If you are in the mood for a super easy and delicious dinner that makes enough that you can get away with not cooking tomorrow, then I highly recommend this soup.
The Ingredients:
1 pound chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup frozen corn
1 jar prepared salsa (16 oz)
1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream (to stir in at the end)
--shredded cheddar cheese, avocado slices, cilantro (all optional)
The Directions:
I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. You will need a 4 quart or larger.
If you know you are going to make this the night before (yay for meal planning!) soak the
black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans.
Cover and cook on high for 9 hours. Yup. High. For 9 hours. It took a crazy long time for the beans to soften, but they did.
If you are using beans you soaked overnight, canned beans, or pre-cooked beans, you can cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.
If you'd like to thicken the broth (I did this), you can use your immersible blender (I love that thing) to blend a bit of the beans and chicken.
If you don't have one, scoop out 2 cups of the soup and carefully blend in your traditional blender. Stir the mixture back into the crockpot.
Stir in the 1/2 cup of sour cream before serving, and garnish with shredded cheese and avocado slices.
The Verdict.
We all loved this. My crockpot was more than half way full, but the four of us ate so much we only had a small tupperware full for leftovers.
This is a new favorite in our house. I thought that the salsa might be too spicy, but the kids didn't complain once. They are used to spicier things than some of their peers, but I didn't find the soup spicy at all, just packed with flavor. If you're concerned, stick with mild salsa.
You can always add some white or red pepper to the grown-up portions.
