I love settling down on a Sunday evening and making something in my slow cooker for lunch the next week. Today, while wishing my mom a Happy Mother's Day, I started to dream of one of my favorite soups: Cuban black bean soup, the way it would have been made by my abuela. But since she wasn't in my house, I called her up to get the recipe. But since I wanted to take advantage of my slow cooker, I decided to make some slow cooker black bean soup instead. And since I love soup so much, I'll be making slow cooker tortilla soup and slow cooker posole as well. Take a look at the recipes and make them for your family, too.
Readmore ¿Qué más? Slow cooker collecting dust? Try these 3 juicy chicken recipes
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup (recipe courtesy of Helen Jane)
Ingredients:
1 package of dried black beans
1 large onion
5 carrots
3 celery stalks
1 yellow or red bell pepper
3 garlic cloves
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 bay leaves
1 container (32 ounces) vegetarian stock
2 cups water
Directions:
1. The night before: Fill a large bowl with water and empty the package of beans into the water. Drain. Fill the bowl with water again and put the beans back in the bowl. Then let the beans sit overnight. Also the night before: Chop the onion, peel and chop the carrots. Wash and chop the celery. Wash and chop the bell pepper. Peel and mince the garlic cloves. Put into a large plastic bag. Add the spices and salt to the plastic bag and keep in the fridge overnight.
2. The next morning, empty the plastic bag filled with vegetables and spices into the slow cooker, add the vegetable stock.
3. Drain and rinse the black beans and add to the slow cooker. Set the slow cooker at six hours on high, but it's really good for up to 10 hours at low.
4. Before serving, remove the bay leaves and either blend with an immersion blender or scoop into a blender or food processor — until you get to your desired consistency. Top with one of these: sour cream, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, chopped green onions, chopped tomatoes or lime wedges for squeezing.
Slow Cooker Tortilla Soup (recipe courtesy of For Reals Mom)
__Ingredients:
__2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 large can of chopped tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 large onion, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 can black beans, drained (or about 1.5 cups cooked black beans)
1.5 cups frozen corn
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
4 cups water (or chicken broth)
Optional: 2 teaspoons ground chipotle powder (or 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce chopped fine)
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (if you hate cilantro just leave it out, don't add parsley)
__Directions:
__1. Throw everything into the slow cooker and stir it up.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours. It's not a big deal if its more like 8-9, you just may want to add a tiny bit of water at the end.
2. Serve with a squeeze of lime juice, chopped green onion, cilantro, cut up avocado, crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, extra salsa, sliced black olives, and sour cream.
Slow Cooker Posole (recipe courtesy of Runs with Spatulas)
__Ingredients:
__1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 ounces fresh baby spinach, chopped
6 cups fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
28 ounces pinto beans, undrained
28 ounces white hominy, drained
28 ounces diced tomatoes, undrained, pureed
1 tablespoon oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 ounces grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
__Directions:
__1. In a small bowl, mix together the first 5 ingredients (through pepper). Rub mixture over pork. Cover a slow cooker with a slow cooker liner. Place pork in the slow cooker with 1 cup onion and water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until easily shredded with forks. Remove pork from slow cooker and shred.
2. In a large dutch oven over medium heat, warm the oil. Add onion and cook under tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, stirring often, and cook for another 2 minutes. Add broth, beans, hominy, tomato puree, oregano, and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes. Add pork and simmer for another 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide posole between bowls, topping each with shredded cheese and cilantro.
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Have you ever made a Latin slow cooker soup? Share with us in the comments below!
Image via HelenJane.com, ForRealsMom.com, RunsWithSpatulas.com
