Vegan Taco Bean Soup

Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, within a covered container, for up to 3 days.

Or frozen in a freezer-proof tub for 4-6 months.

Defrost before reheating.

Simply pop leftover taco soup into a pot with a little water or extra vegetable stock and reheat your soup until piping hot.

Next day the taco bean soup may have absorbed most of its liquid so this is perfect for using the chilled leftovers as a tortilla wrap filling. My son loves to take this type of wraps to school as they are similar to burritos.

Or use the filling to prepare taco bean cheese toasties or grilled cheese sandwiches.

Spread salsa at the base of a tortilla or sandwich bread slice and place some filling to cover, finish with a sprinkling of vegan grated cheese.

Top with a second slice of bread or parcel the tortilla wrap up and toast under a grill or in a panini machine until the filling is bubbling and melted.

Or use leftovers as a baked potato filling or as a stuffing for baked peppers, courgettes, squash, etc. Cabbage rolls are particularly tasty with this taco bean soup filling.

1. chopped fresh chilli's or canned jalapenos either added to the soup at the beginning or sprinkled over the finished soup.
2. a cup of chopped kale 5-10 minutes before soup is ready.
3. mix though a cup or 2 of fresh spinach before serving.
4. instead of the spices add a packet of fajita/enchilada/chilli/taco seasoning mix.
5. use whatever bean/pulse that you have to hand or prefer for this soup.
6. use any kind of rice you like but just keep in mind that various rices cook at different times and adjust. Leftover cooked rice could be added 5 minutes before the end of cooking to ensure the rice is thoroughly reheated. Or just omit the rice.
7. the rice can be substituted for orzo pasta, barley, wheat grains, quinoa, or similar
8. sub the courgette out for eggplant/aubergine or an extra bell pepper.
9. use tinned tomatoes instead of passata.
10. or use fresh chopped tomatoes which is ideal if you have loads of fresh tomatoes to use up.
11. any type of onion is fine such as shallots, red, brown, white, green or spring onions.
12. add in a diced sweet potato.
13. add a can of shredded jackfruit.
13. pieces of cooked vegan sausage, sliced vegan burgers, meat alternative pieces, etc can be added. This is a good way to use up a few leftover veggie sausages

Anything that usually goes on top of a taco can also garnish taco bean soup.
 
A few suggestions:
 
* for extra spiciness add a few drops of hot sauce or chilli/paprika flakes. Or slices of fresh chilli or jalapenos

* gherkins/dill pickles
 
* slices of lime or lemon
 
* slices of avocado or a scoop of guacamole
 
* a scoop of hummus
 
* a spoonful of pesto
 
* roast tomatoes (Roast in the oven at 160 Fan/ 180 Celsius/ 356 Fahrenheit /Gas 4, while the soup is simmering, for 20-30 minutes or until soft and juicy. Add a drizzle of olive oil over the tomatoes before cooking, if liked)
 
* scoop of salsa
 
* fine diced fresh tomatoes
 
* chopped spring onions (green onions), fresh red onion rings, chopped chives
 
* fresh chopped coriander
 
* grated vegan cheese
 
* nutritional yeast flakes
 
* dollop of vegan sour cream or cream cheese
 
*crushed tortilla chips either shop bought or homemade
 
* For a crushed tortilla chip topping use shop-bought tortilla chips and just crush up. Or make your own with tortilla wraps. Slice up tortilla wraps into triangle shapes and place on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven at 155 fan/ 175 Celsius/ 350 Fahrenheit/ Gas 4, for around 10-20 minutes or until the tortilla chips are lightly golden and crisp. You might need to flip them half way through cooking. Be careful and keep an eye on them as they can turn dark brown quickly! Although they still taste nice extra dark! Before baking flavour your homemade tortilla chips with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, pepper, etc.

* Yes, I make this soup often in the slow cooker. The amount of veggie stock may need to be adjusted to fit your slow cooker.
 
*For a 3.5 litre slow cooker I add all the ingredients, and enough veggie stock to fill the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on medium for 6-8 hours, longer for low setting. Exact times depend on how thick your veggies are chopped and your slow cooker.
 
*For the high setting add your rice for the last 1 ½-2 hours of cooking.
For the medium setting add for the last 2-3 hours of cooking.
For low setting add 3-3 ½ hours before the end of cooking.
 
* These times are not exact as slow cookers/crock-pots can vary in the time it takes to cook certain foods so do consult your slow cookers handbook for guidance. Alternatively cook your rice separately and then mix through the soup for the last 5-15 minutes. One of those microwave ready-cooked rice pouches is ideal and so convenient as it can just be added directly to the soup for the last 5-15 minutes without being microwaved.