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As far as easy comfort food goes, particularly for the cooler months of the year, it’s hard to beat a good, savory soup. This Easy Taco Soup has a hearty flavor to it, and after a bit of prep,  the slow cooker does the rest of the work for you.

After making my second batch of spaghetti meat sauce for the season not too long ago, I was looking for something a little different. (Don’t get me wrong; I love the spaghetti sauce recipe that I adapted from what Mother used to make, but I do like to mix things up, and it would be a shame to get bored with something like that.)  This soup recipe keeps it really easy and low-hassle, and it has some of that Southwestern flavor in which I like to indulge, now and then.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Simple as That

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Quick tip: Instead of tortilla chips you could serve this with fresh, homemade bread.

If you like the basic flavor of tomato soup but think that it could use a creamy and savory upgrade, this Creamy Sausage Tomato Tortellini Soup is exactly what you need. It makes in just half an hour and is really hearty and filling. I always did like tomato soup, though I usually did add some cream to it, and it was rarely enough on its own. I don’t think that you will go with the store-bought options once you try this, and you won’t need much with it for a really full meal.

I like these flavors for fall and winter, though you easily could savor this any time of year. It’s just such a perfect meal for those cold days when all you want to do is cuddle up by the fire. I would keep anything that you serve with it rather simple. Just a simple salad should be fine.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Neighbor Food

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Quick tip: Use a Dutch oven for this recipe.

If you want a savory, creamy soup that will keep you warm on a cold winter night, this Broccoli Cheddar Soup recipe is a good choice. You can have it done in a little over an hour, and given what it is, it’s readily expandable, as needed. These are my favorite kind of recipes; you can easily make enough to have leftovers – and they keep getting even tastier after a day or two!

I probably am a bit biased in favor of summer, especially considering how hot it can be, where I am. Call it a holdover from my childhood, when summer meant long days, lengthy vacation, and plenty of time at the beach or by the pool. Fact is, though, fall and winter have a lot of great things to offer: football, Halloween, more moderate temperatures, Christmas… and great soup recipes like this.

Recipe and photo courtesy of 12 Tomatoes

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Quick tip: Instead of chicken stock you can try vegetable stock.

This is another great dose of Southern comfort, made simple with the help of your slow cooker. Other than a little bit of prep involved with making the dumplings (don’t worry, it’s not hard), this Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings recipe pretty much consists of dumping it all in and forgetting about it.

Mother liked to make a good pot of chicken and dumplings when the weather turned cold (well, cold for the South, anyway), especially when someone in the family was feeling a bit under the weather. And though it never seemed like that difficult a recipe, even cooked on the stove, it’s even easier made in the Crock-Pot.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Southern Bite

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Quick Tip: Serve this savory soup with a side of oyster crackers or saltines.

This Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup is a simple but hearty meal that is great for the fall and winter months. You may not ever settle for the canned option again after trying this recipe!

Seasonal changes, even when welcomed, usually mean a bit of a cold for me. Particularly when I feel the autumn air creeping in and am feeling a bit under the weather, a warm, filling soup really hits the spot. I confess to eating the canned versions too many times, but since discovering so many of these easy recipes for my Crock-Pot, I don’t think that I could ever go back to that! The savory and smoky flavor of this split pea soup is a real winner.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Mama Loves Food

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This Baked Potato and Bacon Soup is another one of those easy to prepare creations that is rather fancy-looking (and rich-tasting), enough so that it will do nicely at most any gathering. Yet, it is perfect as part of a hectic weeknight dinner.  It’s a low-hassle dish that comfort-food dreams are made of.

I don’t know about you, but after a harried holiday, even one like Labor Day, I tumble into the following week feeling that I need a vacation from the vacation.  It’s not that I’m on death’s door or anything, just a bit worn out and crabby and sore enough that I don’t feel like doing much more than what is absolutely necessary to do right away.  Surely I’m not the only one?  Well, this soup is good for times like that.  With a little advance prep, you can take this soup from necessary ingredients to fully cooked in, oh, 15 minutes, absolute tops–really more like 10 minutes.  And by advance prep, no, I don’t mean any elaborate chopping or fancy pre-cooking; there’s none of that here.  Just fry some bacon and throw some potatoes in the oven for a while, and you’ll be good to go.  That’s not so hard, is it?

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Kitchn

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Quick tip: Use leftover potatoes or bake some the night before to make this soup.

If you’re like me and you couldn’t imagine your life without shrimp and cheese, you will LOVE this New England Shrimp Chowder!  And with the Cheddar Bay Biscuits and a simple salad, if you like, you have an easy full meal.  This would be a big hit at parties, but you could make it for dinner at home most any night of the week without too much trouble.

When I first came across this recipe, I thought, “What a great idea for Halloween, without the pumpkin overload!”  But there was no way that I could wait for something that looked so good.  I love my seafood dishes, and how could I pass up trying something so easy to put together? It turned out so delicious that it deserves a place in our dinner rotation!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Musing Maine-iac.

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Quick Tip: You don’t have to serve this meal with Cheddar Bay Biscuits. In fact, you can use a regular slice of bread for dipping if you want.