Pumpkin, Chorizo and Black Bean Soup

Okay, so it is not monday anymore and this recipe is not exactly vegetarian or vegan in its original form, but autumn is continuously coming upon us and I am craving soups and warm meals with that depth of flavor typical for autumnal and winter cuisine. 
This recipe uses pumpkin, one of my favorite fall vegetables and currently in season. The recipe is done in 30 minutes with only 15 minutes of prep, so it makes the perfect weeknight dinner.
The recipe comes from Donna Hay's website, so here is the link:
https://www.donnahay.com.au/recipes/fast-weeknights/pumpkin-chorizo-and-black-bean-soup

This is how it works:

1 tablespoon (or less) extra virgin olive oil
125g firm air-dried chorizo, thinly sliced (you can quarter thick slices to mimic croutons)
125g firm tofu (vegetarian option)
1 teaspoon of hot paprika powder (vegetarian option)
2 cloves or garlic, thinly sliced (I omitted the garlic, you know I don't like it very much)
400g tin tomatoes
500ml (2 cups) chicken stock (vegetable stock for vegetarian option)
500g Japanese pumpkin, peeled and chopped
sea salt and black pepper, to season
400g tin black beans

1) Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the chorizo (and garlic, if you're using it) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes until golden and crisp. The chorizo burns easily because it has a lot of fat, so be careful. Remove from the pan and set aside.

1a) If you want to make the soup vegetarian, cut the tofu into small cubes and pan-fry for 3-4 minutes in olive oil to which you've added a teaspoon of hot paprika powder. Remove from the pan and set aside.

2) Add the tomatoes, stock, pumpkin, salt and pepper to the saucepan and cook for 12 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender. 

3) Remove the pan from the heat and leave the mixture to cool slightly. Blend until smooth.

4) Return the soup to medium heat, add the black beans and cook until heated through.

5) Top with the chorizo (or tofu) and drizzle with extra oil to serve, if you like.

Servings: 4-6
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 30 minutes

Here's how it looks:

I like how bright and colorful this soup is. It hits you with a ton of different flavors, sweetness from the pumpkin, fruitiness from the tomatoes, a slightly earthy flavour from the beans and a nice hint of spiciness from the chorizo. You can use mild or hot chorizo depending on your liking. The black beans offers protein to balance the fat from the chorizo. 
This soup is ready in a breeze with very little prep and offers a great deal of comfort in a bowl. 

I didn't drizzle the soup with extra olive oil as I don't think a soup needs added fat. The chorizo adds a little fat and also much more flavour than regular olive oil. 

Have fun trying and fight the autumn blues with this bright dish!