Wednesday, October 10, 2012

pumpkin black bean soup


it is a beautiful time of year.
the smell of woodsmoke in the air.
breathtaking crimson, gold and orange leaves whose colors deepen with every day that passes.
i love starting a pot of soup on sunday morning, letting it simmer away until mid afternoon then serving a piping hot bowl with a big hunk of crusty bread.


pumpkin black bean soup
simple soups are my favorite - don't get me wrong, soups that simmer away from morning til' night have their place. but a soup that comes together can be a weeknight lifesaver especially of you have several hungry bellies to feed in a short amount of time.
i am almost willing to bet you have most if not all the ingredients to make this soup sitting in your  pantry. black beans, peppers, pumpkin, garlic, cumin, salt & sweetener.
pumpkin black bean soup pumpkin black bean soup
pumpkin black bean soup
the pumpkin adds a nice little hint of fall comfort - it is a great way to use up the last bit of pumpkin you have on hand. even if you do not have a whole can of pumpkin add what you have on hand.
pumpkin black bean soup
soup, stews & chowders simply made warm my heart and my soul.
anytime i am having a down day or need a little pick me up a bowl of soup lifts my spirits.
funny how a little bowl of goodness can do that.
pumpkin black bean soup pumpkin black bean soup
pumpkin black bean soup
what's your comfort food?
do you have a favorite weeknight quickie soup that you keep on hand for when life gets crazy?
pumpkin black bean soup
Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
serves 4

you will need:
1 can (15oz) black beans - drained & rinsed
1 1/4 cups pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
olive oil
1 small hot pepper, seeds removed for less heat - roughly chopped
2 medium sweet bell peppers, seeded & roughly chopped
1 small onion - diced
2 garlic cloves - minced
2 tbsp cumin * 

*(note: we prefer 2 tbsp of cumin, others who have made this prefer 1 tsp - season to suite your own taste)
salt to taste
1 1/2 cans water
2 tbsp raw honey or agave
oregano for garnishing
pepitas & tortilla chips for serving

assembly:
in a medium soup pot drizzled with olive oil saute peppers (hot & sweet) & onions over medium heat until fragrant, add garlic and saute for an additional 8 - 10 minutes.

add cumin & salt  & stir - add black beans, pumpkin & water.
bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
stir in honey, remove from heat. with an immersion blender, blend until smooth - or blend in batches in a stand blender with the top vented.

garnish with pepita's & oregano or crushed tortilla chips.

enjoy!

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54 comments:

  1. Mmm, I feel all warm and cozy just imagining a bowl of this right now! I love your presentation, too - so inviting! It's weird that pumpkin is almost always used in desserts... it's so great in other, more savory squash recipes! Especially with a dash of cumin, IMO. Great combo. :)

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    1. I know right, I think we need to bring the Savory back to pumpkin :) Loved your pumpkin ravs - so amazing!

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  2. This soup sounds absolutely perfect! I always love seeing savory uses for pumpkin. I don't know that I have a favorite comfort food, but soup always hits the spot =). Can't wait to make this one!

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    1. Truly I love anything warm and soothing as a comfort food - but I love food in general :)

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  3. I am addicted to pumpkin... and to soup! So this looks pretty much perfect to me right now (kind of like everything you make!)

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  4. I am loving this soup recipe! It looks so amazing. I am going to have to make this really soon. I think I do have everything for it at home, too! :) Great post!

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  5. This recipe will be perfect for this weekend! Thanks

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  6. i love love the first picture! such gorgeous comfort soup.

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    1. Thanks Richa- I love photographing this one, it was so much fun!

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  7. Hearty soups like this are exactly what I want to eat for the entire duration of fall. I love the combination of pumpkin and black beans!

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  8. it really is a beautiful time of the year. leaves changing color, weather cooling down....
    your soup is the perfect match for this wonderful time!

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    1. Thank you- in my opinion it is the best time of year, I absolutely adore fall :)

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  9. Just found this on FoodGawker and I had to click though because I just happen to have a whole bunch of black beans in the freezer from a post I did about making & freezing beans. :D And I also happen to love pumpkin soup! I think I'm going to make this next week!

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    1. HI Kiersten I am so happy you stopped by! I love batch cooking beans and storing them away in the freezer, they come in so handy for a recipe just like this!

