Vegan Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Whenever I think of black bean soup it brings me back to my college years when I would meet-up with my girlfriends to study at the local Panera. We spent one too many delirious hours there trying our best to memorize hundreds of different diseases along with the corresponding signs and symptoms.
When it came to food I usually settled for a tea (no coffee!) and something from the bakery. Really, who can resist that gigantic display of carbs? Especially the cinnamon French toast bagel. Ugh, forget about it.
Occasionally when I wanted something with a little more substance, I would order their black bean soup. Nutritionally, I thought it was the best of their vegetarian options and I could usually count on it tasting pretty good too. Now I do my best to avoid that tempting bakery but the craving for black bean soup still strikes me on a regular basis so instead I just make my own at home.
I really love one of the older recipe’s on my blog, this Best-Ever Black Bean Soup, but I decided I wanted something a little easier to make.
Something that I could just throw in the Crockpot to come home to at the end of a long chilly day.
Diced jalapenos, crushed tomatoes and a blend of spices including chipotle chili powder (one of my favorites) give it a delicious, slightly smoky tomato flavor.
Overall I would describe it as mildly spicy but you can use more or less or depending on your preferences.
I wrote the recipe assuming that you soak your beans prior to cooking but that step isn’t necessary if you prefer not to or if you forget. I’ve made it both ways and while it was more flavorful without soaking them, I prefer to do it for better digestibility.
Also, similar to the Best-Ever Black Bean soup recipe, I removed a few cups at the end of the cooking process and blended them using an immersion blender to give it a thick creamy texture. If you prefer it thinner you can always add more broth or blend less of it at the end.
Feel free to adjust to however you like it just don’t skimp on topping it with avocado, k?
That’s a must in my book.
