Christmas Soup is a cherished family tradition featuring a creamy, vegetarian tomato basil soup. This slow cooker recipe is perfect for Christmas Eve: it warms the house, looks festive with its red tomatoes, green chilies, and tri-color pasta, and frees you up to finish last-minute wrapping or return from Christmas Eve services to a ready meal.
This website uses affiliate links. See our Privacy Policy for more information.
I make Christmas Soup every year on Christmas Eve alongside Christmas Cranberry Meatballs. Both dishes cook in slow cookers, which makes the holiday hustle a lot easier. The soup is colorful and comforting, creamy and cheesy, and it reheats beautifully for leftovers — perfect for the days after the holidays.
What is Christmas Soup?
Christmas Soup is a creamy, cheesy tomato basil soup with pasta, made in the slow cooker. It’s a vegetarian comfort dish with bright holiday colors that remind me of queso dip, but thinner and spoonable. The pasta helps make it satisfying and filling.
I often serve it with tortilla chips for dipping, and sometimes I crumble crushed chips over the top like oyster crackers on chowder — delicious either way.
Adding crushed tortilla chips on top gives a crunchy contrast that many people love.
Ingredients
This recipe uses inexpensive pantry staples, so it’s easy to throw together even at the last minute. The main components are:
- Three kinds of canned tomatoes (keep the juices).
- Vegetable or chicken stock.
- Sour cream.
- Fresh basil.
- Velveeta cheese for creamy richness.
- Tri-color pasta.
You can serve the soup with or without chips. Both ways are excellent.
Steps to make this creamy tomato basil soup
This soup is intentionally simple — a festive, easy recipe for Christmas. The basic method:
- Place the canned tomatoes (with juices), stock, and Velveeta in the slow cooker; break up any large pieces.
- Cook on high about 1 hour to melt the cheese.
- Whisk in the sour cream until integrated.
- Add cooked pasta and chopped basil, then cook another hour on high to slightly thicken, or shorten this time if you prefer a looser consistency.
I used to prefer this soup nearly queso-thick, but over time I’ve settled on a slightly thinner finish — still creamy, not watery. One hour to melt the cheese and a second hour to let it thicken a touch is my usual timing. The recipe yields generous leftovers that are great paired with sandwiches in the days after Christmas.
FAQs
Yes. If you need to save time, shorten the final hour of cooking, or prepare the soup without the pasta and add the pasta just before serving.
Yes. Shredded chicken or sliced sausage are popular additions if you want a non-vegetarian version.
No. Leave the juices in — they add essential flavor and liquid to the soup.
Add cooked pasta after the soup is assembled. Cook another hour if you want it to thicken slightly, but avoid leaving pasta in the crockpot for more than an hour to prevent it from becoming mushy.
More Christmas recipe ideas
- Cranberry Chorizo Jalapeno Poppers — creamy, cheesy holiday poppers.
- Christmas Croissant Breakfast Casserole — make it a day ahead and bake in the morning.
- Black Cherry Cup Christmas Cookies — a longtime family favorite, like mini cherry pies.
- Winter Crostini with Mushrooms, Broccoli, and Hominy — elegant and vegan.
- Christmas Cranberry Meatballs — another slow cooker favorite for Christmas Eve.
- Potato Chip Cookies — a must-try family heirloom cookie.
Last Tips
I make this soup early so it’s ready when we return from church. If the soup thickens too much while it cooks, thin it with extra stock or water. Add the pasta during the last hour to avoid overcooking the noodles.
To reheat, microwave a serving and add a splash of stock or water to reach the desired consistency. You can also make this on the stovetop: melt the cheese and heat the tomatoes and stock over medium while stirring, then reduce to low for the remaining steps.
When whisking in sour cream, a large whisk helps break it up among the tomatoes; small white streaks are normal and will disappear as the soup heats.
That’s it — a warm, festive family tradition. Make Christmas Soup one of your holiday favorites.
Also check out another holiday favorite, the Best Stuffing Ever.
Christmas Soup
Print
Pin
Rate
Ingredients
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes with the juice
- 14.5 oz Italian stewed tomatoes with the juice
- 10 oz diced tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel) with the juice
- 1 lb Velveeta cheese sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 4 cup vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 cup sour cream
- 12 oz tricolor pasta cooked 30 seconds under al dente
- 1 Tbsp fresh basil finely chopped
- scoops of tortilla chips
- crushed red pepper flakes to sprinkle on top
Instructions
-
In a slow cooker, add all canned tomatoes with their juices. Break up the stewed tomatoes with a spoon.
-
Add the stock and Velveeta. Cook on high for 1 hour to melt the cheese.
-
Whisk in the sour cream until combined.
-
Stir in the cooked pasta and chopped basil.
-
Cook 1 hour on high to let the soup thicken slightly. (See Notes.)
-
Serve topped with red pepper flakes, extra basil, and tortilla chips if desired.
Notes
If you don’t have a slow cooker, cook on the stovetop: melt the cheese and heat the tomatoes and stock over medium while stirring, then reduce to low and continue with the remaining steps.
Calorie estimate does not include tortilla chips.
Nutrition
~✿♥✿~