Slow Cooker Christmas Soup: Creamy Tomato Basil, A Festive Vegetarian Family Tradition
There are some recipes that transcend mere sustenance and become woven into the fabric of family traditions. For many, this heartwarming Slow Cooker Christmas Soup is exactly that – a cherished ritual that marks the beginning of the festive season. This delightful creamy tomato basil soup, brimming with pasta and a comforting cheesy goodness, is specifically designed for your Christmas Eve dinner. Its effortless preparation in a slow cooker grants you invaluable time back, whether you’re tackling last-minute gift wrapping or simply yearning for a warm, ready-made meal upon returning from Christmas Eve services.
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Every year, as the magic of Christmas Eve descends, this particular vegetarian Christmas soup takes center stage in our home. It’s often served alongside another slow cooker favorite, Christmas Cranberry Meatballs. The beauty of having both recipes simmer away in separate slow cookers cannot be overstated during the bustling holiday period. The ease of these slow cooker meals truly simplifies Christmas preparations, allowing for more precious moments with family rather than being tied to the kitchen.
Beyond its incredible flavor and ease, this soup is a feast for the eyes. With the vibrant red of tomatoes, the subtle green flecks of chilies and basil, and the playful hues of tri-color pasta, Christmas Soup inherently embodies the festive spirit. It’s a visually appealing dish that looks every bit the part of a holiday celebration – colorful, inviting, and wonderfully comforting. Creamy, utterly delicious, and distinctly cheesy, this soup also boasts the advantage of reheating beautifully, making it perfect for enjoyable leftovers in the days following Christmas.
This isn’t just a recipe; it’s a memory in the making. It’s one of those special dishes that my children, long after they’ve grown and built their own families, will undoubtedly recall with fondness, perhaps even recreating it to carry on the tradition.
What is Christmas Soup? A Comforting Holiday Delight
At its heart, Christmas Soup is a rich, creamy, and undeniably cheesy embrace of tomato basil goodness. It’s a bowl of pure, comforting love, designed to warm you from the inside out. This vegetarian soup recipe masterfully combines a luscious cream of tomato and basil with tender pasta, all conveniently prepared in the slow cooker.
While distinct, this festive dish carries a comforting echo of a creamy queso dip, but with a more yielding, soupier consistency. The inclusion of pasta transforms it from a mere appetizer into a wonderfully filling and satisfying meal, perfect for a chilly winter evening. I often serve this slow cooker soup with tortilla chips, which are excellent for scooping up every last drop of its savory richness. However, they are by no means a requirement; the soup is absolutely delectable enjoyed simply with a spoon. For an added textural crunch, consider crumbling crushed tortilla chips over the top, much like one would with oyster crackers on a classic chowder. It adds a delightful dimension!
The Magic of Slow Cooking for Christmas Eve Dinner
One of the greatest gifts this Christmas Soup recipe offers is its reliance on the slow cooker. During the whirlwind of holiday preparations, having a meal that practically cooks itself is a game-changer. The slow cooker allows the flavors to meld beautifully over several hours, resulting in a depth that’s hard to achieve with quicker methods. More importantly, it frees up your oven and stovetop for other dishes, and it keeps the soup perfectly warm until you’re ready to serve, regardless of when your family gathers for dinner.
This hands-off approach is particularly beneficial on Christmas Eve. Instead of being stuck in the kitchen, you can enjoy precious moments – watching holiday movies, attending church services, or simply relaxing with loved ones. The minimal effort required for this easy Christmas Eve dinner means more joy and less stress, making it an ideal choice for the busiest night of the year. The anticipation of coming home to the comforting aroma of this creamy tomato basil soup is, in itself, a delightful part of the holiday experience.
Essential Ingredients for Your Cheesy Tomato Basil Soup
The beauty of this cheesy tomato basil soup lies in its simplicity and the accessibility of its ingredients. You’ll find that everything needed is likely already a staple in your pantry, making this a wonderfully budget-friendly and spontaneous meal option.
- Three Kinds of Canned Diced Tomatoes: This is key to developing a rich, multi-layered tomato flavor. Using a variety ensures a complex base that stands out. Do NOT drain these; their juices are essential.
- Vegetable or Chicken Stock: Provides the liquid base for the soup. Choose vegetable stock to keep it strictly vegetarian, or chicken stock for a slightly richer flavor profile.
- Sour Cream: This is where the “creamy” aspect truly shines. It adds a delightful tang and luxurious texture, beautifully balancing the richness of the tomatoes and cheese.
- Fresh Basil: The aromatic heart of any tomato basil soup. Fresh basil adds a vibrant, fragrant quality that dried herbs simply can’t replicate.
