15 Healthy and Comforting Crockpot Soup, Stew, and Chili Recipes - Run With No Regrets (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a soup and a stew? ›

Soup Uses More Liquid

In soup, the liquid is the primary ingredient. Soup can be completely liquified or it can consist of other elements (like meat and vegetables) that are fully submerged in water, stock, or broth. Stew, meanwhile, is typically "chunkier." It contains just enough liquid to cover the main ingredients.

A stew is a dish made (usually) with meat or fish, and vegetables, cooked by simmering until done. There are lots of stews, with perhaps Beef Stew being the best known. Chili is a type of stew, usually made with meat or perhaps beans and chile, and it's simmered until done.

Another way to look at it: Soup is any combination of ingredients cooked in liquid. Stew is any dish that's prepared by stewing—that is, submerging the ingredients with just enough liquid to cook them through at a simmer in a covered pot for a long time.

Though many people think of chili as its own category, it is technically just a type of stew, with origins in Tex-Mex cuisine. Chili isn't a soup mostly because it usually is more solid than it is liquid, with most chili recipes containing majority meat and/or vegetables that are simmered in a tomato sauce.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

“Beef chuck is best for stew,” said Arjuna Bull, chef/partner of Luthun in New York City. “It has some fat but not too much, and it also has a good ratio of meat and fat. Beef chuck often has the most consistent meat-to-fat ratio [of beef cuts in general], making it a good, safe choice [for beef stew].”

If chili is prepared by braising meat, such as brisket or beef chuck, with beans and vegetables added toward the end of cooking time, it's considered a stew. If chili is made by browning ground meat, and then adding liquid, beans and vegetables, then it is a soup.

Chuck. Chuck is one of the leaner types of beef, making it perfect for stews because it melts into delicious pieces as it cooks. A chuck roast has a large amount of connective tissue, which allows it to retain its moisture during the cooking process.

Slow Cooker vs.

While high heat may cook the potatoes and meat quickly, only low, slow cooking can create the tender morsels of meat and flavorful broth that we seek. The stove (hob) will create a thicker broth/gravy for the stew because more liquid will escape during cooking in the form of steam.

For a hearty and flavourful soup, Chicken Thighs or Legs are ideal. The darker meats along with the bones provide a stronger taste compared to white meat (breast), creating a richer broth with plenty of flavour. Add them in along with your broth (or stock) after your soffritto is done.

Should I use chicken or beef broth in soup? ›

Chicken is more versatile in your kitchen

Beef broth confers a 'beef' flavour to whatever you make with it. It is most likely because chicken has a milder flavour. For this reason, chicken makes a better base for smoothies, oatmeal, soups and any recipe that calls for water.

Whether a you're whipping up a broth-based creation or noshing on a bowl of hearty stew, soups offer these five benefits: They're good for you. While some soups can devastate a diet (cream-based varieties can be particularly high in fat and calories), most serve as a great vehicle to meet your daily quota for veggies.

Beans and non-vegetable fillers such as rice and pasta are not allowed." If that sounds a bit uptight, the ICS's Homestyle Chili competition defines chili as: "any kind of meat, or combination of meats, and/or vegetables cooked with beans, chili peppers, various spices, and other ingredients.

Beans in chili? Not if you're from Texas! While some people claim that chili can be made with a variety of ingredients—including beef and bean chili, chipotle chicken chili, or dare we say veggie chili—anyone from the Lone Star State would argue that traditional chili simply does not contain beans.

Chili can be healthy, with qualifiers. The iconic dish—typically made with ground meat, tomatoes, kidney beans, and seasonings—is packed with protein, fiber (thanks, beans!), and iron. This makes chili relatively healthy, provided you don't get too carried away with high-fat toppings like sour cream and cheddar cheese.

Generally speaking, if there is so much liquid that the ingredients are fully submerged, it's a soup. If the chunks dominate the dish, it's a stew.

Gumbo is a hearty stew made from combinations of seafood, meat (such as andouille, chicken and ham) or vegetables that's served hot over cooked rice. Gumbo can be thickened with okra, file, or a roux, a French and Creole method of cooking equal parts flour and fat.

A stew is a combination of larger-cut ingredients like vegetables, meat, or fish that are just barely covered with cooking liquid, and simmered over low heat for a lengthier period of time. While a stew cooks, the liquid reduces significantly, making it much thicker than your average soup.

Simply put, ramen is a Japanese noodle soup, with a combination of a rich flavoured broth, one of a variety of types of noodle and a selection of meats or vegetables, often topped with a boiled egg.