Slow-Cooker Cordon Bleu Soup
I’ve taken this soup to potlucks and teacher luncheons, and I bring home an empty crock every time. When my son’s school recently created a cookbook, this was the first recipe he asked me to submit for it, and his teachers were glad he did!
—Erica Winkel, Ada, MI
Prep: 40 min. + cooling • Cook: 3 hours • Makes: 8 servings
- 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
- ¼ tsp. garlic powder
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 4 cups cubed French bread
SOUP
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 celery rib, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 3 cans (14 ½ oz. each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, cubed
- 1 ½ cups Swiss cheese, shredded
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ lb. diced rotisserie chicken
- ½ lb. diced deli ham
- 1. For croutons, preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix butter, garlic powder and pepper. Add the bread cubes; toss to coat. Transfer to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; bake, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan to wire racks to cool completely.
- 2. Meanwhile, in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the next 5 ingredients; pour in broth. Cook, covered, on low for about 2 hours, until the vegetables are tender.
- 3. Increase heat setting to high. Mix flour and water until smooth; whisk flour mixture into broth. Cook until thickened, 30-40 minutes. Stir in the wine. Whisk in cheeses until melted. Add chicken and ham; heat through. Serve with croutons.
Freeze option: Before adding the croutons, freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. Freeze croutons separately. To use, partially thaw soup in refrigerator overnight. When thawed, soup may start to separate, but a good stir will smooth it out. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add broth or water if necessary. While the soup is heating, thaw croutons at room temperature; sprinkle over soup.
1 ¼ cups plus ½ cup croutons: 384 cal., 23g fat (13g sat. fat), 100mg chol., 1112mg sod., 15g carb. (3g sugars, 1g fiber), 29g pro.
TIP
Add some shredded carrots for a little pop of color and a boost of Vitamin A!
