the soup for a longer period, freezing is the better option. Transfer the soup to a freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags, leaving some space for expansion as liquids tend to expand when frozen. It’s advisable to remove as much air as possible from the container or bag to prevent freezer burn. Label the container with the date and contents, and place it in the freezer.
When reheating frozen vegetable soup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight or use the defrost function on your microwave. To reheat, you can use the stovetop or microwave, ensuring it reaches a safe internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) to kill any potential bacteria.
More Vegetable Soup Recipes
- Cheesy Vegetable Soup
- Broccoli Cauliflower Soup
- Instant Pot Minestrone Soup
- Butternut Squash Soup with Apple
- Brussels Sprouts Soup
- Vegetable Beef Soup
CKC Features both Gluten-Free Guidance and Kids Cooking Instructions: If you’re new to eating gluten-free we understand it’s overwhelming trying to figure out which foods may contain gluten and which ones don’t. All of our gluten-free recipes marked with this symbol ✅ represent foods that need to be checked for gluten or cross-contamination.
The ⭐️ symbol in the recipe below denotes the steps in which kid cooks may need a helper (depending on age). If there is no ⭐️ symbol, that step (or recipe) doesn’t require a helper.
Slow Cooker Chunky Vegetable Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Immersion blender or regular blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 stalks celery, diced
- 6 large carrots, chopped
- 6 large yellow potatoes, cubed
- 2 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth ✅
- 15 ounces tomato sauce ✅
- 1 parmesan cheese rind, plus shredded parmesan cheese for serving ✅
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 lemon optional
Instructions
- Add ingredients to the slow cooker. Add the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, chicken broth, tomato sauce, parmesan cheese rind, salt, thyme, pepper, and bay leaves to the slow cooker. Stir and cover.1 medium onion, diced, 2 cloves garlic, minced, 4 stalks celery, diced, 6 large carrots, chopped, 6 large yellow potatoes, cubed, 2 cups butternut squash, cubed, 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth, 15 ounces tomato sauce, 1 parmesan cheese rind, plus shredded parmesan cheese for serving, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 2 bay leaves
- Cook. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove cheese rind and bay leaves.
- ⭐️ Puree the soup. Remove 3-4 cups of vegetables (or however many you'd like to keep as whole vegetables). Using an immersion blender, puree the remaining soup. Add the vegetables that were removed back to the soup.
- Garnish and serve. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with parmesan cheese if desired.1/2 lemon
Notes
Nutrition
If you enjoyed these recipes make sure to leave a comment and a star rating below!
Then follow us on social media and tag #createkidsclub if you make the recipe. We love seeing what you come up with!
Ali says
Great use of the slow cooker! Soups are so great in them. I love all those veggies packed in here. Healthy and satisfying!
Leslie says
This recipe is the heart and soul of GOOD comfort food. Served with a freshly baked piece of bread, this is beyond perfection!
Stine Mari says
That little sprinkle of parmesan on top takes it to another level, this is such a cozy soup. Great way to hide some extra veg!
Lesli says
All I crave is soup these days! Every ingredient in this soup recipe is what I love, so you know I will be making this very, very soon! Thanks for the recipe!
Chef Dennis says
this was such a delicious soup! I loved your slow cooker recipe, it was so easy to make
Amy Liu Dong says
I like making an easy and delicious meal like this, perfect for my kids who love eating veggies a lot.
Jacqueline Debono says
This is a looking delicious soup. I loved that you included parmesan rind in it! We do that here in Italy when making minestrone. It really adds flavour!
Jamie says
I love this slow cooker soup because it makes my house smell wonderful all day! My nieces and nephew love this soup and it’s great they’re getting their veggies in!
Robin says
This soup was so simple to put together – just perfect for a cold winter night like tonight.
Julie Wunder says
You can’t go wrong with a slow cooker soup and this vegetable soup is a family favorite. Will make this again soon.
Beth says
I have been making a batch of soup every week, and I enjoyed this one so much! This was the first time I’ve added a parmesan rind to my soup, and it added so much flavor I will be adding this to my soup-making now.
Ramona says
Vegetable soup is one of my go-to recipes that I really enjoy making for my family! This recipe looks like it has some nice combinations and I am willing to try it out just for a different flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe.