Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Bacon - Dinner in Fifteen Minutes

Hearty and Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Tomatoes, Corn, Black Beans, and Bacon

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Baconphoto by author

It's that time of year again! The crisp air, the crunch of autumn leaves underfoot... time for cozy evenings at home, and autumn flavors at the table.

This delicious, spicy soup can be made in fifteen minutes, and will fill their bellies and warm their hearts! It even has a touch of bacon in it to satisfy those with heartier appetites If you wish to make this for a vegan crowd, simply eliminate the bacon and substitute the milk with almond milk.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Bacon

Ingredients:

• 4 - 6 strips of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 2 TBL olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine
• 2 cans pureed pumpkin
• 1 can diced tomatoes (don't drain)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 can Del Monte Mexi-corn (or 1/2 cup corn niblets)
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 TBL chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 cup milk or almond milk
• sour cream for garnish (optional)

Procedure:

Cook bacon till crisp, crumble, set aside. While bacon is cooking, heat the olive oil in a 2-qt saucepan. Add the chopped onion, cook over medium-low heat till translucent and soft. Add the salt, black beans, tomato with its juice, and corn. Stir it all together, add chili powder, cumin and cayenne pepper.

Add half the chicken or vegetable broth, stir well. Add the 2 cans of pumpkin. Mix it all together. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth, stirring to incorporate, then add the bacon.

Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add the milk, whisking it in. Serve immediately, topped with sour cream if desired. To make a spider web design, simply pipe circles within circles of the sour cream (you can load it into a baggie and snip the corner), then draw a skewer from the center, outward, in eight different places.

Serves six hungry people. Refrigerate leftovers.