Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup

Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup is a spicy vegetarian soup that’s going to be a hit with all the butternut squash fans! And if you skip the optional sour cream this slightly-spicy recipe is vegan. 

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I’m  a well-documented fan of butternut squash, so you it’s surprising I haven’t made more soups using my favorite winter squash. It’s partly because I love savory squash dishes, but I don’t really understand the appeal of those sweet butternut squash soups that many people like.

No surprise then that this Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup is savory from ground cumin and slightly spicy from the Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) that’s stirred in at the end.

This soup would make a lovely Meatless Monday dinner, and if you’re cooking for a family I might sprinkle some crushed tortilla chips into the soup for the kids. I ate my soup with a generous dollop of sour cream, but if you skip the sour cream this meatless soup is vegan.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• butternut squash
• salt and fresh ground black pepper
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• onion
• celery
• Minced Garlic (affiliate link)
• vegetable stock or canned vegetable broth
• ground cumin (affiliate link)
• can of black beans
• red bell pepper
• cilantro
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) or other jalapeno hot sauce of your choice

Don’t want cilantro in the Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup?

If you have those anti-cilantro tastebuds, I’d use thinly sliced green onion instead of cilantro in the Butternut Squash and Black Bean Soup.

Want more ideas for butternut squash?

Use My Favorite Winter Squash Recipes to see more of my butternut squash faves or check out Winter Squash Recipes to see all my recipes using all types of winter squash!

Steps for making Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Butternut squash can be a challenge to peel and cut up, but for this soup you just cut the squash in half, scrape out seeds, and roast the squash until it’s tender enough to scrape away from the skin. Let squash cool until you can scoop it out of the skin.
2. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion and celery until soft; then add the minced garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more.
3. Add two cups of the vegetable stock to the onion-celery mixture and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. When the squash is cool, scrape the flesh away from the skin and mix it with the other 4 cups of broth and the ground cumin.  (This is a giant 8-cup measuring cup.)
5. Add that mixture to the soup pot and simmer about 20 minutes more, then use an Immersion blender (affiliate link) or food processor to puree the soup. (Blogger error; I forgot to take a photo of the soup being pureed, but I used my immersion blender.)
6. While the mixture simmers, rinse the black beans with cold water and let them drain.
7. Also chop the cilantro and red bell pepper.
8. Add the beans, red bell pepper, and cilantro to the pureed soup mixture and simmer about 15-20 minutes more.
9. Stir in desired amount of Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) and serve hot, with a dollop of low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt if desired.

More Meatless Soups with Butternut Squash:

• Butternut Squash, Peanut, and Chipotle Soup ~ The Perfect Pantry
• Butternut Squash Kale Soup ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Vegan Butternut Squash and Chickpea Soup ~ The Shiksa in the Kitchen
• Slow Cooker Thai  Butternut Squash Soup ~ Kalyn’s Kitchen
• Thai Curry Roasted Butternut Squash Soup ~ Jeanette’s Healthy Living

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: Makes 6 servings

Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 3 hours

Butternut Squash Black Bean Soup is a great meatless meal and butternut squash fans will love this slightly-spicy soup!

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash (about 1.5 lbs.)
• salt and fresh ground black pepper, for seasoning squash
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 cups finely chopped onion
• 2 cups finely chopped celery
• 1 T minced garlic
• 6 cups vegetable stock or canned vegetable broth (or slightly more, if you’d like a thinner soup)
• 2 tsp. ground cumin (or more)
• one 15 oz. can black beans
• 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped small
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, optional (plus more to garnish soup if desired)
• 1 T Green Tabasco Sauce (or other jalapeno hot sauce of your choice)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toasted oven to 400F/200C.
2. Using a large chef’s knife, cut butternut squash in half and use a sharp spoon to scoop out seeds.
3. Place squash on a baking sheet and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
4. Roast squash until it is soft enough to pierce easily with a fork, and starting to slightly brown, about 50-60 minutes.
5. Let squash cool enough to handle.
6. While squash is roasting, chop onion and celery and mince the garlic.  (I used fresh garlic chopped with my  favorite garlic chopper and then minced with a knife.)
7. Heat olive oil in large non-stick soup pot and saute onions and celery until they’re soft, about 7 minutes.
8. Add minced garlic and cook 2-3 minutes more.
9. Add 2 cups of vegetable broth and simmer the mixture about 10 minutes.
10. As soon as the squash has cooled enough to handle, scrape the flesh away with the skin and mix it with the other 4 cups of broth and the ground cumin.
11. Add this mixture to the soup pot and simmer about 20 minutes; then use an Immersion blender (affiliate link), blender, or food processor to puree the soup.  (I used an immersion blender, which is by far the easiest way to do it; if you only have a blender or food processor, be very careful with the hot soup.)
12. While the soup simmers, rinse the black beans well with cold water and let them drain in a colander.
13. Chop the cilantro and red bell pepper.
14. After you’re pureed the soup add the beans, red bell pepper, and cilantro and simmer about 15-20 minutes more, adding a little more vegetable stock if you’d like a thinner soup.
15. Stir in the Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) to taste and serve hot, garnished with sour cream or plain Greek yogurt if desired and tortilla chips if desired.

Notes

This recipe adapted from Azteca Squash Soup in Bon Appetit.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 172Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1330mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 9gSugar 9gProtein 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Butternut Squash Black Beans Soup is a healthy soup for the original South Beach Diet, but the use of butternut squash makes it limited to phase 2 or 3, and of course do not serve with tortilla chips for South Beach. This soup is too high in carbs for most low-carb eating plans.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Soup Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This soup recipe with butternut squash and black beans was first posted in 2012. It was last updated with more information and better photos in 2023.

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