Friday, December 11, 2009

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

It is cold, cold, cold here in my neck of Utah! The day I made this soup for lunch it was 3 degrees outside when I took my 13 year-old to school. OK, my car readout waffled between 3 and 7 degrees in the 15-minute round trip. It was still in the single digits ;) I don't think it's been that cold ever in the 8 1/2 years we've lived here. Anyway, I needed--NEEDED--soup that day, and this is an idea I've had hanging around in my head for a while. Lucky for me I had everything I needed; well, sort of. I used frozen pureed squash from the store. I really wanted pumpkin, but never got around to making and freezing any this fall. Next year for sure. So I guess the name of the recipe is cheating, but I'm going to do it anyway. Intentions count for something, right?

This was incredibly fast to put together. I think it took me all of 15 minutes. I loved the way the bell pepper was a sweet back-ground flavor and the black beans added a bit of earthyness (it's a word).

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
Printable Recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 cups pumpkin puree (I used 2 12-oz pkgs frozen pureed squash from the store)
1 12-oz jar roasted red bell pepper
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
sour cream for garnish, if desired

1. In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat for about 60 seconds. Add the onion and cook until it's starting to brown (turn down the heat if it's burning). The bottom of the pot will be covered in yummy browned stuff from the onion. It's a good thing.

2. Add the broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape all the brown stuff off the bottom of the pot. Add the puree, red bell peppers, black beans. Bring it to a simmer and cook it for about 5 minutes.

3. Use a stick (immersion) blender to puree the soup until smooth (or carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender and blend until smooth. To prevent hot splatter, remove the center stopper in the lid and hold a folded towel over the opening while you blend). Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the sour cream.

I'd guess this made about 4-6 servings.

7 comments:

  1. A very creative and interesting mix of colors and flavors.

    Well done!
    Greg Michener
    Belo Horizonte,
    Brazil

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  2. What a gorgeous photo! And I love the ingredients. I never get tired of pumpkin!

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  3. I am all about some pumpkin soup. And black beans are the favorite around our house. I'm sure even my husband would jump on board with this one. lovely photo!

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  4. Beautiful picture! I love the idea of adding roasted red pepper.

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  5. I am going to make this soup for sure! I love fall too!

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  6. In an effort to entice autumn to get here sooner and save us from this heatwave, I made this soup this weekend. It was a real crowd pleaser, and I'll be making it again when autumn actually arrives. I substituted vegetable broth for chicken, but I don't think it changed things drastically. Thanks for posting such a great and easy recipe!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for your sweet comment! So glad you liked it :)

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