- Velveeta Cheese: Yes, it’s processed, but for this specific recipe, Velveeta is a non-negotiable for achieving that signature velvety, smooth, and perfectly cheesy consistency that defines this Christmas Soup. It melts flawlessly, creating an unparalleled creamy texture. Embrace the holiday spirit and let it go!
- Tri-Color Pasta: Adds substance, fun, and visual appeal. The different colors contribute to the festive look, and the pasta makes the soup wonderfully hearty and filling.
These simple components, when combined in the slow cooker, create a symphony of flavors and textures that make this holiday soup truly unforgettable. As mentioned, you can serve it with or without tortilla chips, or with any other desired garnish.
Steps to Make This Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe: Effortless Holiday Cooking
The true genius of this creamy tomato basil soup recipe lies in its incredible simplicity. The entire premise is to deliver a deliciously festive and easy soup for Christmas that requires minimal hands-on time, allowing you to focus on what truly matters during the holidays. This recipe proves that exceptional flavor doesn’t have to come with complicated instructions.
- Combine Base Ingredients: Begin by adding all three varieties of canned tomatoes (undrained), the vegetable or chicken stock, and the sliced Velveeta cheese to your slow cooker. Stir everything together.
- Heat and Melt: Allow these ingredients to heat on high for about 1 hour. During this time, the Velveeta will melt, transforming the liquid into a smooth, cheesy base.
- Whisk in Sour Cream: Once the cheese is fully melted, whisk in the sour cream. A large whisk is particularly helpful here to fully incorporate it, ensuring a perfectly creamy texture. Don’t worry if a few small white bits remain initially; they will dissipate as the soup continues to cook.
- Add Remaining Ingredients: Stir in the pre-cooked tri-color pasta and the finely chopped fresh basil.
- Final Simmer for Consistency: Continue cooking for another hour on high to allow the soup to thicken slightly and for the flavors to fully meld. This step is crucial for achieving the ideal consistency – not too thick, not too thin, but just right for a hearty soup.
It’s truly that EASY! I have been making this very slow cooker soup on Christmas Eve for countless years, a testament to its reliability and deliciousness. Over time, I’ve experimented with cooking times and consistency. While I once preferred a super thick, almost queso-like soup, my preference has shifted. Now, I find that about an hour for the cheese to melt, followed by another hour to thicken a bit after the pasta is added, yields the perfect medium consistency. This balance ensures it’s hearty enough but still retains its soupy character.
An added bonus of this recipe is the generous quantity it produces. This means plenty of delicious leftovers, ideal for easy “soup and sandwich” lunches or dinners in the relaxed days following Christmas, extending the holiday cheer.
FAQs: Your Christmas Soup Questions Answered
Absolutely! This is a fantastic soup for making ahead, which further enhances its convenience during the busy holiday season. If you’re pressed for time on Christmas Eve itself, you can certainly prepare the soup base (without the pasta) a day or two in advance. Store it in the refrigerator. When ready to serve, reheat the base gently in the slow cooker or on the stovetop, then add freshly cooked pasta and simmer for a short while, as directed in the recipe, to achieve the desired consistency. Alternatively, if making the entire soup ahead, consider reducing the second hour of cooking slightly to prevent it from becoming too thick or the pasta from overcooking during reheating.
While this recipe is crafted as a delicious vegetarian Christmas soup, it’s incredibly versatile, and many people enjoy adding meat to it. Popular choices include shredded cooked chicken, which can be easily stirred in during the final hour of cooking for added protein and heartiness. Sliced cooked sausage, such as a mild Italian sausage or even a smoked sausage, also pairs wonderfully with the creamy tomato base, offering a different depth of flavor. If adding meat, ensure it’s fully cooked before incorporating it into the soup. This flexibility allows you to tailor the soup to your family’s preferences while still enjoying its core flavors.
No, definitely not! Although three different cans of tomatoes might seem like a lot of liquid, it is crucial not to drain them. The juices from each can of diced, Italian stewed, and Rotel tomatoes are an integral part of the soup’s flavor profile. They contribute significantly to the depth, richness, and overall consistency of this creamy tomato basil soup. Draining them would result in a less flavorful and potentially much thicker soup than intended.
The optimal time to add the pasta is after the rest of the soup base has been assembled and allowed to heat, particularly after the Velveeta has melted and the sour cream has been whisked in. You should pre-cook the pasta according to package directions, but aim for about 30 seconds *under* al dente. This slight undercooking helps prevent the noodles from becoming mushy when they continue to cook in the hot soup. Once added to the slow cooker, cook for another hour on high, or until the soup reaches your desired consistency. A crucial note: the longer the pasta sits in the hot soup, the more it will absorb liquid and soften, potentially leading to a mushy texture. For best results, avoid letting the pasta cook in the slow cooker for more than an hour after it’s been added, especially if you prefer noodles with a slight bite.
