Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

As I said before, when I roast pumpkins and make my own puree, there always follows a time when I am scrambling to use it up.  In addition, I randomly have a huge bag of pepitas (the insides of pumpkin seeds) taking up far too much prime space in my baking cabinet.  When I saw this recipe on Pinterest, combining both pumpkins and pepitas, I knew I had to try it out.

I loved the colors of this soup: red and yellow bell peppers, orange pumpkin, black beans, and even green jalapeños if you're feeling brave, which obviously I wasn't.  All the vegetables get cooked down with onions, garlic, and cumin.  Vegetable broth gets tossed in too, and then when it's all cooked, it gets pureed.

I've come to understand that I don't like pureed soups.  I like them to have some texture, some things to chew on while I'm eating.  So I pureed it a little bit, but I left most of the soup in tact.

Of course, don't skip the final part: topping the soup with pepitas and Parmesan cheese.  It adds a little crunch and creaminess to the soup.

As expected, this soup tasted like fall in a bowl.  The black beans give it some protein and all the vegetables give it a lot of flavor.  I'm finding that having an abundance of pumpkin puree and pepitas is a great problem to have when it forces you to try out recipes like this one!

Recipe:
pumpkin and black bean soupfrom The Skinny Fork

Ingredients:
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups reduced sodium vegetable or chicken stock
1 14.5-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 12.5-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
pepitas and grated Parmesan for topping

Instructions:

1) Lightly coat the inside of a large pot with non-stick cooking spray and add in the bell peppers, onion, jalapeño, and garlic.  Saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the vegetables start to soften and become fragrant.

2) Add in the remaining ingredients except for the pumpkin seeds and cheese, and increase the heat to medium-highto bring the mixture to a boil.

3) Once it all comes to a  boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about half .

4) Use an immersion blender to blend down into a creamy soup.

5) Season with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls.  Top with pepitas and grated Parmesan.