Slow cooker chorizo and bean chilli soup

As you all know, I love my Instant Pot pressure cooker. Recently I have been slow cooking in it. Yeah, you heard me right; you can slow cook in an Instant Pot too! At this time of year this is just the perfect dish. I started off thinking of making a chilli, but it turned into a soup! It’s one of the tastiest, most heartwarming things I have ever made – and the kids freakin’ loved it. (Awesome, as I had stashed some green peppers and carrots in there! *High five*)

It’s one of those really adaptable soups – change up the vegetables (maybe red peppers, celery, or diced sweet potato?), adapt the beans to your taste (or just buy a few tins of mixed beans?), then even leave out the chorizo to make it veggie (but the chorizo does make it extra delicious) – or even try it with normal sausages, cut into fat chunks?

As you’re just using tomato puree here you are saving on the passata. I simply didn’t drain the beans; a tip I nicked off Jamie (Oliver), so you have plenty of liquid as it is. Make a huge batch and freeze some for those winter days when you just can’t muster the energy to cook.

I cooked mine in the IP on Normal heat for only 2 hours, as I didn’t want my beans to break up too much. But in a conventional slow cooker I would cook on Normal for 5 hours or so (Normal in an IP is more like High in a normal slow cooker you see) or Low for longer. Of course, you could just cook in a casserole dish for 2 hours in a low oven (140C) or on a low simmer. That’s fine too.

1. Heat some oil. Add vegetables and garlic and soften for 5 minutes.
2. Next put in the chorizo and fry another few minutes.
3. Tip in beans – with liquid too, do not drain!
4. Also the tomato puree and seasoning.
5. Simmer for 2 hours on the hob. Or transfer to a slow cooker and cook for 2 hours on High, 5 hours on Medium or longer on Low.
6. Serve with a hunk of buttered wholemeal bread.