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!
I made this recently in the InstantPot and it turned out amazingly! I will be making it again for sure!
Can you use dry black beans?
Well, I think I may have found a new favorite. Made this one tonight and it was just wonderful! I’m impressed. I was a little concerned about heat levels with the jalapeno but with one it was just right. Pureed mine with an immersion blender til almost smooth and topped with sour cream, cilantro, Mexican Fiesta cheese and multi-color tortilla strips. Would totally make again. Thanks for sharing.
OMG this soup was SO good….like, I would return to a restaurant that served it. I did a few tweaks to the recipe.
1. Soaked and cooked dried black beans 2. Cooked the soup on the stove top. Sautéed the onions and other veggies to develop some color before adding the liquid, spices, and beans then simmered for about 30 minutes 3. Added in about 1 tsp of chopped Chipolte chili’s in Adobo sauce 4. Completely puréed the soup and added in about 1 cup of sour cream (I am not vegan) after removing the pot from heat.
This soup will be a staple in our home from now on. Thanks for sharing! :)
Haven’t tried it yet but it sure smells amazing and having it for dinner. Added cilantro to cook with it and didn’t add jalapeños but it’s very colorful and I’m excited to try it! I also halved the recipe cuz I have a small family who doesn’t eat much. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Excellent recipe & easy to make!
Loved this recipe! Made for a potluck and had zero leftovers. The jalapeños add a little spice and the mix of ingredients make this soup very flavorful. Puréed half the soup and left the other half chunky. Amazing!! Will definitely make again.
This meal was delicious! I only used one jalapeño and it was the right enough spice for me. I realized after I ate it that I forgot the avocado that I bought for the garnish. Fortunately, tomorrow I will be able to do it. Thanks for sharing!
Can you use dried black beans and still cook at all the ingredients same time?
This was a great soup to have on a below zero night. I had to transfer it to a pot on the stovetop, as it was still far away from done after 3 hours at high, but that’s no big deal. I love the flavours here, and the warming spices, but I love most the chance to fancy it up with a variety of toppings. We had tortilla chips, grated Monterey Jack, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream and minced red onion. So good! Thanks so much.
This is good soup! My kids call it “Interactive Soup” since they can add toppings as they wish! I add one more can of black beans, and I puree about half the beans before cooking, adding broth as needed. That way I do not have to hassle with hot liquid while pureeing.