Directions
This Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Quinoa and Sweet Potaotes is packed with fiber and flavor. Throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! Thank you to USA Pulses and Pulse Canada for helping me share this recipe with you.
There are certain times of the year that I can barely drag myself to the kitchen to make a regular meal. If I make a big Thanksgiving feast, another one at Christmas and throw some appetizers on the table for New Year’s Eve, I should be let off the meal prep hook for the rest of the holiday season, right? That should #2 in the family cook union rules, right after “He or she who cooks the meals shall forevermore be released from dish duty.” It seems highly unlikely that my proposed rule #2 will be enacted, so I’m turning to every 30-minute meal and slow cooker recipe in my arsenal. I will hazard a guess and say that the crockpot was first invented by someone who had just cooked several holiday meals and was tasked with whipping up a healthy family dinner. I will be forever grateful.
This slow cooker bean soup requires about 5 minutes of sautéing before throwing all of the ingredients into the crockpot, pressing start and walking away. Yes, there’s a bit of chopping, but that should take less than 10 minutes. If you’ve followed along this year, you already know that I’ve been talking about the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses and encouraging you to sign the Pulse Pledge. Pulses include dry peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas and I’ve been making a concerted effort to add them into our diets at least once a week. Truth be told, that hasn’t been too difficult – pulses lend themselves to stews, soups, salads, breads and many other types of recipes.
While dried beans are always a great option, I chose to use canned red kidney beans for this slow cooker bean soup. They’re economical, easy to store and require just a quick rinse before being incorporated into a recipe. Red kidney beans do a great job of absorbing the seasonings in the dish, making them a go-to ingredient for soups and chili.
And let’s not forget that red kidney beans are an excellent source of protein, fiber and folate, along with other nutrients. If you prefer a broth-ier soup, stir in some additional vegetable broth shortly before heating. The quinoa absorbs a lot of liquid, so will turn your soup into a stew the longer it sits. Either way, it’s perfect for dunking in a chunk of crusty bread!
Other slow cooker pulse recipes:
Cookin’ Canuck’s Slow Cooker Chipotle Lentil Soup
Cookin’ Canuck’s Slow Cooker Vegetable Curry
Kalyn’s Kitchen’s Slow Cooker Kielbasa & White Bean Soup
Eat Good 4 Life’s Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken
Simple Bites’ Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with Ham If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it. Slow Cooker Bean Soup Recipe with Quinoa & Sweet Potatoes Print Prep time Cook time Total time This Slow Cooker Bean Soup with Quinoa and Sweet Potaotes is packed with fiber and flavor. Throw everything in the crockpot and walk away! 218 calories and 6 Weight Watchers SmartPoints Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck Serves: Serves 8 Ingredients 1 tsp olive oil 1 yellow onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 (14 oz.) cans red kidney beans, drained & rinsed 1 lb. sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces 1 cup quinoa 1 (14 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning ½ tsp salt (or more to taste) ½ tsp ground pepper (or more to taste) 6 ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth 2 cups spinach leaves ¼ cup minced flat-leaf parsley Hot sauce, to taste (I used about 2 tbsp of my favorite) Instructions Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker. Add the kidney beans, sweet potato, quinoa, diced tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir in the vegetable broth. Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours, or until the sweet potato is tender. Stir in the spinach, parsley and hot sauce. Adjust seasonings to desired taste. Serve. Notes Weight Watchers Points: 6 (SmartPoints), 5 (Points+), 4 (Old Points) Nutrition Information Serving size: 1½ cups | Calories: 218.1 cal | Fat: 2.3g | Saturated fat: 0.2g | Carbohydrates: 40.5g | Sugar: 2.3g | Sodium: 692.8mg | Fiber: 10.1g | Protein: 9.3g | Cholesterol: 0mg 3.4.3177
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. All opinions are my own. This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
