Description
A hearty and flavorful slow cooker black bean chili featuring smoky chipotle, warm spices, and fresh lime juice, perfect for a comforting vegetarian meal served with soft corn tortillas and tangy soured cream.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large red onion (½ finely chopped, ½ thinly sliced)
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 1 green pepper, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 2 limes (½ juiced, remaining cut into wedges)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp smoked paprika (hot or sweet)
- 1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and ground
- 2-3 tsp chipotle chili paste
- 2 x 400g tins black beans, rinsed and drained
To Serve
- Soured cream
- A small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
- Soft corn tortillas
- Chili sauce (jalapeño or habanero recommended)
Instructions
- Prepare the Slow Cooker: Heat your slow cooker to either high or low setting depending on your preferred cooking duration.
- Sauté the Vegetables and Spices: In a pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the cinnamon stick, bay leaves, finely chopped onion, celery, green pepper, and sliced garlic. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft, golden, and fragrant.
- Pickle the Onion: While the vegetables cook, place the sliced onion in a small pan, cover with boiling water, and simmer for 1 minute. Drain well, add a pinch of salt, and stir in the juice from half a lime. Set aside.
- Add Tomatoes and Spices: To the softened vegetables, add the chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika, ground cumin seeds, and chipotle chilli paste. Bring this mixture to a boil in the pan.
- Combine Beans and Transfer: Stir in the rinsed black beans thoroughly with the spiced tomato and vegetable mixture. Then transfer everything into the slow cooker.
- Cook the Chili: Season the chili with salt and additional chili to taste. Cook on high for 1 to 2 hours or on low for 4 to 6 hours, allowing the beans to absorb the flavors and the sauce to thicken.
- Serve: Serve the chili in soft corn tortillas topped with soured cream, pickled red onions, fresh coriander, and lime wedges. Add chili sauce as desired for extra heat.
Notes
- This slow cooker black bean chili is a low-calorie vegetarian dish suitable for the whole family.
- Adjust the amount of chipotle chili paste to control spiciness according to your preference.
- Serving with soft corn tortillas adds an authentic Mexican touch to the meal.
- Pickling the onion briefly helps mellow its sharpness and adds a nice tangy contrast.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 218
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 7.3g
- Saturated Fat: 1.1g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6.2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 24.6g
- Fiber: 11g
- Protein: 8g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
