Kidney Bean, Pumpkin, and Tomato Soup

One of the small joys of dating my boyfriend has been discovering another human being who likes his food as spicy as I do. Together, we sought out and loved this meal, have maintained and replenished five different types of hot sauce in our fridge, and collectively swooned when badass/softie at heart Chris Perez took a bottle of hot sauce out of his holster and put it on his pizza in Selena. (Ok, perhaps that swoon wasn’t “collective”.)

But too much spice can be a bad thing (the word “ulcer” occasionally flits through my head) so I’ve been striving more and more to find a balance – meals that are complex enough in flavor and with enough of a kick that I never miss that extra level of heat. This soup fits that bill perfectly, especially when you might be tired of the traditional black bean-pumpkin combo but still want a protein-based soup that is equally as satisfying.

This recipe intrigued me when I saw it flipping through a cookbook. The combination of kidney beans, pumpkin and tomato struck me as slightly odd, but when I spied the words “chili paste” in the ingredient list I knew I had to give it a chance.

I’m glad I did. The pumpkin gives this soup a creamy texture and the cilantro and non-overpowering kick from the chili paste makes this soup welcomingly exotic on a dreary, cold February night. And it doesn’t hurt that this recipe embodies several of the best arguments for cooking at home, it being budget-friendly, healthy, quick to make, and great for leftovers.

Kidney Bean, Pumpkin and Tomato Soup

Adapted from Simply Soup

Serves 4-6

- 1 TB olive or canola oil

- 1 large onion or 2 small ones, diced

- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 2 carrots, diced

- 1 box of vegetable broth (4 cups) plus one cup of water

- 2 tsp tomato paste

- 1/8 tsp dried thyme

- 1/8 tsp dried oregano

- 1/8 tsp ground cumin

- 1 bay leaf

- 15 oz  canned diced tomatoes

- 10 oz canned pumpkin

- 2  15-oz cans kidney beans

- 1 -2 tsp chili paste, depending on your spice preference

- salt and pepper

- fresh cilantro, to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they are just softened and translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, celery, carrot and ½ tsp of salt, and continue cooking for 2 minutes, or until the carrots start to soften.

2. Add the stock and water, drained beans, tomato paste and herbs/spices (thyme, oregano, cumin and bay leaf.) When the mixture begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in the diced tomatoes, pumpkin, and chili paste and continue simmering and stirring occasionally for another 10-15 minutes.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with cilantro, and serve.