Happy Monday, friends!
At the time this post goes live, I will be on the final stretch of a 13-hour road trip heading off the grid into the Smokey Mountains for a week of cabin life. I can’t say that I’m super-looking forward to the 13 hours. But after four back-to-back trips this month, I am soooooo looking forward to arriving in the land of no wifi, switching off my screens, heading out into the sunshine for some long hikes, coming home to cook some leisurely (and photo-free!) meals, cozying up with in the evenings with slippers and some good books, and spending lots of time with this guy after being apart for nearly three weeks.
Can’t. Wait. :)
So I may be happily out of touch for awhile. But of course, I wanted to leave you with a few recipes while I’m gone. The first is a crock pot version of one of my all-time vegetarian comfort meals, which always seems to perfectly hit the spot this time of year. It’s incredibly simple to make, packed with protein and healthy ingredients, naturally vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free, and it is wonderfully comforting and delicious.
It’s my Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup.
Most people just think of black bean soup as a big bowl of brown mush. But lest we ever forget, there’s usual a rainbow of fresh ingredients that go into it. The usual suspects are present — onions, carrots and lots of garlic. But I’m also a big fan of adding chopped red peppers (or a jar of roasted red peppers) to the mix, as well as some fresh jalapeno for a little heat.
Once the Crock Pot does its work and cooks everything until tender, you have the option of either:
- serving the soup as-is (brothy and chunky)
- pureeing the soup completely (uber-thick and smooth)
- or — my favorite — pureeing about half of the soup so that it’s thick and smooth but still a little chunky
Totally up to you. If you with the second or third options, you can either puree part (or all) of the soup with an immersion blender. Or you can transfer it in small batches to a blender or food processor, and puree until smooth. (Always be careful blending hot liquids, though, since they will expand in the process. I recommend pureeing in small batches, never letting your blender or food processor be more than halfway-filled.)
Then once the soup is blended (or not) to perfection, dish it up! I love just topping mine with some simple fresh cilantro and avocado, but a dollop of sour cream, some chopped red onions, a sprinkling of crushed tortilla chips, or any other toppings would also be tasty. Whatever sounds good to you sounds good to me. :)
Have a great week, everyone!
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large white or yellow onion, chopped
- 2 red bell peppers, cored and chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
- 4 cups good-quality vegetable stock
- 4 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, crumbled corn tortilla chips, diced avocados, sour cream and/or shredded cheese (dairy-free, if making this soup vegan)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a slow cooker, and stir to combine. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours, until all of the vegetables are cooked and tender. Remove the bay leaf.
At this point, you can either:
- serve the soup as-is (brothy and chunky)
- use a blender or food-processor to puree the soup completely (uber-thick and smooth)
- use a blender or food processor to puree about half of the soup (so that it’s thick and smooth but still a little chunky)
- Serve the soup warm, garnished with your desired toppings. Or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days, or freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Can I use dry beans instead of canned beans?
Hi Silvia! We think you could use dried black beans for this, just make sure you soak them for 6-8 hours, or overnight first. We hope you enjoy!
this soup was GREAT!!! and happy it made a lot, cuz we will be craving it again tomorrow :) i subbed one can of pinto beans for the black, and omitted one red pepper. followed the quick cook instruction on high for 3 hours and it was perfect!! made a cashew crema- to swirl on top. incredibly good!! i will keep this recipe as my favorite black bean soup. not only is it super easy, it makes the house smell amazing all afternoon… thanks for this one :) DELISH!!
Thanks Suzi, we’re happy you enjoyed it and that cashew crema sounds amazing! :)
Could you put in some lean ground beef and less liquid to make it more like chili? Sorry if that’s a silly question, I’m new to soups lol
You totally could, and that’s not a silly question at all! We would just brown it separately first, then add it to the soup later. We hope you enjoy this! :)
Making this right now as I type can’t wait to eat this ! I always score on all of your vegan friendly recipes they’re always filled with so much flavor !
Yay, we hope you love it Simone! Thanks for your sweet words as well, we’re glad you enjoy the vegan recipes on the site! :)
On the menu this week, along with several of your other recipes. I cook once, freeze and have great dishes to look forward to! Thanks so much!
Awesome Cindy, we’re glad to hear that! We hope you enjoy the soup. :)
This was delicious for soup Monday at our house. Served with diced avocado, tortilla chips, grated Monterey Jack cheese, lime wedges, sour cream and chopped cilantro, along with some good bread for a wonderful dinner. Thank you!
Vivian, we’re happy to hear this was a hit, thanks for sharing with us! :D
If you are pureeing half the soup, do you put half in a bowl, blend it, then add it back in with the chunky soup?
Yep, exactly!
I am a HUGE fan of black bean soup – HUGE!! I made this soup on Friday (prepped all ingredients the night before, and just pulled it out of the fridge in the morning), and it is getting tastier and tastier everyday! Had it again for lunch today, and I couldn’t get enough – added avocado and a dollop of greek yogurt on top – YUM! I omitted the jalepeno, and only did a quarter of the cayenne called for and it is still plenty spicy for me. This will for sure be on heavy rotation at our house for many years to come, thank you for sharing the recipe.
Awesome, I’m so glad to hear it!! :)
Mmmmm…Black bean soup makes me feel like fall. I definitely think it’s best half-pureed; I half-puree almost all my soups!
Made it! Well, sort of….
https://littlesbites.tumblr.com/post/131383345669/slow-cooker-black-bean-soup-modified-gimme-some