Pumpkin Corn Soup

This soup is low in calories, high in fiber, packed with nutrients, and easy to make! It's a super soup!



Pumpkin and corn...together? Why not? That's what I was thinking when I revisited this recipe from the October 2007 edition of Light & Tasty magazine. While I usually reserve pumpkin for dessert, it turns out that pumpkin can contribute to a delicious soup. Not only is this soup healthy, healthy, healthy...it was also really good! Hearty enough to stand on it's own, but definitely good with grilled cheese. At least that's the way my family ate this...with grilled cheese. I bet it would be excellent with corn bread too!

Here's how this soup began:

I sauteed a large diced onion and a chopped sweet red pepper in a couple of tablespoons of butter until just tender.



Then I added in 2 cups of corn, a finely chopped jalapeno pepper, minced garlic, and chili powder. Stir it all together and saute for a couple of minutes longer.



Next, I stirred in a can of solid pack pumpkin.



Followed by a little over 4 cups of chicken broth. The original recipe called for vegetable broth. I didn't happen to have any, but this would make for a wonderful vegetarian meal with the use of vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. (I think mine simmered for closer to 30 minutes).



Squeeze in about 2 tablespoons of lime juice before serving. The lime really brightens the flavor.



I made this soup in the morning, when I wasn't so busy and re-heated it for a fast meal in the evening, when we were busy. Before re-heating, I separated a few cups out for the kids, and then I added a can of black beans (drained and rinsed), some cayenne pepper, and sea salt to the rest. (I knew that the kids wouldn't touch it if it were too spicy or if they spotted black beans). The soup was spicy enough with just the jalapeno, but the addition of cayenne added a nice additional layer of heat. The black beans added extra body to soup that made it hearty enough to be a meal all on it's own.

The verdict: My husband and I loved this. Our kindergartner tolerated it...she complained a bit, but still ate half of a bowl after we convinced her to take that first bite. And our toddler took one bite and turned up her nose. Fine with us, my husband and I each ate the leftovers for lunch today. Mmmm. Like most soups, I think this was even better the next day! In the future, I think I'll double the recipe and freeze half in individual serving portions. I love the idea of having such a healthy soup on hand for a quick lunch.



Pumpkin Corn Soup adapted from Light & Tasty Magazine

Makes: 7 Servings Prep: 20 min. Cook: 25 min.

Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) vegetable broth
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Dash cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

•In a large saucepan, saute onion and red pepper in butter until almost tender. Add the corn, jalapeno, garlic and chili powder; saute 2 minutes longer.

•Stir in the broth, pumpkin, black beans, salt and cayenne until blended. Bring to
a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in lime juice.

Yield: 7 servings.

Nutrition Facts (without the black beans): 1 cup equals 120 calories, 5 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 9 mg cholesterol, 714 mg sodium, 20 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber

If you're a Weight Watcher, this is only 2 points per cup!