Squash Black Bean Soup

This is another really good soup. The kids really liked it, except for the ham. (Funny story, last night we had taco soup, and I had put hamburger in it, which I usually don't. Liz said, "It's weird, I've never had taco soup with meat in it before!" I put the meat versions of my recipes on here, but normally I don't put the meat in when I make them for us.) As you can tell, I really like soup, especially in the winter. The recipe said to puree 2 of the cans of black beans, but I wouldn't do it again, it made the soup gray. It was still yummy, but not so pretty,

Squash Black Bean Soup

2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained

1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 cups broth

1 squash

1/2 pound cubed cooked ham

1-3 tablespoons sherry vinegar(I used cider vinegar)

Directions

Bake the squash until tender. Puree the squash with the can of tomatoes and set aside.

Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion is softened. Stir in the squash puree, the black beans, broth, and sherry vinegar to taste (I only used 1 TBSP, and it was too much for us, so be careful!) Mix until well blended, then simmer for about 25 minutes, adding water if too thick. Stir in the ham, and heat through before serving.

I would add a can of corn also, but I've been accuse of overusing corn lately, so use your own judgment!