Reviewed: Nov. 24, 2008

What an odd combonation this is, but this soup is fantastic. It's so rich and hearty. But it is a very ugly soup. I substituted the ham for cocktail weiners cut in quarters since I didn't have ham. I also substituted with apple cider vinegar. I also used the can of tomatoes that have the green chiles in them and that gave it quite a kick. That may not be for everyone. With the chiles, I don't have to salt the soup, (which is good because I use a LOT of table salt). Thanks.

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ZIGGRL

Home Town: Waterford, Michigan, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 22, 2008

This is one of my favorite black bean soup recipes! As a vegetarian, I omitted the ham and used a vegetable broth and it turns out great. I make extras for the freezer and take them to work.

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barefootmaven

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Reviewed: Nov. 7, 2008

Very tasty!

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danib

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Geneseo, Illinois, USA

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Nov. 1, 2008

So easy! Didn't change a thing. Made for Halloween. It's usually pretty busy at our front door with the 400 to 500 Trick or Treaters, plus trying to get my own three kids ready. Was easy to make ahead of time, and just simmer on lowest heat. Husband has told me at least 4 or 5 times how much he liked the soup. (I didn't tell him how easy it was).

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tompaulelizabeth

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Oct. 27, 2008

Thank you, REEDYGAL. We loved this recipe and will make it again. Didn't use the ham as another reviewer suggested and substituted cider vinegar for the sherry vinegar. Very good in the fall when the outside temperatures go down.

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GATECHMOM

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Westfield, New Jersey, USA

Living In: Duluth, Georgia, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 26, 2008

Great tasting, easy to make soup that tastes even better the next day. As suggested by other reviewers, I used apple cider vinegar in place of the sherry vinegar since I didn't have that on-hand. I made a batch with vegetable broth and without ham and that was great too. The only reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is really superficial: this is the ugliest soup ever. Puréed black beans and pumpkin: you do the math. Fortunately this soup has a really wonderful personality.

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Franny

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Chicago, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Oct. 11, 2008

Yummy! Nice contrast of flavors.. I left half the beans whole for texture, used salsa in place of tomatoes because that's what I had on hand, and because I'm vegetarian I used vegetable broth and left out the ham. Very easy, very tasty. Thanks for the recipe!

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jelene

Cooking Level: Expert

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Reviewed: Sep. 29, 2008

I didn't really like this soup. I made mine with fresh ingredients instead of canned - so maybe that was why it was bland (doesn't make sense, but I'm trying to come up with a reason). The 2nd day I added much more spices to make it more of a black bean pumpkin chili - chili powder, onions, jalepenos, cumin, corn and more tomatoes and it was very good. Next time I try something like this I will not puree it, I think I would have enjoyed it better with more texture.

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A.Z.

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Annapolis, Maryland, USA

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Reviewed: Sep. 25, 2008

Good! I added a little extra spices, but it was a nice way to use up the extra pumpkin I had! I also used only 3 cups of water, 1 can pureed beans and 1 can whole beans. Nice and hearty.

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Rosemarie

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Sep. 10, 2008

This was very good. I wanted to buy cubed beef boullion, but the co-op I was at only had vegetable, but that still tasted good.

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Suzanne

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Duluth, Minnesota, USA

Living In: Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

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Reviewed: Jul. 31, 2008

I was really hoping this would be better. It just seemed to be lacking something. I will continue my search for a great black bean soup.

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cook in CALIF

Cooking Level: Expert

Living In: San Francisco, California, USA

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Reviewed: Jun. 5, 2008

I thought this soup was pretty good, but after tasting, I did need to add more flavor. I did so by putting a shakes of Mrs. Dash's Soutwestern seasoning in it. That gave it the needed boast. It was more soupy than we like, so next time I will use less broth and maybe add some corn to it. Will make again. As many have said, the pumpkin taste doesn't come through, so don't be afraid to try this very different combination.

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mermaid

Cooking Level: Professional

Home Town: Coupeville, Washington, USA

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Reviewed: May 13, 2008

Pretty good. I used dry beans to save money. I also used beef instead of ham. We liked it better.

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tommygirl2525

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Reviewed: May 5, 2008

This soup is delicious! I love to make soup, and my husband always greets them with a bit of a groan. This soup put the biggest grin on his face for a very long time. His exact words were "this is so....wierd, but great!" I made this in a vegetarian version, with 3C vegetable broth, no ham, apple cider vinegar, cumin, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. I served it with a spoon full of sour cream. It smelled like thanksgiving while it was cooking. excellent, and even better the next day!

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Kelly K-K

Cooking Level: Expert

Home Town: Bradley, Illinois, USA

Living In: Bourbonnais, Illinois, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 21, 2008

Will become a regular soup for our winter meals. A winner. Used dry black beans istead of canned (soaked overnight, cooked next day), added Italian flavored diced tomatoes (what was on hand), used 4 boullion cubes to make my beef broth. Had no ham, fried bacon in pieces and added. Rest of recipe stayed as offered. A hit all around. Next time will venture more pumpkin, was so mild my secret ingredient was not guessed.

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Qwitz

Cooking Level: Intermediate

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Reviewed: Apr. 13, 2008

This was excellent the first day and even better as leftovers. The ham adds nothing. I think it would be fine without any meat at all; if I were to add meat again next time, I would try some shredded beef.

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memomo

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Renton, Washington, USA

Living In: Eugene, Oregon, USA

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Reviewed: Apr. 7, 2008

I'd give this 10 stars if I could. The pickey husband loved it! It was easy and economical. I left out the third can of beans and only put one can in the food processor. I added cumin, coriander, and chili powder. The pumpkin was awsome, but not overpowering. My husband could not guess the "secret ingredient"- he probably would not have tried it had he known there was pumkin in it. Thank you for a great recipe!

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MaryAnne aka Anne's daughter

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Queens, New York, USA

Living In: Clinton, Connecticut, USA

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Reviewed: Mar. 13, 2008

Two of my favorite foods are pumpkin and black beans. Excellent soup.

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Harbor Blvd.

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Reviewed: Feb. 20, 2008

This was really good, although I did add a few more spices, as some other reviewers suggested. I added some coriander and turmeric, which made a different and delicious combination with the ham. I forgot to add the tomatoes, and didn't puree any of the beans. Used dried beans that I quick-soaked and cooked, and they were already fairly mushy, so I didn't feel like I needed to puree them. Served with chopped avocado and sour cream garnish, and corn muffins on the side. Delicious!

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mrsknatterud

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Reviewed: Feb. 17, 2008

This is a decent base recipe, but it needs a lot of help to become something good. I would recommend the Jamaican Black Bean Chili if you want a well rounded recipe to work with. (It is the only other recipe on this site that combines pumpkin and black beans.)

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