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!
This soup looks so beautiful. I don’t know if I’d want to eat it or just sit there and look at it all night. I’d like to make a batch with chicken broth rather than vegetable. I know that would negate the vegan/vegetarian aspect but i always think chicken broth packs so much more flavor. Plus, i always make my own bone broth in the slow cooker when we’re having chicken for dinner then freeze it for soups, stews, and sauces.
There are quite a few tips on here that I hadn’t thought of myself. It’s nice to be able to add some new life to an old favorite that might get kind of tired after a while.
Thanks for your sweet words, Gwen! :) We think this would be delicious with chicken broth, especially if it’s homemade (nothing like homemade stock/broth)! :) Anyway, we hope you enjoy!
This is the best black bean soup I’ve ever had! Perfect level of saltiness and heat from the jalapeno. We blended it about halfway for the combo of creaminess and texture. Thank you!
Wow, thanks for the sweet compliment — we’re so glad you loved it! :)
This soup turned out to be a little more watery than I expected. I blended half of it because I wanted some of it to be chunky. It also ended up being extremely spicy. Not to mention my hands burned for over 12 hours after cutting up the jalapeños. I had an expectation in mind and didn’t quite get it. Good attempt though. I will look for something a little heartier next time. Thanks for sharing anyway.
We’re sorry you didn’t care for this as much Kristen! :(
It looks so delicious ..!! Prepared yesterday .. Cooked today..!! Thank you for sharing this recipe. Looking forward for more health recipe.
We’re happy you liked it Binita! :)
I made this for a church soup supper and everyone really liked it. Our power went out a couple of hours into cooking so I had to move it to the gas stovetop, but it still cooked perfectly. I added an extra can of beans and I only used 1 tsp of sea salt. I used an immersion blender to partially puree it. Served with fresh cilantro, shredded cheese and chopped avocado. Will definitely make it again!
We’re so glad it was a hit Susan — thanks for sharing with us! :)
I don’t normally comment on recipe posts and blogs, but I made this soup yesterday, and it was fantastic, I have made several other black bean soups before, but this is now my only one. I adjusted one or two things based on what I had on hand and I like my soup…more soupy so I blended longer, topped with cheddar cheese and avocado. It was delicious! Thank you for this recipe.
Thank you for sharing with us Lyn! We’re so glad to hear you enjoyed this! :)
Can’t wait! This is going in the crockpot in the AM for tomorrow’s dinner… It’s Ash Wednesday. Maybe this will be the soup to carry me through Lent :)
Awesome Heidi, we hope you love it! :)
I made this last night and it turned out absolutely delicious! I wouldn’t change a thing!!
Thanks Lauren, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :)
I chose to puree the soup and it was amazing. I’ll be keeping this recipe handy. Thank you!
Thanks for sharing Jess, we’re so glad you enjoyed it! :D
I love everything in this recipe. Is there a way to do a version on the stove top to save time?
Thanks Kiva, we’re glad to hear that! And sure, here is what we’d recommend:
Start out by sautéing your veggies in some olive oil (start the onions by themselves first, if you like them browner). Sauté for about 5-10 min, then add your garlic and sauté for about 2 more min. Add all of your spices and stir to combine everything well. Then turn up the heat and gradually add in your stock. Add your beans. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and simmer for about 30 min (you can simmer longer if you want a thicker soup), it all depends on your preference.
We hope this helps, and that you enjoy! :)