Black Bean Soup with Winter Squash and Pasta

1 cup chopped onion
2 large stalks of celery, chopped
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1 portobella mushroom cap, chopped
1 cup frozen cut green beans
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 cups pureed winter squash
1 15-oz can black beans
4 cups of water or broth
1/2 cup raisins
4 oz quinoa (or any whole grain) spaghetti
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garam masala
salt and pepper to taste

Coarsely chop onions, celery, carrots, and mushroom. Saute in canola oil for 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add water, green beans, black beans, squash, and raisins. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Add ginger, cumin, turmeric, thyme (crushed between fingers), and garam masala. Stir, then cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Break spaghetti into about 2-inch pieces and add to pot for last 5-10 minutes of cooking time. Add more water if necessary. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Divide into 6 servings.


Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user THINCEIL.