This slow-cooker black bean soup with bacon has an unusual and delicious addition of apples and fresh herbs!
I am always searching for bean recipes, especially black beans which are one of my favorites. When I saw this recipe for Black Bean Soup with Apple in The Herbfarm Cookbook (link in recipe card) I knew I had to give it a try.
The combination of flavors is unusual, but works so well! I love the tart apples, the hint of ginger, and the broth is just amazing!
Ingredients.
- Chicken stock - a good homemade chicken stock is always welcome here. I make mine and then freeze it in souper cubes.
- Spices - dried red pepper flakes, allspice, and bay leaf.
- Celery, onion, garlic, and ginger.
- Bacon - I try to find nitrite-free bacon. I don't use bacon often, so when I do, I try to buy organic, nitrite-free. Then whatever I don't use, I freeze.
- Black beans - dried. I belong to Rancho Gordo bean club, so I use their beans, but use whatever beans you have.
- Tart apples - such as granny smith.
- Herbs - fresh thyme and rosemary.
- Vinegar - apple cider or sherry. Though I've used white if I didn't have either of those.
- Maple syrup - or brown sugar.
Instructions.
The night before, combine the beans and water in the bowl of your slow cooker to soak overnight. The next morning you can add more water or chicken stock to make roughly around 8 cups.
Brown the chopped bacon in a skillet. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and stir to coat in the bacon fat.
Add the bacon mixture to the slow cooker along with the red pepper flakes, ginger, allspice, and bay leaves.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Peel and dice the apple and stir together with the thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, vinegar, and maple syrup. Add to the slow cooker and cook for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, or until beans and apples are tender to your liking.
The flavors of the black beans and the apples work perfectly together. It gives a fall feel to a classic bean soup. This recipe was inspired by a recipe in The Herbfarm Cookbook, which I modified for the slow cooker.
More slow cooker soup recipes.
Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 1 pound dried black beans rinsed and picked through
- 6 ounces bacon chopped
- 1 onion finely choppped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ribs celery finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ½ tablespoons ginger finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 3 dried bay leaf
- 3 apples tart, peeled, cored, cut into ¼ inch dice
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- fresh ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar
Instructions
- The night before, place the black beans in your slow cooker and cover with water. Let soak overnight.
- Brown the bacon in a skillet until crisp and cooked through. If there is a lot of bacon fat, you can drain some of it. Add the garlic, onion, and celery and stir to coat with the bacon drippings.
- Add more chicken stock to the slow cooker to bring it up to about 8 cups of liquid. Add the bacon mixture to the slow cooker.
- Add the pepper flakes, ginger, allspice, and bay leaves.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Combine the apple, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, vinegar, and maple syrup. Continue to cook for 30 minutes to another hour. You can cook it longer, the apples will soften more.
Wandering Chopsticks says
I nodded and smiled at this. I am not a whoop, whoop kind of girl either. 😛
5 Star Foodie says
black bean soup sounds so delicious with apple! Have a great week off!
Bonnie says
My husband loves black bean soup. Loves it!...and your chopped chives are just fine.
Joanne says
I think your garnishing is fine! I think black bean soup just likes to make things complicated. I would never think to put apples in black bean soup. What an interesting twist for fall!
a good yarn says
I don't like beans.
Debinhawaii says
Have a fun week off! Your soup looks good--apples are original. I have that book but have not made soup out of it yet.
Chris says
I love black beans but haven't learned to master their subtlety. It's easy to overcook, over season, and under season them.
Nice sounding dish you put together here and I love the photo of the two bowls with the shallow depth of field, it really works.
Natashya KitchenPuppies says
What an interesting flavour combo with black beans!
Have fun on you holiday!
Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says
I've made black bean soup with lots of fruits -- it's especially good with peaches -- but never with apples. Thanks for the inspiration; I'm going to give it a try.
My Carolina Kitchen says
I love black bean soup and would have never thought to add apples. What a clever idea.
Sam
Barbara says
Great combo for a soup- and with sherry and maple syrup? Wow. Looks fantastic!
Judi says
Everything is better with apples...and bacon....and cheese....
Paula says
So what is Fall Break? We don't have that in my school district here in Oregon. My niece in N. Carolina goes to year round school ... she has breaks at multiple intervals for varying lengths. I've never had a black bean soup like this one. In fact, most black bean stuff I've had is either a chili or a Mexican style soup, so both the apple and ginger took me by surprise. And I like your little island of chives in the soup. Hope you enjoy your time off! Will you be working at home, you know, nose to the grind stone sampling wines for our enlightenment?
Grace says
and, may i say, YEE HAW!
Grace says
among other things, we seem to share a love for the ever-versatile black bean. this is a great twist on soup, which is definitely one of the best uses for the dark little nuggets.
buffalodick says
I've made black bean dip, but never soup!
Kat says
Enjoy your week off! I know you deserve it. It is soup and chili time here too. I made some good ole chicken soup last week and Chili on Saturday. Comfor food for those chilly evenings.Have a good week.
Marjie says
Chives don't like to do artistic on top of soup...something about it being liquid. Using apple was a good idea!