pumpkin black bean soup

October 13th, 2011 · 9 Comments

This soup has it all: healthy, hearty, quick to make, and tastes fabulous.

Last year, my little pumpkin patch was prolific, and we harvested 75-100 pounds of squash. I still have some of those pumpkins leftover today, waiting to be turned into pies, cookies, breads, and this soup. I first made this soup earlier this year during a surprise late-spring cold snap. Brant’s not a fan of squash, but he knew not to complain as I was running out of creative uses for pumpkin and this soup automatically garnished my favor simply because it used two cups of pumpkin. I was hesitant because I was afraid that the soup would taste pumpkin-y. Nope! It was great! Brant and I were both eager to eat it again for leftovers and, like most soups, it tasted even better the second day. The pumpkin made the soup rich and thick, but even with such a large amount of pumpkin, the soup didn’t taste like squash. We loved the addition of the meaty, salty ham chunks and the flavor that they imparted. This is a new favorite for us on cold winter nights, and it’s so healthy that we don’t feel guilty about going back for seconds!

pumpkin black bean soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 6-8 servings

pumpkin black bean soup

Source: All Recipes

Ingredients

3 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

4 cups beef broth or chicken broth

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (or two cups homemade pumpkin puree)

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp all spice

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 pound cubed cooked ham

fresh chopped cilantro and sour cream for garnish

Instructions

Pour 2 cans of black beans into a food processor or blender along with the tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the bean puree, remaining can of beans, 3 cups of the beef broth, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, all spice, chili powder, and cumin. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes. Add additional beef broth as needed to reach the desired consistency. Stir in the ham and heat through before serving.

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Tags: 60 min or less · garden tale · light

9 responses so far ↓

1 deb burow // Oct 13, 2011 at 12:50 pm

Gonna give this a try, sounds very fallish!
2 Jennifer @ Mother Thyme // Oct 13, 2011 at 1:31 pm

Thank you for sharing this delicious Pumpkin Black Bean Soup! I love, love, love trying new soups and this is going on my list to try soon!
3 Paula // Oct 13, 2011 at 1:32 pm

Jennifer – let me know how you like it!
4 Bavani // Oct 14, 2011 at 3:57 pm

This receipe looks delicious, but can I use fresh beans like red beans instate of black beans and fresh tomatoes.
5 Lisa (AuthenticSuburbanGourmet) // Oct 14, 2011 at 7:58 pm

What a perfect fall soup! Love the idea of adding pumpkin. On my list to make when the weather gets a bit more fall like here in the Bay Area.
6 Paula // Oct 14, 2011 at 8:34 pm

Bavani – I wouldn’t suggest switching out the beans and tomatoes, but you can certainly try it!
7 Paula // Oct 14, 2011 at 8:35 pm

Lisa – did you know I live down the street from you? Yes, it’s been a little warm here for soups, but the season is coming!
8 Pam Groth // Oct 15, 2011 at 6:39 am

I have made a similar soup and used curry powder – it is a great combination and used Turkey Kielbasa to give it a different flavor — this is an awesome soup!
9 Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum // Oct 17, 2011 at 5:11 am

I saw this on Foodgawker and bookmarked it without knowing it was yours! Looks totally delicious!