Christmas Soup Recipe

A large red cast iron pot filled with Christmas soup topped with holiday pasta.

5 from 3 votes

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.

Prep Time10

Cook Time2

Total Time2 10

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas recipes, Christmas soup, Crockpot soup recipe, Slow cooker soup, Winter soup recipes

Servings:

Calories: 301kcal

Author: Lisa Hatfield

Equipment

Ingredients

28 ounces canned diced tomatoes with the juice
10 ounces canned Rotel original tomatoes and green chilies with the juice not hot get mild
1 pound Velveeta cheese 1” cubes
4 cups chicken stock 32 oz box
1 cup heavy cream
12-16 ounces bag of Christmas or holiday pasta red/white/green or bowtie etc
1 tablespoon fresh basil garnish
Meat Options: 6-8 sliced sausages 2-3 small chicken breasts or 16 oz crumbled sausage. Or add 2 cups of rotisserie chicken.

Instructions

In a slow cooker, add diced tomatoes and Rotel with their juices.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Serve in individual bowls or handled mugs topped with basil ribbons, crackers, tortilla chips or warm bread slices, or croutons.
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.

Video

Notes

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.

Variations

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.

Make Ahead 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.

Nutrition