Slow Cooker Mexican Bean and Brown Rice Stew is great comfort food. It warms you from the inside, and it smells terrific while it cooks in the crock pot. It’s also fun to let your family garnish each bowl however the want – cheese, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, fresh herbs, avocado, whatever suits your fancy.
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook until it starts to brown, about 20 minutes. Add chopped red pepper, and cook about 7-10 minutes until softened. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and salt. Cook until fragrant, a couple of minutes.
While the onion cooks, add the water, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bouillon base, and diced green chiles to the bowl of the crock pot or slow cooker. Once the onion mixture with all the spices has finished cooking, stir it into the wet ingredients in the crock pot.
Cook in the slow cooker for 3 hours on low (preferred) or 2 hours on high.
Mix the beans, brown rice, and olives into the crock pot, and continue to cook, turning the crock pot to HIGH setting, for an additional 2 hours.
Serve, topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, avocado, oregano, or toppings of your choice.