Slow-Cooker Cordon Bleu Soup

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 30 min. Cook: 3 hours

YIELD: 8 servings (2-1/2 quarts).

I've taken this creamy slow-cooker soup to potlucks and teacher luncheons, and I bring home an empty crock every time. When my son's school recently created a cookbook, this was the first recipe he asked me to submit, and his teachers were glad he did. —Erica Winkel, Ada, Michigan

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups cubed French bread

SOUP:

1 small onion, diced

1 celery rib, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cans (14-1/2 ounces...