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the slow-cooker.
    season with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaf before serving.
    serves 8–10
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    slow-cooker savvy
    When I have ham for a holiday dinner, I will generally freeze the bone after we have cleaned off most of the meat. Then when I want to make soup, I’ll defrost it and place it in the slow cooker with the other ingredients. Ham hocks and smoked hams tend to be salty, so I recommend not salting the soup until close to the end of the cooking time.

Vegetarian Confetti Split Pea Soup
    Split pea soup is a favorite at my house, but it usually has a base of smoked sausage or a ham bone to give it flavor and punch. When I decided to try a vegetarian version, I added yellow split peas and red lentils to give the soup beautiful color and flavor.
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 large onion, chopped
    4 medium carrots, diced
    4 stalks celery, diced
    2 teaspoons dried thyme
    1 bay leaf
    2 cups dried green split peas
    1 cup dried yellow split peas
    ½ cup dried red lentils
    8 cups vegetable broth
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaf and sauté until the vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 5 minutes.
    transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and add the split peas, lentils, and broth, and stir to combine.
    cover the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours; check the soup at 3 or 7 hours to make sure that it isn’t sticking to the pot. If it appears too thick, add more broth.
    season with salt and pepper before serving.
    serves 8

Confetti Split Pea and Smoked Sausage Soup
    Split pea soup is one of my family’s favorites. I’m not sure if the thyme or the smoked sausage flavors the thick soup more—either way, it’s nice for lunch or dinner, and leftovers freeze well. I like to use yellow and green split peas as well as red lentils, but it’s also fine to only use green split peas.
    1½ pounds smoked sausage, cut into
    ½-inch rounds
    1 large onion, finely chopped
    3 medium carrots, finely chopped
    3 stalks celery with leaves, finely chopped
    2 teaspoons dried thyme
    1½ cups dried green split peas
    ½ cup dried yellow split peas
    ¼ cup dried red lentils
    8 cups chicken or vegetable broth (see savvy)
    Salt and freshly ground black pepper
    cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat. Render the fat and remove all but 2 tablespoons from the skillet.
    add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes.
    transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients, except salt and pepper, and stir to combine.
    cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the peas have split and the soup is thick. Check the soup several times during cooking to make sure there is enough broth and the soup isn’t sticking to the pan.
    season with salt and pepper before serving.
    serves 8
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    slow-cooker liquid savvy
    As I said in the introduction, all slow cookers are different and their temperatures vary a bit. The cooking time and amount of liquid that evaporates may vary. Just to be on the safe side, check the soup during the day to make sure that it’s not sticking to the pan and that there is enough liquid.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
    Comfort food doesn’t get much better than this creamy soup brimming with chunks of moist chicken (or turkey), vegetables, and crunchy wild rice. If you have leftover chicken or turkey, this is a great way to use it. Wild rice is actually a grain and takes quite a while to cook, which is where your slow cooker comes in—you literally set it and forget it.
    4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    4 medium carrots, finely chopped
    4 medium stalks celery with leaves, finely chopped
    1 pound cremini mushrooms, cut into
    ½-inch slices
    1 teaspoon dried thyme
    1 teaspoon