Christmas Soup

Last Updated December 22nd, 2022 at 07:36 pm by Lisa

We all want warm comfort food during the holiday season, and Christmas Soup is such an easy recipe to put together! The best part is you can make it in a slow cooker or simmer it on the stove for Christmas day, holiday parties, or an easy family dinner.

Scoop into big bowls or hot mugs to dip breadsticks, croutons, or crackers into this merry, cheesy soup...

Christmas Soup Recipe

Enjoy this Christmas dinner soup as a first course or appetizer, or on Christmas morning, put all the ingredients in a crock pot or large soup pot. Or try this recipe the next time you have a movie night!

The whole family will adore this comforting winter soup on cold nights, and holiday soup recipes are great for parties or a large family.

You can add the meat of your choice, I used chicken sausage, but there are lots of ways to make this recipe to your taste. Here is what you will need...

Christmas Soup Ingredients

• canned diced red tomatoes with the juice
• Rotel original tomatoes (the mild one with green chilies NOT the hot one!)
• Velveeta cheese
• chicken stock (or swap in chicken broth/bone broth or vegetable broth)
• heavy cream
• Christmas or holiday tri color pasta (red/white/green or bowtie etc.)
• fresh basil garnish
• Meat Options: 2-3 small Chicken Breasts, 6-8 sliced sausages (slice thin), or 16 oz crumbled sausage. Or add 2 cups of rotisserie chicken.

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Soup Instructions

1. In a slow cooker, add diced tomatoes and Rotel with their juices.
2. Add the chicken stock and Velveeta diced into 1” cubes. Cook on high for 1 hour in a crockpot/slow cooker. On the stove, cook in a soup pot on low heat for 1 hour.
3. After 1 hour, turn your slow cooker down to a lower setting. Whisk in the heavy cream. Give the soup a good stir with a spoon or whisk.
4. Add either chicken or sausage (defrosted meat is recommended and cooks faster). You can brown your sausages or crumbled sausage in a skillet if you wish to add some flavor, then slice them into thin rounds. The meat cooks in the soup, just use defrosted meat. The whole chicken breasts will shred after an hour of cooking in the soup. Simply shred with two forks in the pot, or slice on a plate and add back to the soup.
5. Add the pasta and cook for 45 minutes to cook the pasta. If the pasta is in the slow cooker for more than an hour, the pasta can get overcooked and go super soft.
6. Once the pasta goes into the soup, it will thicken the soup after about an hour. Add more chicken stock or water to thin out if desired.
7. Serve in individual bowls or handled mugs topped with basil ribbons, crackers, tortilla chips or warm bread slices, or croutons.

Christmas Soup Top Serving Tips

What To Serve With Hot Soup

• crusty bread
• flavored crackers
• soft breadsticks
• Parmesan Cheese Croutons
• toasted baguettes
• Dinner Rolls
• Crostini Bread
• tortilla chips

How To Serve Soup Hot!

Heat Bowls & Mugs: Serve for Christmas Eve dinner in big bowls or mugs, it's always nice to warm them first so the soup stays hot.

The perfect way to warm them is to heat them in the oven on the lowest setting and use hot pads just in case, or pour water into the bowl or mug and heat them in the microwave.

Look for large holiday coffee cups or mugs and colorful red bowls, these are so fun for Christmas. I found my bowls at Home Goods, and mugs at Hobby Lobby.

Warming Trays: Or keep the bowls and cups on a warming tray! Holiday soup recipes are great for parties and entertaining, so the delicious soup stays nice and warm on the big day.

Stovetop Tips: You can make on the stovetop, simply cook over low medium heat in a large dutch oven, and stir often, and once the cheese is melted reduce the heat to low. Add the heavy cream, chicken or sausage after the first hour. It is best to use defrosted meats. Then shred the chicken with two forks in the pot at the 1 hour mark and finish cooking with the pasta for another 45 minutes.

Leftovers: Keep them in a large saucepan, the next day, pull out about 30 minutes before you want to reheat the soup, and warm up over medium heat on the stove or in the microwave in bowls.

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Making Soup Ahead Tips & Tricks

PRO TIPS: If you want to make this soup ahead, don't add the pasta until about 45 minutes before you want to eat it. Pasta pulls all the liquid from the soup and although delicious, it won't be soup it will be more like a thick pasta. You can always add in more chicken stock (or even water in a pinch). Also, the pasta will become soggy if it cooks for more than an hour.

Variation Christmas Soup Recipes

The best thing about cozy soups is you can make them just the way you want. For a Christmas Eve soup, you can add cute Christmas pasta, I found some with shapes like trees, presents, stars, and more. And for another festive touch, serve it in holiday coffee mugs that people can hold while eat it with a spoon.

• Soup Preference Meat Additions: 2-3 small uncooked chicken breasts, or toss in diced cooked Chicken Breasts, 6-8 sliced chicken or pork sausages (brown in a pan and slice thin), or 16 oz crumbled sausage (brown in a skillet, then add). Or add 2 cups of rotisserie chicken. Use up some leftover ham, and try my Double Smoked Ham or Kaulua Pineapple Glazed Ham.
• Pasta Additions: You can add any kind of pasta, like spirals, bow ties, even cheese tortellini, or some gnocchi will be amazing! Christmas pastas are sold everywhere during the holidays, and are available online.
• Vegetarian Recipes: In place of the meat, add in some diced sweet potatoes, red sweet pepper like bell peppers, and small potatoes, or toss in the vegetables you love.

More Hearty Soup Recipes

Take a look at all of my Christmas recipes for the entire festive season, here are some more soups for Christmas or try one of these this New Year's Eve!

One of the classic recipes of all time, keep this one in your recipe box! This is the Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe. A great way to use up Diced Leftover Chicken is in a warm bowl of chicken soup!  

Creamy Jalapeño Popper Soup tastes just like the cheesy jalapeño poppers comfort food we love. The spicy heat of the peppers is mild as this original recipe uses canned jalapenos and green chiles for just the right kick and level of heat in the creamy broth. And this recipe is low carb!

Learn how to make Chicken Stock (aka bone broth) step by step with cooking tips on how to store and freeze chicken broth plus 15 delicious recipe ideas. Save money and have it ready to elevate your cooking for dinner, soups, and stews. Homemade stock makes the best hearty winter soups!

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so easy to put together and is one of the best recipes. This is a hearty main course dinner recipe, and will quickly become a family favorite. Loaded with juicy shredded chicken, vegetables, and gnocchi which are soft puffy "Italian dumplings". Easy enough for a family dinner, and nice enough for special occasions.

A classic famous Cheese Soup with simple ingredients and extraordinarily deep rich soup flavors and a smooth texture. An easy recipe and one of my favorite soups to serve on chilly nights.

Tomato Soup with Basil Dumplings can be rich and chunky or creamy smooth and is loaded with a veggie rainbow for a hearty comforting soup lunch or dinner.