Slow Cooker Black Bean and Chorizo Soup Recipe

For a Mexican-style garnish, top this hearty soup with sour cream, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro leaves. If you don’t have chorizo, substitute hot Italian sausages and add 1 tsp sweet or smoked paprika.

Ingredients:

12 oz (340 g) fresh chorizo sausage (see Tip, below), sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, diced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/4 tsp pepper
5 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth
2 cans (each 19 oz/540 mL) black beans, drained and rinsed
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 sweet red pepper, diced
1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels

  In skillet, sauté chorizo over medium-high heat until browned, about 5 minutes.

  Drain fat from pan; reduce heat to medium. Fry onion, garlic, carrots, chili powder, fennel seeds and pepper until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Scrape into slow cooker.

  Stir in broth, black beans and tomato paste. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

  Add red pepper and corn; cover and cook on high for 15 minutes.

(Make-ahead: Let cool for 30 minutes. Refrigerate, uncovered, in airtight container until cold. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)

Makes 6 servings

per serving: about 468 cal, 27 g pro, 23 g total fat (8 g sat. fat), 41 g carb, 13 g fibre, 51 mg chol, 1,714 mg sodium. % RDI: 7% calcium, 29% iron, 74% vit A, 73% vit C, 46% folate.

  Variation

Stove-Top Black Bean and Chorizo Soup

Brown chorizo in large heavy saucepan instead of skillet. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until red pepper is tender, about 20 minutes.

  Tip: Fresh, uncooked Mexican or South American chorizo is the choice for this soup. Spanish chorizo is dry-cured and, while tasty, doesn't have the flavour you’re looking for in this dish. Look for uncooked chorizo at butcher shops and Latin American grocery stores or substitute fresh Italian sausage.

Excerpted from Canadian Living: The One Dish Collection © 2012 by Transcontinental Books. Photograph © 2012 by Jodi Pudge. Excerpted by permission of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.