Before Gourmet magazine ever reprinted one of my favorite recipes, I just want you to know I discovered it first and had the privilege of eating it at its source. Before there was Whole Foods, there use to be my favorite grocery store called Larry’s Market. This store was the first of its kind in the Seattle area. Everything was gourmet and expensive. I usually only shopped there to find specialty ingredients and to eat in their deli. But sadly Larry’s Market is gone but their Black Bean Pumpkin soup lives on forever in our home. I was happy when I saw Gourmet magazine re-printed their recipe years ago so everyone could now enjoy one of my favorite Fall soups. I’ve been making this for years and have changed it so much I call it my own.
This recipe was inspired by Larry’s Market (R.I.P). The original recipe was more of a black bean soup with a little bit of pumpkin. Mine has a lot more pumpkin and is a must-make for this autumn. I wish I had more photos for you, but in the process of making this soup… I injured my finger by doing something I knew I shouldn’t have done. Any hoo,.. here is my recipe for Pumpkin Black Bean soup. Enjoy!
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons, butter
- 3 tablespoons, cumin
- 1-2 tablespoons salt * depending on the saltiness of the beef broth, start w/1 tablespoon and add more if needed.
- 4 cups beef broth (1 tall box)
- 1-2 pound(s) ham hock/smoked pork shank
- 4 15oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 29 oz can of pumpkin
- 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
- ¼ cup dry sherry
- ¼ white wine vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
- sour cream
- cilantro
- In a large soup pot, sauté butter, onion, garlic, cumin, and salt on med-high heat for 5 minutes. Add black beans, tomatoes, ham mock, beef broth, pumpkin and sherry. Cook on simmering heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Before serving, stir in white wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro. Enjoy!
Sabrina says
saw this when looking at the slow cooker recipe, wow, love black beans and most other stuff, ham hocks included, thank you for this!
Dale says
Looking forward to trying this
I love the idea of pumpkin in there
Thank you
Rachel says
Also loved Larry’s, and ate the soup there weekly. Were you there when some dumb new cook made it vegan and subbed carrot for ham?
Lost all flavor, and that’s when I started making it.
Recipes similar, except for the sherry vinegar, I think.
Do you still live in area?
Nichole says
Larry’s Markets … oh how I wish they still existed. =*( Loved absolutely everything about them! (WF is like their poor cousin who tries too hard…) I can’t say that I ever tried this from the store but I do like how this sounds and looks. Can’t wait to give it a try.
valentines day presents says
Wow! Looks spicy and I love spicy recipes. Thanks for this recipe.
I can’t wait more to taste it. So I will make it tonight.
Julie Falkenstein says
Alice I have officially made more pumpkin puree than I have ever cooked with in my entire life and am in a mad search for good pumpkin recipes – this soup looks like something tasty! I’m glad I saw it!
Jenny says
I made this yesterday! It was totally delicious. The only substitute I had was olive oil for butter as I cannot have dairy but this was a wonderful addition to my fall recipes! And for those of your readers who are gluten and/or dairy restricted it is a perfect something different! Thank you, thank you!
Danica says
Now that it is finally raining here I have a good reason to make this. YUM – LOVE everything about this recipe!
oneshotbeyond says
Pumpkin and black beans are two of my favorites. Thanks for sharing this great sounding (and looking)recipe!
Gina von says
How did I miss this recipe? Looks delish!
Nutmeg Nanny says
This might sound odd but I love ham hocks! They bring so much deliciousness to a soup….yum!
Divina says
It’s really a comforting soup with fabulous flavors. I should give it a try.
Kamran Siddiqi says
Alice, how delish this looks! I love that it is very autumn-ish! I’ve got to give it a try. 🙂
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen says
I can totally see why this is a MUST MAKE. I love every single thing about it!
Jeannie says
Wow! This is the stuff soup dreams are made of! It looks so amazing-I can’t wait to make a big pot of it tonight!
maybelles mom says
there is nothing sadder than the loss of a great local establishment, restaurant, market etc.
Jessica says
This looks really good and perfect for fall! I just got some organic pepper and Himalayan sea salt. Thanks for sharing!
jenn says
That cool you were able to find the recipe for this. It definitely looks delicious. It’s a bit dreary here in LA and this soup would be perfect right about now.
Chris says
Looks like the perfect Autumn food!