Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup

Both sweet & savory, this Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup recipe employs seasonal ingredients to help y’all think about fall!

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How about a new hearty vegetarian soup recipe today? Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup is so savory and satisfying, with some sweeter pumpkin & red bell pepper undertones underlying its slightly spicy base.

So, I may have impulse bought a special buy jar of pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce at ALDI this week. (Sometimes it’s fun to try new things and take advantage of their Finds!) Not feeling like pasta, though, I started noodling around other things to make — finally landing on today’s sweet + spicy soup recipe. Since pumpkin can work well in chilis to balance out the heat and bring in a brighter & more complex flavor, I thought it might also work well in black bean soup. And, since ALDI’s pumpkin pasta sauce is already chipotle flavored, it was a natural fit here.

Just whisk in a little cream cheese at the end to add creaminess and tang, complementing both the chipotle and pumpkin flavors. If you don’t have this special buy chipotle pumpkin pasta sauce on hand, though, you might instead try adding pureed pumpkin, tomato sauce, and chipotles in adobo to your soup for a similar flavor & texture.

Looking for more vegetarian recipe ideas? Take a few minutes to browse through the Meatless Monday category for additional dinner options — or, check out fifteen favorite meatless meals to jump start your vegetarian cooking.

Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tsp minced garlic (about 4 small cloves)
4 cups vegetable broth (32 oz)
24 oz jar pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce (see Note)
2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
4 oz cream cheese, softened

Directions

Chop up the onion, pepper, and garlic.

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onion and garlic and saute for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the veggies are sauteeing, rinse and drain the black beans. Mash half of the beans slightly with a potato masher, or run them briefly through a food chopper, until they are chunked up but not pureed. (This helps add some texture to the soup.)

Take out the cream cheese to soften.

After sauteeing the veggies, stir in the vegetable broth, pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce, black beans, and seasonings. Increase heat under the pot and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Chop the softened cream cheese into small chunks. Add these into the soup pot and whisk continuously until the cream cheese is melted & well incorporated.

Top bowls of soup with optional chopped green onion.

Note: If you don’t have pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce on hand, you can try substituting a can of pureed pumpkin, a can of tomato sauce, and chopped chipotle in adobo to taste.

Yum-kin, Pumpkin, Soup

I know, it’s still August — but if ALDI and the whole world are coming out with pumpkin-flavored-everything right now, who am I to argue? My pumpkin cravings are now satisfied, but in a savory sort of way. Hopefully, this vegetarian black bean & pumpkin soup will help satisfy yours as well.

Black beans, a hint of cream cheese, and the pumpkin pasta sauce help this thick & hearty soup fill you up, so just pair yours with a nice bread or side salad to make it a complete meal.

Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup, printable recipe

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Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup

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Both sweet & savory, this Creamy Black Bean & Pumpkin Soup recipe employs seasonal ingredients to help y’all think about fall!

Course dinner

Cuisine soup

Keyword black bean soup, meatless monday, pumpkin, soup, vegetarian

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Rachel Singer

Equipment

1 dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
• 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
• 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 small cloves
• 4 cups vegetable broth 32 oz
• 24 oz jar pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce (see Note)
• 2 cans black beans rinsed & drained
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste
• 4 oz cream cheese softened

Instructions

• Chop up the onion, pepper, and garlic.
• Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the bell pepper and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the onion and garlic and saute for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• While the veggies are sauteeing, rinse and drain the black beans. Mash half of the beans slightly with a potato masher, or run them briefly through a food chopper, until they are chunked up but not pureed. (This helps add some texture to the soup.)
• Take out the cream cheese to soften.
• After sauteeing the veggies, stir in the vegetable broth, pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce, black beans, and seasonings. Increase heat under the pot and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Chop the softened cream cheese into small chunks. Add these into the soup pot and whisk continuously until the cream cheese is melted & well incorporated.
• Top bowls of soup with optional chopped green onion.

Notes

Note: If you don’t have pumpkin chipotle pasta sauce on hand, you can try substituting a can of pureed pumpkin, a can of tomato sauce, and chopped chipotle in adobo to taste.

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