The bean and pumpkin soup is a vegetarian first course that captures all the warmth and intense flavors of this season, one of the many autumn soups to rely on to warm up during the first cold days. This recipe is simple but full of flavor and substance: a harmony between the sweetness of the pumpkin and the texture of the beans, creating a creamy and enveloping dish. You can use fresh pre-cooked beans with some aroma to flavor them, or opt for canned ones if you have little time available. If you choose fresh beans, the cooking water is ideal for extending the soup, enhancing its taste; alternatively, a good vegetable broth will do just fine. To make this bean and pumpkin soup even creamier, in addition to adding a potato, blend part of the soup at the end of cooking: you will get an even denser and velvety texture. Complete with rustic bread croutons, toasted and rubbed with a touch of garlic, and be enchanted by the inviting aroma and unique taste of this homey soup.
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- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
- Energy 259.44 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.75 (g) of which sugars 6.09 (g)
- Proteins 8.89 (g)
- Fat 9.64 (g) of which saturated 1.47 (g)of which unsaturated 0.07 (g)
- Fibers 8.92 (g)
- Sodium 820.35 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 330 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Bean and Pumpkin Soup
- 17 oz fresh borlotti beans (or canned; or 5.6 oz dried beans)
- 1.54 lbs pumpkin (weighed with skin)
- 6.35 oz potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1.7 cups vegetable broth (approximately)
- 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 leaves sage
- 1 pinch salt
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot 28 cm diameter with lid
- 1 Peeler
- 1 Immersion blender
How to Prepare Creamy Bean and Pumpkin Soup
To prepare the bean and pumpkin soup, start by cooking the beans, unless you are using canned beans. Follow the instructions you find here (1), and if you use dried beans, remember to soak them for 12 hours. Once cooked (2), drain them without discarding the cooking water, which is excellent for thinning the soup.
Finely chop the onion (3). Peel the potato and cut it into cubes (4). One medium-sized potato (180-200 g) is enough as it is only needed to add creaminess to the soup.
Remove the pumpkin skin and cut it into cubes as well (5). In a large pot, heat the oil, add the onion, and let it gently fry (6).
Then add the potatoes and pumpkin (7), lightly salt them, and moisten with some of the beans’ cooking water or some hot vegetable broth (8).
Cover with a lid and let it cook on a low flame for 7-8 minutes. Then add the beans (9) and moisten again with some broth or the beans’ own water (10). Stir and continue cooking for about ten minutes on a low flame.
When the potatoes start to break down and the soup thickens, scoop out 2-3 ladles (11) and transfer them to the glass of the immersion blender. Blend thoroughly to obtain a thick and creamy puree (12).
Then pour it into the pot with the soup (13) and stir well. Let it thicken for another minute or two, until you reach the desired thickness. Turn off the heat and garnish the soup with some chopped rosemary (14).
Serve the bean and pumpkin soup garnished with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil, a little chopped rosemary, and, if you like, garnished with bread croutons.
Storage
You can store the soup in the fridge for a couple of days.
Tips and Variations
If you like, you can use the bean and pumpkin soup as a base for a pasta soup, adding a bit more water or broth and cooking 5.6 oz of cannolicchi or broken spaghetti directly in the soup. Remember to stir it often during the pasta cooking and keep the flame at medium intensity.
