Pumpkin Day: Pumpkin Soup Recipe

The head honchos at my day job have declared today “Pumpkin Day” (yes, I know, my day job is waaay cooler than your day job). So all the employees are bringing in a pumpkin recipe. I WAS going to tackle Thai Pumpkin soup, but Nate vetoed that idea the minute he saw the primary ingredients: pumpkin, peanut butter, and mangoes. No sense of adventure here, people!

So, I tried a more conventional pumpkin soup – but still tried to stay on the more savory side as opposed to the sweet, cinnamony soup that a lot of people gravitate toward with pumpkins. Here’s what I came up with:

Savory Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups canned pumpkin
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup 2% milk
1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1.  Sautee onion and garlic. Add chicken stock, salt, pumpkin, thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered
2.  Puree the soup with a handheld blender.
3.  Return to pan, and bring to a boil again. Simmer on low 30 more minutes, uncovered. Stir in 2% milk. Serve.

What I really like about this pumpkin soup is that it’s simple and can go any direction depending on your tastes. If you like your soup a little tangier, add some grated ginger. For a creamier version, try heavy whipping cream instead of 2% milk. For a touch of sweetness, try adding a bit of nutmeg (and leave out the thyme if that’s really not your thing). Play with it as much as you want. Word to the wise, however: DON’T oversalt it. Wait until the pumpkin soup has simmered twice before adding more salt to taste.