There’s nothing better than coming home after a long day at work and dinner is waiting in the slow cooker! That’s why we love this Slow Cooker Hearty Vegetable and Bean Soup recipe. It’s super simple to make: It’s as easy as dumping the ingredients in the slow cooker before you go to work. When you get home, it’ll be ready to eat. It has such an incredibly robust flavor, too. You won’t believe all the ingredients are plant-based and vegan-friendly!

It’s so easy to prepare, and most of the ingredients can be substituted with whatever you have on hand. Feel free to swap in black, navy, or pinto beans for the cannellini beans. Similarly, the vegetables can be customized based on what’s in season. And while this is a fully vegan dish filled with delicious plant-based ingredients, you can also customize it to amp up the protein.

If you’re a meat-eater, you can add 1 pound of chicken fillets (cut into 1″ cubes) to the slow cooker along with the other ingredients. Once it simmers on low for 8 to 10 hours, the chicken will be melt-in-your-mouth tender. You could also add a package of extra-firm tofu (cut into 1/2-inch cubes and pressed to remove excess moisture) to keep things vegetarian.

A Quick Note about the Slow Cooker Settings

We created this recipe to cook while you’re at work. That means it takes 8 to 10 hours on the low setting on your slow cooker. If you’re in a rush, you could also cook it for 4 to 6 hours on high. Similarly, you could cook it over low heat on the stovetop and finish the soup in a matter of hours. Basically, you’re looking for the carrots to be tender, so use that as an indicator as to whether the soup is ready to eat.

Slow Cooker Hearty Vegetable and Bean Soup

Servings: 6 | Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups | Calories: 183 |Total Fat: 4 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Trans Fat: 0 |Cholesterol: 47 mg | Sodium: 253 mg | Carbohydrates: 17 g | Dietary Fiber: 4 g | Sugars: 5 g | Protein: 6 g | SmartPoints (Freestyle): 1 |

Ingredients

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1” cubes (optional, white or red potato)
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1” pieces
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 cup whole kernel corn (optional)
• Kosher or sea salt to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste (can be substituted with cayenne pepper)
• 2 cups frozen or fresh green beans
• 4 cups vegetable broth, low sodium (chicken broth can be substituted)
• ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
• 2 cans cannellini beans, drained (navy, black, or pinto can be substituted)

Instructions

1. Add all the above ingredients to the slow cooker, stir to combine, cover and cook on low 8-10 hours or until carrots are tender.
2. Note: To make this a meat dish, simply add 1 pound chicken fillets (cut into 1" cubes) to slow cooker along with the other ingredients.
3. Tip: If you prefer a thicker soup, near the end of cooking time, remove 1/2 cup of soup (liquid and veggies) and combine with 1-2 tablespoons flour or corn starch, puree and return to the slow cooker. A fork works well to mash the ingredients along with the flour or cornstarch. Be careful not to allow the hot mixture to spin out. Continue cooking until soup thickens, about 15 minutes. Minimum Slow Cooker Size: 4 quarts

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