Soup #48 / Pumpkin Soup

When I first thought about making soup for Thanksgiving, it seemed a little daunting... 15 guests, a ton of food, and we're going to serve soup too? It seemed like a lot, but on the other hand, we've made 47 soups already this year, this is the biggest meal we're going to put together all year, and we're NOT going to have soup? I mean, it's kind of our thing now, right? Fortunately, my sweet friend Nicole sent me this simple recipe and it worked perfectly. I made it the day before and reheated it up just before everyone came. We served it up in small dishes as an appetizer and it was a hit!

What you will need:

2 -2-3 pound pie pumpkins (or 1 -4-5lb pumpkin)

4 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 medium sweet onions, coarsely chopped

1 tbsp dried sage

3-4 dashes of cayenne pepper

32 oz of vegetable stock. 

salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste

2 tsp olive or grape seed oil

How to make it:

Cut your pumpkin(s) in half and core out the inside of the seeds and guts (save the seeds for cleaning and roasting later to top off your soup or just snack on). Roast them face down on a baking sheet or pizza stone at 400 degrees F. for about 40 minutes, until fork tender. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly. Scrape out the pumpkin flesh and discard the skin. 

In a large soup pot, heat your oil and saute the carrots and onions. Add in the sage, cayenne. Saute until the carrots are semi-tender and the onions begin to turn golden. Add in the veggie stock, pumpkin, and cook until the carrots are almost mushy. Add in salt, pepper, and cinnamon to taste. When you've got it tasting just right, turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly again. Use an immersion blender to puree until smooth.  

Serve in a small dish, garnishing with roasted pumpkin seeds and a dash of cinnamon. Enjoy!

The verdict: 

Success! Everyone loved it and was so eager to be trying one of our soups! It was really awesome to be sharing our soups with the family in such a big way. 

What we'd do differently: 

I think it would be fun to try it out with a little cream, but overall it was really tasty the way it was! 

XO