I adapted this from a recipe I found online. It was amazingly tasty! I was out of the house most of the day, so used canned pumpkin; if using freshly cooked pumpkin, I think the roasted seeds would be extremely delicious sprinkled on top. I was unable to take an attractive photo of this stuff, so use your imagination. 😉

The best thing about this soup was that Griff totally loved it. (We fished out the large bacon and onion chunks for him.) He was flailing his arms and making the hungry-baby-bird mouth motions every time a new spoonful approached.

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup
3 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup butter (I used half butter/half olive oil combo)
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups beef broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
1/2 pound bacon, chopped up into small pieces
1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Cumin, sage and Hungarian paprika to taste (Spanish smoked paprika would be really good too!)

Pour 1-1.5 cans of the black beans into a food processor or blender, along with the can of tomatoes. Puree until smooth. Set aside.

Melt butter/olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. (I added my spices at this point and cooked for a few minutes; I think the heat brings out the flavor of the cumin in particular.) Stir in the bean puree, remaining can(s) of beans, beef broth, pumpkin puree, and vinegar. Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes.

While the soup simmers, fry up the bacon in a separate skillet until crisp. Stir the bacon into the soup, along with as much of the bacon fat as your conscience will allow. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.