Slow cooker bean soup, a hearty, delicious & stupidly simple vegan dish given a huge flavour boost by sun-dried tomatoes & balsamic vinegar.
This recipe is so easy, all you need to do is soak the beans then chop the ingredients, chuck them in the crock pot and come back later, a real dump and run winner!
Crock Pot Bean and Tomato Soup
I love cooking with beans, they are cheap, nutritious, versatile and really tasty.
They appear in vegan soups like this slow cooker tomato and bean soup and my cabbage and white bean soup and spicy black bean soup.
They also help make meat go further in my very Hungarian babgulyas or bean goulash or Spanish-influenced chorizo and butter bean stew!
I’ve even made them the star in my butter bean curry and the classic rajma masala curry.
I use raw cannellini beans in this recipe and soak them overnight, then chuck a load of ingredients in the slow cooker and walk away.
Yes, this dish is a “dump and run” recipe!
Then I come back, chuck in some more ingredients and walk away again.
Add some bread and your dinner is served.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use tinned beans?
Yes, but with a caveat! Using dried beans adds a depth and richness to the body of this soup that you will not get using pre-cooked beans.
You can add some of the liquid from the can of the beans but this only goes part of the way. You also need to be very careful about salt when doing this.
If you are going to use canned beans in this Crockpot bean soup then you want 2 400g (14oz) tins of beans.
To cook simply throw everything in a slow cooker and cook on high for an hour.
What is tomato passata?
Tomato passata is crushed sieved tomatoes, it is often labelled as passata in the US.
How long will this soup save?
It will save in the fridge for 5-7 days and should be reheated as it is needed.
Does the size of slow cooker really matter?
Yes, a slow cooker needs a body of ingredients to cook efficiently and not dry out.
Increasing the size of this recipe has no impact on the cooking time. So if you want to scale this up for a larger slow cooker then feel free.
Can I throw the passata and balsamic in with the beans?
Yes, but I prefer the fresher flavour you get by adding them later in the cooking process.
Can I cook this on the stovetop?
Yes follow the general instruction here but cook the beans for 2-3 hours on a low heat until the beans are cooked.
Then throw in the passata and balsamic vinegar and cook for another 20-30 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
This simple slow cooker bean and tomato soup needs only one thing as far as I am concerned. That is bread!
I tend to toast off some ciabatta bread in a griddle pan with a little olive oil, then scrape it with a garlic clove.
If you are not sticking to vegan then some cheesy garlic bread goes with this wonderfully. As does a few parmesan shavings to garnish.
However, if you are vegan then this vegan garlic bread works exceptionally well!
Equipment Used
I only recommend brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- 2-4 litre slow cooker.
- Kitchen knife.
- Chopping board.
- Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
- 1-2 litre mixing bowl for soaking beans.
Vegan Slow Cooker Tomato and Bean Soup Recipe
This easy slow cooker tomato and bean soup is a delicious dump-and-run crock pot recipe, yes, it takes hours, and for all that time all you do is drink in the delicious aroma and put your feet up!
Ingredients
- 175g (¾ Cup) Dried Cannellini Beans
- 100g (⅔ Cup) Onions
- 100g (⅔ Cup) Carrot
- 100g (1 Cup) Celery
- 100g (½ Cup) Sundried Tomatoes
- 4 Garlic Cloves
- 750ml (3 Cups) Vegetable Stock
- 1 Tbsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 500ml (2 Cups) Tomato Passata
- 2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
- Salt as Required
Instructions
- Place the beans in a large bowl and cover them with around 1 litre (1 quart) of water and allow them to sit for at least 3 hours, 8-12 hours is better.
- Chop the onion in half, peel it and cut it into a 2-3mm (⅛") dice.
- Cut the carrot into a 2-3mm (⅛") dice.
- Cut the celery into a 2-3mm (⅛") dice.
- Peel the garlic and dice them as finely as you can.
- Cut the sundried tomatoes into a 5-6mm (¼") dice.
- Throw the onions, carrot, celery, sundried tomatoes, garlic, vegetable stock, oregano and bay leaf into a 3-4 litre slow cooker and stir.
- Drain the beans and add them to the slow cooker, add the lid and cook on low for 7 hours.
- After 7 hours pour in the tomato passata, balsamic vinegar and brown sugar and stir, return the lid and cook for a final hour.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 605mgCarbohydrates: 57gFiber: 13gSugar: 20gProtein: 16g
Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.
Katharina
Sunday 21st of January 2024
Unfortunately, this recipe is not a keeper for us. After 10 hours on low and an hour on high, the beans were still not quite soft, but the rest of the soup was turned into mush and tasted very bland.
Brian Jones
Monday 5th of February 2024
Hi Katharina... I'm sorry to hear this and I have no idea what went wrong because I cook this all of the time, it's one of my go to winter dishes that we have for lunch.
However I will try to troubleshoot a few things.
1) Did you soak the beans? failing to do this will have an impact on the cooking. 2) Did you use old beans? I've had the occasional packet of beans that I've pulled form the back of the cupboard to use them up and they would not cook no matter what I did with them. 3) What size slow cooker did you use? If you used a large (5-6 litre) family slow cooker the beans will not be sat in enough liquid to cook them.
Andy
Sunday 14th of July 2019
Szervusz csillagom! Where in Hungary? My people are from the northeast ! Absolutely loved visiting there. Thanks for a great recipe!
Brian Jones
Monday 15th of July 2019
Hey Andy... We are on the edge of the Alföld in the countryside about halfway between Budapest and Debrecen, glad you enjoyed the soup :)
Amanda
Wednesday 10th of January 2018
Hi is there other beans you can use? I am in the UK and want to try this recipe
Brian Jones
Thursday 11th of January 2018
He Amanda, I'm from the UK too :) You can use practically any beans you want in this dish, it is all very fluid so go float aroud the supermarket and see what takes your fancy. They often sell mixed bags of dried beans and they would bee perfect, you may need to adjust the timing though although you will not be able to overcook in the crockpot so put it on nice and early and see how it goes :)
Anne Murphy
Friday 25th of December 2015
Classics are classic for a reason. This sounds delicious.
I'll disagree (a little) about the beans, though. I love finding how different a recipe can be when I just change the beans.It usually has to be a bit more of a jump, though - you're talking about various kinds of white beans, and I'll use navy beans and it will essentially be the same - but then I'll use black beans and it will be different, and red beans will be different, and chick peas... Though then, they all beg for slightly different seasoning, which changes them still further!
Brian Jones
Monday 4th of January 2016
Disagreeing is allowed Anne, no one has all of the answers... I find it makes very little difference to what I cook, however would never sub out the sort of beans I typically make stuff like this with for chickpeas which I find completely different beasties altogether :)
Brian Jones
Thursday 24th of December 2015
Teeheee, I would kill for a Curry plant, it really holds me back on cooking Indian food and cannot get one for love nor money over here, I have tried :(