Total time: 4 hr 50 min • Prep: 20 min • Cook: 4 hr 30 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy

Black bean soup is a wonderful start to a larger meal or a very filling main-dish soup. Mexican chorizo is the variety that crumbles when the skin is removed. If your store sells only Spanish chorizo, which is a hard sausage, finely chop it for the same smokey and spicy flavor. Over the 41/2 hours in the slow cooker, the chorizo, beans, vegetables, and sherry layer to a rich and piquant flavor. The minimal 20 minute prep time is enhanced by the use of canned beans. Mashing some of beans at the end of the cooking lets the beans themselves thicken the soup. Have additional wedges of lime on-hand for guests to brighten the flavor of the finished soup. Finely shredded cabbage dressed with lime juice, a touch of oil, a pinch of ground cumin and toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas) maintain the Mexican flare while completing this meal.