5-Ingredient Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

Have you tried the apple and mozzarella quesadillas yet? If not, I urge you to try them out. Those quesadillas, served along with this pumpkin black bean soup, is seriously our favorite meal these days. This soup is super awesome because you make barely any mess making it, the prep time is less than 1 minute, and the cooking time is just a little over 5 minutes. Oh, and it also is pretty darn tasty AND healthy. It's loaded with Vitamin A, protein, and fiber. You can make it with more kick based on the type of salsa you use in the recipe. The first few times I made it I used a Hatch Chile salsa, and it was nice and spicy. The past couple times I have used Newman's Own Farmer's Garden salsa, which is a little sweet and mild. You can serve this with the apple quesadillas or serve it on its own with some tortilla chips. Yesterday I made it for lunch and served it with oven-baked tortilla chips drizzled with white truffle oil and sea salt . This soup is rich and creamy, and is definitely a comfort-type food, but it has the bonus of being good for you. Make it with the leftover canned pumpkin you might have after making pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving! Enjoy.

Recipe for 5-Ingredient Pumpkin Black Bean Soup

INGREDIENTS:
1 can of black beans (15.5 ounces), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup of water
1/3 cup of canned pumpkin puree
1/3 cup of salsa (we like it with Newman's own Farmer's Garden - you can use hot or mild salsa)
1/2 tsp. of cumin powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt (I like Fage)

DIRECTIONS
Dump the black beans, water, pumpkin puree, and salsa into a medium sized pot. Sprinkle in the cumin powder, salt, and pepper. Use a spoon to mix well. Set the pot over medium heat on the stove top and cook for 4 - 5 minutes, or until hot. Then adjust the heat to low and stir in the Greek yogurt until smooth. Cook for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute (don't cook too long, because the yogurt will curdle a bit and slightly effects the texture of soup). Remove from heat and ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with white cheddar cheese, if desired.

Makes approximately 2 - 3 servings. 
Original Recipe

Per Serving (with a serving being 1/3 of the recipe): 155 calories, 2 grams fat, 29 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams protein, 8 grams fiber, 50% RDA Vitamin A, 15% RDA Iron,

Curried Pumpkin Mushroom Soup

 Please visit my new blog, Make It and Bake It with Beth, for the curried pumpkin mushroom soup recipe. 

Pumpkin-Apple Soup

Yes, I am a little obsessed with recipes that use pumpkin and apple these days - so of course I was very excited to see this recipe for pumpkin-apple soup that combined both! A few weeks ago, a good friend of mine emailed me this recipe - the subject was "a yummy fall soup," and that certainly got my attention. I tried out the recipe for dinner one night, and Greg & I both loved it. The other night Greg invited two friends over to help him with the upstairs, and he told the friends that I would be happy to make dinner (thanks, Greg)! Well, it turned out that one of the friends is gluten-intolerant, and the other is allergic to shellfish. There went my plan of making shrimp scampi! I decided upon making the pumpkin-apple soup for dinner and I served it with a fall kale salad. Everyone seemed to be fully satisfied with the meal! I love this soup - it's easy to make and it tastes like something you'd get at a fancy restaurant. Thank you to Carolyn for the amazing recipe!

Recipe for Pumpkin-Apple Soup

INGREDIENTS:
6 Tbsp. of unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 apples, peeled and chopped coarsely (any variety - I used one Braeburn & 1 Granny Smith)

3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. of salt
1/4 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
3 cups of chicken broth
2 1/4 cups of apple cider
2 16-ounce cans of pumpkin
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream (or light cream)
1/3 cup of pure maple syrup
Pecans or glazed pecans, for topping

DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a large stockpot set over medium-low heat. Once the butter has melted, add in the onion, apple, and garlic. Increase the heat to medium and saute, stirring frequently, until onions and apples have softened (about 5 - 6 minutes). Add in the salt and pepper, and cook for an additional minute.
Add in the broth and cider. Allow the soup to come to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium-low. Let the soup simmer for 10 minutes, then add in the pumpkin and maple syrup. Cook for another 5 - 10 minutes. Stir in the cream immediately before serving. Add a drizzle of cream & syrup to each serving. If desired, top each serving with candied pecans, such as Emerald glazed pecan pie pecans - so yummy!

Makes about 8 servings.

Pumpkin-Apple Soup Recipe Source: Emailed to me from my friend Carolyn