Slow cooker chili beef and bean soup (Slimming World friendly)

It's definitely soup weather now and I really enjoy making hearty soups that are filling and tasty and I especially love taking them to work for my lunch. I made this soup in the slow cooker and it couldn't be easier you basically just throw everything in the slow cooker and then add a few things at the end.

I tend to put it on before I go to work and come home to it all done or you can do it overnight if you want to. If you don't have a slow cooker then just do it in a large saucepan bring to the boil and simmer on low for a few hours.

Although this is a chili beef soup don't worry if you don't like any heat just leave the chili out it's still very tasty. My latest find to make life easier are the bags of finely chopped carrot, celery and onion they sell in the frozen section of most large supermarkets and they only usually cost about a pound and don't worry if you don't like celery you really can't taste it but it gives it a lovely savoury flavour. these packs are usually labelled as 'soup starter' or 'soffrito'. This mix saves you all the chopping and peeling of the vegetables so makes this  really quick to prepare too.


Slow cooker chili beef and bean soup

500g extra lean minced beef
1 bag of frozen 'soup starter' veg (see above)
1 red and 1 yellow pepper (chopped)
1 can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
2 tsp ground cumin
2 cloves garlic (crushed)
1-2 tsp chili flakes (if liked)
2  pints beef stock (made from stockpots or cubes is fine )
1 can black eyed beans (drained)
1 large can sweetcorn (drained)
salt and pepper

Place everything APART from the beans and sweetcorn in the slow cooker and mix well. Cook on low for approximately 8 hours or 4 hours on high.

At the end of the cooking time stir in the beans and sweetcorn and leave for another 20-30 minutes then taste you might want to add more salt and pepper.

Makes about six generous portions and is syn free