Easy Black Bean Soup with Sausage (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)

Black bean soup with sausage is one of my favorite hearty, budget friendly meals! Made with basic ingredients like cooked black beans, kielbasa sausage, canned tomatoes, and corn, it makes a warm, delicious one dish meal our whole family enjoys with chips or tortillas. Make it in the slow cooker or Instant Pot for an easy way to get a homemade meal on the table even on busy days.

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When our family first tried this black bean and sausage soup recipe when I was testing it we immediately knew it was a keeper. It’s filling and really tasty, which my family liked and I loved the fact that I could make it in a slow cooker (when I’m away from home) or have it quicker using an Instant Pot.

I originally adapted this recipe from a library book, adding more vegetables and spices. I’ve found it’s easy to vary depending on what you have – for instance, I’ve even made with with other beans – which technically doesn’t make it ‘black bean’ anymore, but you know I’m passionate about using what you have, so there it is.

I make this often during the winter months when we want warm, comforting food that also makes great leftovers. It’s a wonderful, affordable pantry meal using canned tomatoes, canned beans (or cooked, frozen beans if you have them), frozen corn and kielbasa (or other kind of sausage) – things it’s pretty easy to stock up on and keep on hand.

Ingredient Notes

• Sausage: I show kielbasa which is usually easy to find on sale, but you can use any type of sausage, cooked or uncooked. If it’s cooked, cut it up to add to the pot, if it’s raw, simply cook it until done at the same time you’re sautéing the onions.
• Black beans: You can use canned beans, of course, but if you have cooked and frozen beans this is the time to use them! Simply defrost in the microwave first.
• Corn: I prefer frozen corn in general, but canned corn will also work (you can also leave out the corn).
• Canned tomatoes: Use store bought or home-canned diced tomatoes.
• Peppers: For a Tex-Mex flavor, use mild peppers like anaheims or poblano (bonus points if you have them chopped and ready to go in the freezer!) and an optional jalapeño or other hot pepper. If you’d prefer not even very mild spice, you can of course use sweet bell peppers.

Make Black Bean Soup with Sausage

This is such an easy recipe – there’s not too much prep (sautéing the onions is about it) and then you throw it in the cooker of your choice and dinner’s done! And it’s simple to change this up to cook in either a slow cooker or an Instant Pot. If you have an IP, you can use it to sauté the onions and then choose either to slow cook the soup (using a glass lid like this) or pressure cook the soup.

Which slow cooker is best?

I still love my slow cooker and use it much more than an Instant Pot, actually. You just can’t beat that “set-and-forget” aspect. However, I’ve found that many slow cookers spit hot water out when cooking on high, which isn’t great when you’re away from home. I now always look for a rubber sealer along the lid to minimize this.

The newest version of the slow cooker I use and love is the Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 6-qt Slow Cooker (or any other “stay or go” model). These models have a thick seal on the lid so it doesn’t spit hot liquid.

Serving Ideas

This is such an easy dinner! Since it’s a one dish meal with all the vegetables, I typically serve this simply with chips and salsa or warmed tortillas. I will sometimes add a plate of cut vegetables with this best ranch dressing as a dip, too. It all depends on how much time I have.

Have more time? Then you might want to make these 10-minute chips from corn tortillas – they have a great fresh flavor that can’t be beat with store bought. And of course I like to serve my favorite canned salsa if I have any.

I love these kinds of easy recipes where you basically throw all the ingredients together and let them cook. They are one dish meals that are pretty much done for you and should be a part of our regular menus, don’t you think?

More Slow Cooker/Instant Pot Recipes

• Slow Cooker Chicken Chili
• Slow Cooker Pork-Vegetable Stew with mashed potatoes
• Delicious Italian Pot Roast Recipe (Slow Cooker, Instant Pot or Oven)
• Simple BBQ Ribs – Instant Pot or Slow Cooker

 

This recipe has been updated – it was originally published October 2009.

 

 

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