Smoked Paprika Pumpkin Soup
Seems like Fall is trying to slowly creep it’s way in. Halloween is almost here and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s the time of year we all have Pumpkin on the brain. Sure they are fun to carve and put on your porch for the little trick or treaters, and who doesn’t love pumpkin pie? Let’s give Pumpkin another purpose this fall with a delicious and nutritious soup recipe.
Did you know pumpkin is pack full of beta-carotenes, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Fiber?
Here’s a link some proven benefits of eating pumpkin https://www.curejoy.com/content/health-benefits-of-pumpkin/
Wanted to share one of my Favorite Fall Soup Recipes and it just happens to have Pumpkin as it’s shining star.
Smoked Paprika Pumpkin Soup
- 1 4-5 pound cooking pumpkin* to yield 6 cups roasted pumpkin OR 3 (15 ounce) cans of pumpkin purée
- Oil for sautéing
- 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
- 1 large tart green apple (Granny Smith) peeled, cored, chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegan option)
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 cup coconut milk or regular milk or heavy cream to taste if you don’t have coconut milk
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
* Most pumpkins in the store are meant for jack-o-lanterns, not eating. Use a sugar pumpkin or a Japanese Kabocha pumpkin if you are going to cook with it.
How to Make
1 Roast the pumpkin: To make pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin or Kabocha squash in half, scoop out the seeds* and stringy stuff (an ice cream scoop works well for this purpose), lie face down on a foil or silicone lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don’t use for future use.
*Don’t throw away the seeds! You can toast them for a healthy snack.
2 Sauté onions, garlic, add paprika, cumin, cayenne: Heat some oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add smoked paprika, ground cumin, and cayenne and stir for a minute more.
3 Add pumpkin, broth, water, thyme, sage, salt, pepper, then simmer: Add the chopped apple and pumpkin Add broth and water. Add the thyme and ground sage. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through.
4 Purée soup: Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender or a food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. OR use an immersion blender to purée.
If you want extra smooth soup, pass the purée through a food mill, after it’s been through the blender.
Return the soup to the saucepan.
5 Stir in coconut milk or cream: With soup on low heat, slowly add the coconut milk or milk or cream, stirring to incorporate. Add salt to taste. Adjust other seasonings to taste. You can decide how creamy you want your soup and adjust to your preference.
Add toasted nuts or seeds, Fresh Herbs, toasted croutons, or a dollap of yogurt, heavy or sour cream.