Slow cooker vegetarian stew with kale is comfort food done right

In the middle of winter, I get to a point where I want nothing but comfort food. I know comfort food means something different to everyone, but for me, comfort food means soup, carbs and winter vegetables.

This soup is easy to throw together and gets even easier when you find out it’s cooked in the slow cooker. It’s packed full of wintry root vegetables, nutritious black beans and leafy green kale. To keep this vegetarian, I used vegetable stock, but if you’re looking to add even more protein to the dish, you could use chicken stock and add in cooked spicy sausage or cooked shredded chicken.

Slow cooker kale, black bean and root vegetable stew

Slow cooker soup is complete winter comfort food. This version is packed full of root vegetables, black beans and kale. Plus it’s vegetarian friendly.

Serves 6

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 4-6 hours | Total time: 6 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 cups cubed turnips
• 2 cups cubed parsnips
• 2 cups cubed sweet potato (orange or white)
• 2 cups cubed red skin potatoes
• 2 (16 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups chopped kale
• Parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:

1. To a large, 6-quart slow cooker, add the onions, turnips, parsnips, sweet potato, red skin potatoes and black beans.
2. Pour in the vegetable stock, and add the smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne pepper, kosher salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the vegetables are soft. Keep an eye on the soup, because depending on the size of the cubed vegetables, they can cook either quickly or slowly. The larger the cubes, the longer the cook time.
4. Near the end of the cook time (about 20 minutes left), stir in the chopped kale, and let the kale soften in the soup.
5. To serve, pour the soup into bowls, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

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