Vegetarian Tortilla Soup Slow Cooker Recipe

Soup! for vegetarians! I get an email (or six) daily telling me that I need to make more vegetarian dishes. I know. I'm sorry. I'm not trying to exclude you, I promise. I just sometimes forget that dinner isn't synonymous with meat.

I really like this soup. I like that the dried beans add protein and fiber, and I like the smoky flavor from the paprika and chipotle chile powder. There's some heat here, but if you use the floating pepper trick instead of cutting, the heat doesn't burn but instead nicely warms.

also? totally vegan-friendly if you skip the cheese I sprinkled on top.

The Ingredients.

serves 8

1 cup dried pinto beans, soaked overnight

1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes

1 medium yellow onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups vegetable broth

4 cups water

4 whole serrano chiles
baby spinach (to add later, optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Put the presoaked beans into your slow cooker. If you don't have time to soak the beans overnight, you can quick soak them by boiling rapidly on the stove for 10 minutes, and then letting the beans sit in the closed pot of hot water for 1 hour. Drain and then put into the cooker.

Add the entire can of tomatoes, the onion, and the garlic. Follow with all the spices and then pour in the broth and water. Wash and float the uncut peppers on top.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5. Remove the chiles before serving. If desired, drop in a few handfuls of baby spinach into the pot and stir. The spinach will wilt quickly! If you'd like, garnish with shredded cheese or sour cream (or both!)

The Verdict.

My girls found this soup too spicy, but Adam and I both really liked it. Your sinuses will clear, but it's not offensively hot. If you're worried, tone down by not adding all 4 chiles.

I ended up adding the end of a bag of Tostitos to the kid servings but the kids really weren't that impressed. If you'd like to stretch the leftovers, try stirring in some already cooked rice or pasta when reheating. It freezes quite well!

day 3 of Crocktober!