Hearty Vegetarian Three Bean & Pumpkin Chili

I'm on a soup kick + stocking the freezer for chilly days to come. The latest batch? A super easy, vegetarian chili with 3 kinds of beans, and lightly sweetened with pumpkin puree. My kids LOVED it. We had a total "clean bowl club" at dinner, so this one's a keeper. Plus the fact that you can have almost everything on hand in your pantry makes this a good one to keep in your back pocket.

First, I chopped the sweet potato and onion before my afternoon "chauffeuring" so the soup would be ready within a half hour of us rolling in from after school activities. When we got home, all I had to do was assemble, then sit back and relax for a half hour. I sautéed the onions and sweet potatoes, in a bit of olive oil, over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onions began to soften and become translucent.

Next, I added a 32 oz carton of Pacific Organic Soup Starters Tortilla Soup base.

Then, a 28 oz can diced tomatoes, including the juice. {Don't drain them.}

2 cups of frozen organic corn, a 4 oz can of mild green chiles (optional),

one can each of rinsed and drained black beans, white beans and pinto beans, and

two 15 oz cans of pumpkin puree were added to the pot. {I started with one can of pumpkin puree, and then decided that I wanted to chili a little thicker and sweeter, so I added a second.}

Give everything a quick stir, then cover with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender.

 Done! So easy. {And the kitchen smells ahhmazing.}

This chili will freeze beautifully, which is good because you know that I like to make at least twice as much as we'll eat that night so I can stock my freezer... I cooled the chili down and packed some into generous single-serving 16 oz tubs and some into bigger 32 oz containers that we can enjoy on busy evenings or weekends to come. Here is the simple, delicious recipe:

Hearty Vegetarian Three Bean and Pumpkin Chili

makes 8-10 servings

2 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/2" pieces
32 oz carton Pacific Organic Tortilla Soup Starter (4 cups)
28 oz can diced tomatoes and their juice
2 cups frozen corn
4 oz can diced chilies (optional)
one 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
one 15 oz can white beans, rinsed and drained
one 15 oz can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
one or two 15 oz cans pumpkin puree
salt and pepper, to taste

In a large pot, or Dutch oven, saute the onion and diced sweet potatoes in olive oil over medium heat until onions begin to soften. Add remaining ingredients: tortilla soup starter, diced tomatoes (with their juice), corn, chilies, rinsed and drained beans and pumpkin puree. Give everything a quick stir, then cover with a tight-fitting lid, lower the heat and simmer the soup for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve warm. Soup will store in fridge for up to three days, or in freezer for up to three months. 

Serving suggestion: with a dollop of Greek yogurt, some pickled jalapeños, and a side of cornbread. 

Disclosures: the links to my favorite tubs for freezing soups within this post are amazon affiliate links. The pricing is exactly the same for you, but I earn a small commission when you purchase products via these links. {Thank you for helping to support recipe testing on the Full Plate Blog!} Also, as a food blogger, I was sent four cartons of Pacific Soup Starters to try. I was not compensated in any other way for developing this recipe, and purchased the rest of the ingredients myself. Rest assured that-- as always-- I only share recipes my family truly enjoys, and that are keepers!