If you don’t have a slow cooker, run out and buy one now. No, like right now. I love my slow cooker. It comes in handy for preparing dinners while you work and has the added benefit of making your house smell fabulous when you walk in the door.
This is a great recipe for the slow cooker. Prep is a snap and it cooks all day, so when you come home, you just have to blitz it up and serve.
Black turtle beans, or just black beans as they are usually known, are super healthy. They have a dense meaty texture and are high in fibre and protein, which makes them popular not just with vegetarians, but with people seeking a healthier diet. Eating black beans is said to be good for your bones; lowering blood pressure; managing diabetes; warding off heart disease; preventing cancer; and helping with digestion and weight loss. All in all, black beans are a real beauty of a food!
I came across this recipe for Spicy Black Bean soup a few months ago, but immediately started to tweak it. If you would like to see the original recipe from “A Spicy Perspective”, click here. I’ve made it several times since as it makes a ton and freezes really well. It is a good “oh I need something for dinner/lunch, take it out of the freezer” thing. When I reheat it after it has been frozen, it is really thick, so thin it out with some water. I love spicy food, but since I’m often cooking for people who don’t, I knock the spice down a bit – you can alway add hot sauce later! My sister Louise would like this recipe because it is gluten-free and it can be made easily with vegetable stock. Added dietary bonus, it is very filling, low calorie and has no added fat or dairy (don’t add shredded cheese or sour cream).
Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 8+ hours; Serves: 10 – 12
Calories: Per serving, according to MyFitnessPal: 229 (10 servings) – 191 (12 servings)
What you need:
- 454 g dried black turtle beans, rinsed but not soaked (this is 1/2 the 907g bag that you buy at grocery stores)
- 5 1/2 cups Chicken Stock (or vegetable stock or beef stock)
- 1 796 ml can diced omatoes
- 1 large onion, diced
- 12 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Habanero pepper (or 2 jalapenõs), de-seeded and sliced (be VERY careful handling this, wear gloves, and do NOT touch your eyes)
- 2 red peppers, diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 10 (or more) grinds of fresh pepper
Garnish suggestions:
- green onion
- sour cream
- shredded cheddar cheese
- jalapenõs, either fresh or pickled
- cilantro
- pickled hot peppers
- chives
What you do:
- In your slow cooker, add beans, onions, peppers, Habanero, garlic
- Sprinkle cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper on top
- Stick bay leaves on either end
- Add stock (chicken, vegetarian, beef) and diced tomatoes
- Stir
- Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 8 hours
- Remove bay leaves
- With an immersion blender, blitz up the soup to a slightly chunky consistency
- Add salt and pepper and additional hot sauce to taste
- Spoon into bowl and top with garnishes
This soup really is a beauty – it is easy and quick to prepare, and simply delicious. A new favourite. Keep them coming Elin!
OK, so when I saw the post, I got a slow cooker, like right away (actually it was an unexpected gift), picked up the ingredients, and followed your version of the recipe, opting to go veggie all the way. 10 hours later, WOW!
Elin, not only are the pictures helpful, and the recipe clear, but I love the way you lay out qty “1/2 the 907g bag that you buy at grocery stores” etc. Plus I love your prep time estimate – 10 min, I thought, hmmm, we’ll see…. Well, I saw! 10 min to prepare servings for most of the week! That’s if we didn’t let friends eat most of it over the weekend.
Thank for letting me know and the kind words. I’m so glad to hear that it worked out and that it was a hit!
This recipe tasted great as is. Was great as a frozen dinner that thaws in the fridge over the day as well.
Thanks, glad you liked it! I like to freeze it in single-serving batches. It makes it easy to take out for dinner or bring for lunch.