Add the carrots, onion, celery, minced garlic, salt, pepper and bay leaf to the slow cooker.
Pour over the chicken broth and beer.
Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. It will take that long to get the vegetables ultra-soft.
After the cooking time is up, Whisk together the heavy cream and cornstarch in a small bowl, very well.
Remove the bay leaf. Pour the cream mixture into the soup and whisk until combined.
Place the lid back on the slow cooker and let cook for 20 more minutes on high.
Shred the cheese on the fine setting while the slow cooker warms the soup back up.
Slowly stir in the cheese (about a half cup at a time). Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Recipe Tips
Diced Vegetables - We recommend dicing your vegetables ahead of time. Make sure they are diced about the same so they cook evenly. You can even place your diced onions in the freezer to save time and money.
Combining the Cornstarch - Combine the heavy cream and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Make sure to whisk the two ingredients completely before pouring into the slow cooker. This helps to create a thicken the soup. You can also use a flour slurry as well.
Cooking Time - Cooking time will vary when cooking this soup in the slow cooker. We cooked on high for about 4 hours, but this soup can also be cooked on low for about 6 hours.
Adding in Cheese - Add in the shredded cheese and cornstarch mixture towards the end of the cooking time. If you add in too early it could change the texture of the soup.
Shredded Cheese - We recommend to shred the cheese yourself instead of using pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese has added ingredients that may not melt or taste as well as hunk cheese.
Substitutions and Additions
Broth - Feel free to change the broth to a vegetable broth or chicken stock. Use what you have or prefer.
Add Bacon - Crumbled Bacon is a great addition to this recipe. If I have some already cook, I like to dice in small pieces for a flavorful addition. You can also add in bacon bits.
Other Flavors - For added in flavor, you can add in a tsp of Worcestershire sauce, Dijon Mustard, or anything you prefer.
Cream Cheese - For a creamier soup texture, dice up cream cheese and add in when adding in the shredded cheese.
Beer - If you prefer to substitute the beer, try it with apple cider or a non-alcoholic beer.