Black bean soup is one of the few bean recipes I enjoy. Preferrably with salsa and sour cream…or cheddar cheese…
- 3 (15 oz.) cans black beans — or 1 lb dried black beans
- 1 lb cooked chicken breast strips
- 1 diced onion (optional)
- 4 diced potatos (optional)
- 1 can diced tomatos or salsa (optional)
- chicken or beef broth (or bouillon)
- water — to fill the crock pot
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
If you remember to start this one first thing in the morning, rinse your dried black beans and put them in the slow cooker with the other ingredients and leave it on low all day. If you forget until half way through the day, use the canned beans. The basic principle is beans, meat and a lot of water, flavored with taco seasoning and bouillon. The beans have a good strong flavor and as long as you haven’t just dumped them in straight water, they’ll make a rich soup. They are high in fiber and low in fat. Everything else you add just improves on the flavor. This one is great with anything you’d put on or in a taco as a topping. It is also an easy recipe to keep the ingredients on hand for when you forget to plan dinner.
This soup is a good candidate for running a hand-blender through. I love those hand-blenders because you can pureé the soup right in the pot.
Options: use stew meat, teenager meat or cooked chicken thighs in place of the chicken. If you’re using the stew meat, just make sure you let this simmer all day so it gets cooked.
