CORDON BLEU SLOW COOKER RECIPES

Steps:

• For croutons, preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, mix melted butter, garlic powder and pepper. Add bread cubes; toss to coat. Transfer croutons to a 15x10x1-in. baking pan; bake, stirring every 5 minutes, until golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Cool in pan on a wire rack., Meanwhile, in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 5 soup ingredients; pour in broth. Cook, covered, on low about 2 hours or until vegetables are tender., Increase slow-cooker heat setting to high. Mix flour and water until smooth; whisk flour mixture into broth. Cook until thickened, 30-40 minutes. Stir in wine. Whisk in cheeses until melted. Add chicken and ham; heat through. Serve with croutons., Freeze option: Before adding croutons, freeze cooled soup in freezer containers. Freeze croutons separately. To use, partially thaw soup in refrigerator overnight. Heat soup through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add broth or water if necessary. While soup is heating, thaw croutons at room temperature; sprinkle over soup.

Steps:

• Spray 5-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In slow cooker, mix broth, Alfredo sauce, Dijon mustard and pepper. Stir in chicken. Cover; cook on High heat setting 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until chicken is cooked through (at least 165°F).
• Stir pasta and ham into slow cooker. Cover; cook on High heat setting 25 to 30 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring twice.
• Stir in cheese until cheese melts. Let stand covered 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir mixture.
• In 8-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until toasted. Top pasta with bread crumb mixture before serving.