It’s SOUP SEASON! I freaking love soup. When the seasons shift and the temps drop, my smoothie bowls become oatmeal bowls and my salads become soups. I crave a cozy, comforting meal first thing and midday, and for years I’d simply pop open a can and heat up soup on the stove. Easy, convenient and delicious. I mean, is there anything better? Actually there is: making your own soup.
Now, this is not a knock on canned soup, unless your cans have BPA (a known endocrine disruptor) and your soup has high sodium and MSG…then we gotta talk. Truth be told, even most BPA replacements – especially other bisphenol compounds – are not that great for us (and are linked to childhood and adolescent obesity). Bottom line, I’m a firm believer that most things taste better and are better for you when you make them yourself. And yet, I am embarassed to say that I didn’t make my own soup until…last year. I know! Now that I’ve done it, I can’t believe it took me so long and plan to spend the rest of my years making up for lost time!
This fall I was inspired by Lindsae to dive head first into soup season, so when my mom sent me her latest recipe I knew exactly where to start! In typical Fleury fashion, she texted me a newspaper clipping (although sometimes they come in the mail, which I appreciate just as much) with a few notes about how she made it, what she served it with and if she and my dad liked it (they did). So I took the recipe, made some of my own tweaks and ran with it!
What you’ll find here is the easiest, most customizable soup pretty much ever. And it’s vegan to boot! I love to load up my soups up with extra protein and veggies, and this one is no different. In addition to the pumpkin, black beans, tomatoes, peppers and green onions the recipe calls for, I’ve added steamed spinach, banza pasta and/or quinoa to up the nutrients in this vegelicious base.
An important note: I did use canned tomatoes and pumpkins, so while I could control for salt and MSG I’m not sure about BPA alternatives. The other option? Cook my own beans (the easiest!), make my own sauce and mash my own pumpkin – or at least one or two of the three. It’s all about minimizing our toxic load and remembering that even the small steps can create a big impact 🙂
I whipped this up in 15 minutes in my small dutch oven, stored it in the fridge and ate it for the week! You can serve it garnished with pumpkin seeds, scallions or parsley, add some almond flour crackers or cornbread on the side and boom – you’ve got yourself the coziest lunch date around.
SHOP THE POST
Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
The easiest, coziest vegan soup that is customizable and ready in under 20 minutes!
- 1 tbsp olive oil (avocado works too!)
- 5 green onions (white and green parts, sliced – set some aside)
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped (any color pepper is fine!)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained (use 15 oz cans, can mix up your beans if you want!)
- 1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added, UNDRAINED (use 14.5 oz can)
- 1 can pumpkin puree (no sugar added) (use 15 oz can)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
Heat oil in the dutch oven over medium heat. Add white and green parts of the onion, leaving some aside for the garnish. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook until soft (4-5 min).
Stir in cumin and thyme (about 1 min).
Add beans, pumpkin, tomatoes (and juice), broth and water and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
Stir in salt and cayenne pepper.
For a loaded version, add banza pasta, cooked quinoa, sauteed or steamed spinach, or other veggies you have on hand!
Top with the rest of the green onions and pumpkin seeds. You can also treat this like a chili and add vegan cheese, avocado, etc.