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Anytime I can use my crock pot I am so happy. This Black Bean Soup recipe is a super easy, cost effective vegetarian meal that’s packed with protein and dietary fiber.
If you follow Weelicious with any regularity, you know that I have a very intimate relationship with my crock pot — it’s like my best friend. Coming back after the holiday, with school starting back up, endlessly busy schedules to juggle and so on, my crock pot has been my salvation for getting hearty foods that everyone wants to eat made easily.
A vendor at our local farmer’s market offers the most beautiful assortment of beans, and since black beans are one of our family favorites and cook beautifully in the crock pot, I buy them from him all of the time. Packed with protein and dietary fiber, black beans make for a filling, inexpensive and nutritious vegetarian meal that everyone can enjoy.
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I really loved making this soup with my kids, because, like me, they love using the crock pot. But the real fun for them started when it was time to puree everything. Gemma, being an incredibly curious, 4 year-old who loves anything with a motor, was totally game to help me out with the hand-blender.
As she gripped it and pressed the power button, she was enthralled as she made the beans transform into a creamy, rich soup. But if it was fun for me to witness the blast Gemma had, watching Chloe drink three helpings straight out of her bowl ensured that this soup will be in our regular mealtime rotation!
If you love how easy it is to make meals for your whole family with your Crock Pot, try these other Weelicious slow cooker recipes: Crock Pot Spaghetti, Crock Pot Mexican Corn and Bean Soup and Crock Pot Lentil Veggie Stew.
Crock Pot Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
- 1 carton chicken or vegetable stock, low sodium 32oz
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and sauté onions for 4 minutes.
- Add chopped garlic and sauté an additional minute.
- Place the onion garlic mixture into the crock pot along with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
- Using either a hand blender or traditional blender, puree the ingredients to your desired texture (I like to get it so a few pieces of beans are still visible so the soup is thick and still has a bit of texture).
- Top with a dollop of yogurt, sour cream, crème fraiche and/or cilantro.
I read this post as I smelled my black bean soup in the crock pot today. What a coincidence! This soup is very very traditional in Costa Rica, so I was pretty surprised to find it here.
My version of it includes onions, garlic and bell pepper sauteed in a little of olive oil before you add it to the beans. My mom recommends soaking up the beans the night before and then cook then in new water, add salt at the very end to avoid making them too hard.
We add a hard boiled egg, steamed rice and half an avocado to our plate before we dig in. I also keep aside some whole beans and rice for the day later, to make our traditional “gallo pinto”
You can just leave it out 🙂
Also, i really dislike the taste of cilantro. any substitutes? parsley perhaps?
Interesting, I would add the diced ham in the beginning when I dump them all in. The collard greens may change the flavor up a bit so I would just serve on the side or if you want to test it out, just put them in the beginning as well.
Catherine – I’m thinking of adding collards and a ham shank to this. How do you think they would work with the recipe you provide? Thanks!
I would put in 3 cups soaked beans
Quick question – what is your yield on 2 cups of dried black beans? I soaked 3 pounds of them overnight, so I’m not sure how much to put in crockpot? ie what’s your conversion of 2 cups dried to X cups soaked? thanks so much! LOVE LOVE LOVE your site 🙂
[…] 2. Black Bean Soup […]
Where do you purchase your dried black beans? Are they organic?
I love this. I’ve made something similar (only rendered bacon starts off the soup I make). I’m excited to try this in the crock pot.
This looks great and seems soooo easy! Thank you!!!
http://wp.me/pQ3NA-m9
yummy! I was happy to see I had all the ingredients (except for cilantro…we can’t get that here 🙁
so it’s in the crock pot now!
Yummy black beans! I love recipes which use raw beans! We rarely use cans, so this is the ideal dinner solution for a busy mom! Thx for posting and keep these can free recipes coming!!!
I am adding this to my “Recipes to Try” list! I’m starting to use my slow cooker more now, after a bit of a falling out where it got stashed in an out of the way cupboard. We are quickly falling in love again.
You can but it would be a totally different recipe with cooking time since this recipe is using raw black beans. The canned ones are already salted and canned so there will be a difference in flavor as well. If I were you, I would add the ingredients and the canned black beans and just cook it on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
Can you use canned black beans?