Black Bean Tortilla Soup...in a Crock Pot!

I recently met a few people who do not own slow cookers or crock pots. How can this be? If you are one of those people, I highly recommend getting one. In fact, ask for a crock pot this next Christmas. I inherited mine from my mother-in-law. It’s a circa 1970s original Rival "crock pot" that weighs about as much as I do, and I absolutely love it. It is an integral part of my kitchen, and gets heavy use in the fall and winter months. Combine this genius little invention with a delicious soup recipe and I’m all set. This black bean tortilla soup is not only nutritious, delicious, so easy to make in a slow cooker, and cheap, it’s also completely vegetarian – actually vegan! (Well…beans have other “benefits”, of course.) Talk about your healthy comforts.

Black Bean Tortilla Soup

You will need:
1.5 cups dried black beans, soaked overnight
1.5 cups of any combination of finely chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, carrots, etc.
1 can diced tomatoes, juice and all
1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp of bottled chipotle sauce
½ tsp cumin powder
6-7 cups of veggie stock
1 tbsp of olive oil
Optional – salt if needed (we skipped)

Toss everything into your slow cooker / crock pot, cover, turn on “low”. Then walk away. (Or go to work!) Come back after 9-10 hours. It should be ready to eat and delicious. Give it a good stir before serving. Optional - top with tortilla chips, cilantro, and/or avocado. We did all three and it was fabulous. Enjoy!

P.S.: you can also cook on “high” for 4 hours, then “low” for 2 hours.