Slow Cooker Vegetarian Taco Soup

So easy to create a mouthwatering dinner and with minimal hands on time! Set it and forget it, Slow Cooker Vegetarian Taco Soup. Rich, thick and hearty, packed with warming spices, beans and corn. It's freezer friendly too! gluten free + easily vegan. **See FDA advisory about cooking raw kidney beans in the slow cooker below in the notes.

Total Time: Low Setting = 7-8 hours | High Setting = 4-5 hours

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword Taco Soup Recipe, Vegetarian Taco Soup

Servings - 6 Servings

Calories 329kcal

Author Traci York

Ingredients

1 1/2 C (320g) Dry Beans (see note about soaking* and FDA cooking advisory on dry kidney beans in the slow cooker**) I use 1/2 C each: pinto, black and/or kidney beans.
1 C (125g) Onion purple or yellow, medium dice, about one medium onion
2 C (250g) Corn Niblets fresh or frozen
1 Tbs Fresh Jalapeño minced, about 1/2 a large jalapeño. Adjust up or down to taste.
1 Tbs Fresh Garlic minced, about 3 large cloves
1, 15 oz (425g) Can of Tomato Sauce
1, 15 oz (411g) Can of Fire Roasted Tomatoes
2 Tbs Cumin ground
1 1/2 Tbs Chili Powder
3/4 tsp Smoky Paprika
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
2 tsp Fine Sea Salt
3 C (675g) Vegetable Broth
1 C (225g) Water
1 1/2 Tbs Masa Harina (optional - but recommended) mixed with + 1/4 C (56g) water
For Serving / Garnish: Avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, sour cream, diced onion and/or shredded cheddar
1/2 Lime

Instructions

Pick through the beans picking out any shriveled beans or small stones. Rinse the dry beans and place them in the cook-pot of a slow cooker. If using dry kidney beans, soak/boil them according to FDA's guidelines below in the notes (and make sure they're fully cooked) before adding them to the soup or use one can (drained) of already cooked kidney beans. Add them to the crock during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
To the beans add the onion, corn, jalapeño, garlic, tomato sauce, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, paprika, black pepper, salt, broth and water. Stir throughly.
Set the slow cooker on high or low.
Total Time: Low Setting = 7-8 hours | High Setting = 4-5 hours.
The total cook time will depend on how fresh the dry beans are. The fresher the beans, the less time, the older (more dry), the longer the cook time. Keep an eye on the beans as they near the low end of the cook time and add more water if needed. The beans are done when they give under gentle bite pressure and are creamy on the inside.
It’s possible that a bean can be so old and dry it won’t cook through. I do not recommend eating under-cooked beans. If they are tough and not showing any signs of progressively getting softer, throw them out.
Also, depending on the crock pot used, these cook times will probably vary. Temperature variations range among slow cookers. Use the cook times in this recipe as a guide. Be sure to check the manufactures owners manual for guidance on cook times.
(OPTIONAL): About 15 minutes before serving, mix the Masa Harina with hot water and pour into the soup. Stir. The soup will begin to thicken during the last minutes of cooking. One maker, Sabrina, added a good squeeze of lime at the end of cooking - I agree!
Ladle into soup bowls and garnish with any toppings you like: avocado, jalapeño, cilantro, sour cream, diced onions, lime wedges or shredded cheddar.
Store in the refrigerator in a lidded container for up to three days or freeze for up to two weeks. Thaw overnight in the fridge and gently rewarm on low heat on the stovetop.

Notes

*Soaking the dry beans overnight is optional (except kidney beans - according to FDA, they must be soaked). If you do soak overnight, the cooking time will be just slightly shorter, but not enough to change the cooking time overall. If soaking the beans overnight, the only adjustment needed is to reduce the broth by about 1/2 C.

**RAW KIDNEY BEANS: I’ve been cooking raw kidney beans for as long as I can remember in the slow cooker without any issues. But a reader recently alerted me to a raw kidney bean toxin that I felt it important to share here. This from FDA: Phytohaemagglutinin is a toxin found in raw and undercooked kidney beans. FDA advises kidney beans not be cooked in slow cookers and be soaked for five hours, strained then boiled for 30 minutes to destroy the toxin. If you eat them raw or under‐cooked, they can cause you to have extreme nausea, severe vomiting, and diarrhea. Cooking the beans properly destroys the toxin. FDA indicates not to cook kidney beans in a slow cooker. Slow cookers don’t get hot enough to destroy the toxin in kidney beans. For more info please see pg 254 of FDAs Bad Bug Book

More Recipes Featuring Masa Harina:

Nutrition