Slow Cooker Vegetarian Enchilada Soup
This slow cooker Vegetarian Enchilada Soup is packed full of flavorful peppers and hearty beans for a quick weeknight meal.
Today, we're taking a classic Mexican dish and turning it into an easy slow cooker dinner that is sure to please the whole family!
But first, we need to talk about some of the ingredients that go into this Slow Cooker Enchilada Soup!
Melting Cheese 101
Have you ever tried to melt cheese for mac and cheese or for a soup and ended up with nasty, stringy clumps? We've made the hurried mistake, more than once, of dumping the cheese into the pot and just expecting it to melt evenly.
When melting cheese, like you will in this soup, the key is to add a little, shredded, room temperature, cheese at a time, stirring to melt each addition before adding more. That way the cheese can be incorporated as it melts, and it will slowly and lovingly thicken and grab onto whatever it is supposed to be blanketing in cheesy goodness.
Our Slow Cooker CHEESY Vegetarian Enchilada Soup Recipe
This soup was inspired by a similar version containing chicken that I had recently at a restaurant.
We decided to lighten it up a bit by going vegetarian and skipping the heavy cream. The cheese really becomes the star here, adding just the right amount of saltiness and flavor to the slow simmered peppers.
Just a touch of sour cream is all you need to fill out the soup's creaminess and create a very indulgent-tasting, hearty bowl of soup.
Peppers Don't Have To Add Spice
A quick word about choosing peppers.
Poblanos and jalapenos lose most of their spicyness as they cook, so this soup doesn't carry too much heat. The poblano simmers with the soup to add flavor, and choosing a jalapeno that is free of any veins will be the most mild.
If you are still worried about the spice, or can't find poblanos, you can substitute a green pepper.
Slow Cooker Vegetarian Enchilada Soup
Ingredients
- 2 large poblano peppers, diced
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- ½ c pinto beans, dry
- 4 c water
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- ¼ c masa harina or cornmeal
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
To Finish It Off
- 1 ½ c corn
- 1 jalapeno (smooth and free of veins), minced
- ¾ c sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
- 2 teaspoon lime juice
- Extra cheese and sour cream (for serving)
Instructions
- In a 3-4 quart crock pot, mix chopped peppers, onions, and dry beans.
- In a small bowl, whisk together tomato paste with 2 cups of water, masa harina and spices. Pour mixture over the vegetables and add remaining water.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.
Finishing It Off
- Turn the crock pot to high and add the corn and jalapeno.
- Slowly stir in cheese, ¼ c at a time, letting each addition melt before adding more.
- Mix in sour cream and lime juice.
- Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with more cheese and sour cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This is one of the recipes from the early days of Curious Cuisiniere. We've updated our pictures since we first made it, but we've left the original images here as a fun throwback and shout out to how far we've come. Enjoy!
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
I've been craving enchiladas lately, so this soup is made just for me!
I'd imagine your area of the country is known for good beer too. I love your soup and thank you for the hints to incorporate cheese in dishes!
This soup sounds soooo tasty! I would have to put the chicken back in it for my meat lover though. He whines if there is no meat LOL
This sounds like a wonderful wintertime dinner!
Love how you lightened this up! Great flavors and I love your choice of toppings!
Gotta love a good crockpot dish!
That is a bowl of comfort to ward of today's chilly Michigan weather. I love the peppers to the beans and all of the spices and I get to use my crockpot?! Perfection!
This soup is chock-full-o-goodness! I love masa harina in any sort of southwestern style soup or chili as a thickener. I could use a bowl right now.
I love the idea of an enchilada soup! This looks incredibly filling and anything that gives leftover is a plus!
What a gorgeous, flavorful soup! I can honestly say I would not miss the meat one bit! YUM!
You are speaking my language with "Crock-Pot," "vegetarian," "cheesy" and "enchilada" in the same sentence!
My daughter and son-in-law will love this!
I couldn't think of a better recipe to get cheesy with! What a beautiful soup!
Love all the veggies in it. Can't wait to try this.
Great spices and flavors in this soup. It's hearty and no one would miss that it doesn't have meat. Great for warming up on a cold night too.