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  11. Thank you! I totally need more quick weeknight soups! And yes, I do have everything in my pantry! :)

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  12. Amazing Heather! I need to start making some soup, it's getting so chilly! I love the idea of putting pumpkin in :) Can't wait to try this!

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    1. Hi Gabby! Yes you totally need to make this soup, its too good not to make :)

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  13. How did you know that I have all these ingredients in my pantry? Thick, rich , creamy soup just the way I like it!!!

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    1. I am good like that, I actually snuck into to your house before I made this and snooped through your cupboards - I should have named this "Gigi's Cupboard Soup"

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  14. I think I may make this for food day at work next week and bring it in my slow cooker. I think it would be a HUGE hit. Love the flavours in addition to the pumpkin and black beans. YUM! Awesome idea for a healthy lunch.

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    1. You should totally do that - um you have a food day at work! Tell me more about this, I am liking the sounds of this weekly work event! xo

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  15. Lovely photos and a yummy sounding recipe!

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    1. Thank you Sarah - this has been one of my favorite soups so far this fall!

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  16. Gorgeous pics and great recipe. Def going to try this. Pinning now!

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    1. Thanks for stopping by Gwen and for the lovely comment :)

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  17. Stumbled upon your blog through Pinterest, been a Vegetarian for 25 years... these are probably the best recipes I have ever come across. So simple, fresh and easy. We have soup or salad every night with dinner. I can't wait to make some of your recipes! Thank you, thank you!!

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    1. Hi Candace! I am so happy you found us at SMBP - your comment brightened my day :)

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  18. I made this soup tonight and enjoyed it but it was heavy on the cumin and salt. In your recipe are you calling for 2 tablespoons of cumin and one tablespoon of salt? TBSP usually means tablespoon - next time I'll try it with a TSPN teaspoon. Thanks! Love your photos...

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    1. Thanks for the info - I made a note on the recipe regarding your feedback on the cumin and made the recommendation of starting out with 1 tsp - we enjoy the recipe as originally written with 2 tbsp of cumin - Thanks for letting me know what you thought!

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  19. I made this... and was suspicious... wish I read the comments but way too much salt. 1 tsp is probably closer to correct.

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    1. Thank you for your feedback - I adjusted the recipe to read salt to taste, that way people can adjust the salt level to their liking - our household very much enjoyed the recipe as originally written and is a staple recipe in our house

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  20. Your soup looks delicious! I recently made this great pumpkin black bean soup over at The Junk Drunk that you may like too. Please let me know what you think!
    http://thejunkdrunk.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/deep-stir-pumpkin-black-bean-soup/

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  21. I thought of something worth mentioning...about salt. If you used un refined salt-Celtic or Himalayan the amount of salt you recommended would be perfect . (And one of the best things for you...loaded with minerals-where as table salt is bad for you). Love the recipe and presentation-Jamie

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    1. Thanks Jaime!

      Celtic was what I actually used - such good stuff and I am in love with Pink Himalayan- thanks for the bit of information :) ....maybe that is why one person found it too salty, they used table salt?

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  22. Made this tonight and it was delicious! I didn't even add the agave. It was great without it. I will definitely make this again and again. Thanks for a great recipe!

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    1. Thank you for the feedback Andrea, I am so happy that you liked it and it worked without the addition of agave, great to know!

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  23. This was just reposted by someone and I was looking for a soup I could make without having to go out and buy more ingredients. I had all of these and just made a disastrous pumpkin soup the other day, so this more than made up for it. Thanks so much for the recipe!!

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    1. So happy to hear that! This is by far one of my favorite Fall Soups, glad you liked it as much as I :)

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  24. Thank you for this delicious recipe. I was a little short on pumpkin purée so added in some sweet potato. With the cumin it is delicious! And simple to make too. Thank you

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    1. Sweet potato is the perfect substitute! Simple soups are the best especially on busy weeknights, I love the leftovers for lunch the next day :)

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  25. I am hoping to make this soup tonight! Do you think that real maple syrup would work instead of agave or honey?

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    1. Maple Syrup will absolutely work! It actually have been my sweetener of choice lately :)

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  26. I am such a huge fan of curried anything and I think I am the biggest pumpkin fan known to man so this combination sounds unreal!! Crazyask.com

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  28. You might also enjoy sites like Blue Apron and Hello Fresh!

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  29. Your work is just excellent.I really love your work and thanks for sharing this. Techupdates

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  30. I am hoping to make this soup tonight! Do you think that real maple syrup would work instead of agave or honey?



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