Pumpkin Soup is one of my favorite comfort foods during fall and winter. Not just because my garden pumpkins are ready I need some way to prepare them, but because I adore the flavor. Rich and creamy, there’s nothing better than a velvety smooth to keep you going during the holidays.
Actually, I like just about everything with the term “pumpkin” in it, from coffee to granola, soup to pie. If you like granola, you MUST try my recipe for Pumpkin Maple Granola.
So alas, I had to share my recipe for pumpkin soup. You can use one regular pumpkin, or 2 smaller pie pumpkins. I used a small pumpkin, about 10″ diameter. If you don’t have any fresh pumpkins, you can always resort to canned. (I had to for added color!)
Note: My pumpkin seemed a bit more yellow than orange as I was baking and simmering, so I went ahead and added a half can pureed pumpkin. It did the trick, bringing my soup to a more “normal” deep orange-brown color.
Homegrown Pumpkin Soup
The perfect comfort soup for any fall/winter evening.
The secret to this recipe is to blend and blend until the consistency is ultra-smooth and creamy. Serve warm, adding a dash of cream and nutmeg for added appearance. If you have a sweet tooth, top with a dollop of whipped cream!
Ingredients
1 medium pumpkin or 2 pie pumpkins (about 5 cups)
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup maple syrup
Dash of allspice
Extra cream for serving
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 300°F degrees.
2. Cut pumpkin in half and clear out seeds with a spoon.
3. Using your fingers, separate seeds from stringy pulp and set them aside for roasting. (You can also save them for planting next season! Learn how to save your pumpkin seeds on my blog.)
4. Place the pumpkin halves on a cookie sheet and roast until pulp is soft to the press of a fork, similar to a baked potato.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. Mash out the big chunks and blend until velvety smooth. You can do this using a hand blender, immersion blender, or before placing in pot, you can blend pumpkin pulp using a stand blender or food processor. Your preference! The key is to blend well.
7. Place pumpkin flesh in the pot, add stock and syrup and heat until simmering.
8. Add cream and allspice, then blend again until ultra-smooth and creamy.
