Spiced Pumpkin White Bean Bisque

Spiced Pumpkin White Bean Bisque

Spiced Pumpkin White Bean Bisque

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon of butter or canola oil
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon of freshly chopped sage (or a little dry)
  • pinch of ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
  • 2 and 1/2 cups of low-sodium vegetable stock (or chicken broth) — divided into a ½ cup and 2 cups
  • 1 can cannelli beans (white kidney beans); well rinsed OR use 2/3 c dry beans*
  • 1 can (15oz.) of pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling) OR a small fresh squash**
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • salt and pepper
  • dollop crème fraîche (optional — you could substitute plain low fat/no fat yogurt or sour cream)
  • 4 pieces of crusty bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

  1. Melt butter or heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
  2. Add onions, garlic and sage. Sauté for 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
  3. Add pinch of nutmeg and the ground cumin. Sauté for about a minute.
  4. Add 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Scrape down the pan to loosen up the browned bit
  5. Combine the onion/spice mixture, up to 2 cups of stock (depending on how thick you like it), white beans and pumpkin purée in a blender. Process until smooth. Use caution when blending hot liquid. Note: if you don’t have a blender, you can use a hand immersion blender or food processor.
  6. Return mixture to the pot. Stir in the milk then bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper.
  7. Cook through for about 5 minutes and then stir in the apple cider vinegar. Garnish with a swirl of crème fraîche (optional) and croutons.

Croutons

  1. Toss bread cubes with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt to taste.
  2. Spread in a single layer on a baking tray. Toast in oven (350° F) until lightly browned (warning: they can go from untoasted to burned quick so keep an eye on them!)

* If using dried beans: soak in water overnight, drain, place in a pot with water (3 times as high as beans), bring to boil, reduce to a simmer, and simmer 35-45 minutes until tender.

** If using fresh squash (butternut, acorn, sunshine, carnival), cut in half, and roast (350°F), cut-side down on pan until tender (approximately for 45 minutes), cool, then scoop out flesh and add to recipe.

Featured in Participant Newsletter #4 

Recipe source: The Fig Tree

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