More Festive Christmas Recipe Ideas to Complete Your Holiday Spread
If you’re looking for more delicious dishes to complement your Slow Cooker Christmas Soup and enhance your holiday celebrations, explore these additional festive recipes:
- Cranberry Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers – These creamy, cheesy, and spicy poppers are a fantastic holiday appetizer.
- Christmas Croissant Breakfast Casserole – An easy, make-ahead vegetarian casserole perfect for Christmas morning. Prepare it the day before and simply bake when you wake!
- Black Cherry Cup Christmas Cookies – A long-loved family cookie recipe that tastes like miniature cherry pies, bringing nostalgic joy to any cookie plate.
- Winter Crostini with Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Hominy – A sophisticated and surprisingly elegant vegan option for your holiday entertaining.
- Christmas Cranberry Meatballs – The perfect companion to this Christmas Soup, these are also made effortlessly in a slow cooker, ensuring a coordinated, stress-free meal.
- Potato Chip Cookies – A truly unique and unexpectedly delicious family heirloom recipe that is an absolute must-try!
Final Tips for a Perfectly Creamy Tomato Basil Christmas Soup
To ensure your creamy tomato basil Christmas Soup is absolutely perfect, keep these handy tips in mind:
Timing is Key for Christmas Eve: I highly recommend starting this slow cooker soup early on Christmas Eve. This way, it’s simmering beautifully and ready to serve in the early evening, a comforting hot meal waiting for you after church or other festivities. If, during its magical transformation in the crockpot, the soup becomes too thick for your preference, simply thin it out a bit with an additional splash of vegetable or chicken stock, or even water, until it reaches your desired consistency.
Pasta Perfection: The timing of adding the pasta is critical. To prevent the noodles from becoming mushy, as is common in any soup where pasta cooks for too long, wait until the last hour (or even less, if you prefer a firmer bite) of cooking to add the pre-cooked pasta. This ensures perfectly tender, not overcooked, noodles in every spoonful.
Reheating Leftovers: This soup reheats wonderfully! When you’re ready to enjoy leftovers, simply scoop a portion into a bowl and heat it in the microwave. If you find it has thickened significantly in the refrigerator, add a little extra stock or water as it reheats to bring it back to that ideal creamy consistency.
Stovetop Alternative: No slow cooker? No problem! This versatile recipe can be easily adapted for stovetop cooking. Simply follow the first two steps (combining tomatoes, stock, and Velveeta) in a large pot over medium heat, stirring frequently until the cheese is completely melted and smooth. Then, reduce the heat to low and proceed with whisking in the sour cream and adding the pasta and basil, simmering for about 30-45 minutes to thicken and meld flavors.
Incorporating Sour Cream: When it comes to adding the sour cream, a large whisk is your best friend. The whisk helps break up any clumps and fully incorporate the sour cream into the tomato-rich base. Don’t be alarmed if you still see a few small white flecks of sour cream initially; these will eventually blend in as the soup continues to cook and heat through.
There you have it – a simple yet profoundly delicious family tradition that captures the essence of Christmas in a bowl. This vegetarian slow cooker Christmas soup is more than just a meal; it’s an experience waiting to be shared. Make it one of your family’s cherished holiday traditions this year!
Also check out another holiday favorite, the Best Stuffing Ever.
Christmas Soup
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Ingredients
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with the juice
- 14.5 oz Italian stewed tomatoes with the juice
- 10 oz Rotel Original diced tomatoes and green chilies with the juice
- 1 lb Velveeta cheese sliced into 1-inch slices
- 4 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
- 12 oz tricolor spiral shaped pasta cooked 30 seconds UNDER al dente, according to package directions
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
- scoops tortilla chips
- crushed red pepper flakes sprinkle on top
Instructions
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In a slow cooker, add all the tomatoes with the juice. Break up the stewed tomatoes into pieces with a spoon.
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Add the stock and Velveeta. Cook on high 1 hour.
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Whisk in the sour cream.
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Add the cooked pasta and basil.
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Cook 1 hour on high to thicken the soup a bit. (see Notes)
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Serve topped with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, more basil, and tortilla chips.
Notes
If a slow cooker is not available, this soup can be made just as easily on the stovetop. Use medium heat, stirring often, for the first 2 steps to get the cheese melted. Reduce heat to low, and proceed with the rest of the steps.
Calorie estimation does not include tortilla chips.
Nutrition
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