Malta Development Blog

Pumpkins have been a staple food during American end-of-year holidays for as long as we can remember. From pumpkin pies to pumpkin spice lattes, this holiday craze won't be stopping anytime soon and with good reason.

Classified as a winter squash (since they are frost-tender vegetables), pumpkins are excellent low-calorie sources of dietary fiber, vitamin A, iron, beta-carotene and more. That means that this healthy superfood can make you feel fuller, improve your eyesight (in dim light), lower blood pressure, and improve heart health.

From the American colonists to modern-day gourmet chefs, pumpkin has been used in a vast array of creative recipes. This hearty and spicy pumpkin soup with smoked sausage will warm anyone up during these bitter cold months.

Servings: 6-8

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 cup diced onion
• 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 (29 oz.) can of pumpkin puree
• 6-6 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
• 1 tbsp. canned adobo sauce
• 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 8 oz. smoked sausage, sliced
• 1 cup black beans, drain and rinse beforehand
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Directions:

1. In a dutch oven over medium heat, cover and cook onions, 2 tbsp. of olive oil, and 1 tsp. of salt until ingredients are translucent.
2. Add in the garlic and cumin; cook for 2 minutes while stirring.
3. Add pumpkin and 6 cups of broth, chipotle pepper, and 1 tbsp. of adobo sauce at medium-high heat, simmering and stirring for 12 minutes.

Processing the Soup:

1. Blend the food in batches for 1 minute
2. Add about 1/2 cup of broth, 2 tbsp at a time until you reached the level of creaminess that you want.

Smoking the Sausage:

1. In a large frying pan, add 1 tbsp. of olive oil and the smoked sausage at medium heat for 3 minutes while stirring.
2. For 1 minute, stir in the black beans and paprika.

When the world is adding pumpkin into every processed and packaged food item during this time of year, this homemade pumpkin soup recipe is a healthy alternative that will delight your friends and family.

Recipe and image adapted from MyRecipes.