Homemade Pumpkin Soup

Confession time: I've never made soup from scratch. I've also never baked a pumpkin, I've been using the canned stuff my whole life. Both of those things changed today when I decided its about time I deepen my appreciation for pumpkin (if that's even possible) and give "from scratch" a try. I took some ideas from multiple recipes online and concocted a combination that suited my tastes and I must say it turned out surprisingly well.

This recipe was made up as I went along and can be altered based on what you have in your house or diet preferences. It's the perfect meal for a cozy Fall day (or when you're wishing it felt like Fall already). In fact this was my Halloween lunch and it was perfect!

Begin by baking your sugar pumpkin. Prep the pumpkin by washing, cutting off stem (this will make it easier to cut in half) and slice in half, then remove all seeds and scrape the walls clean. Bake cut side down at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the pumkin halves and set aside to cool until manageable to handle.

While the pumpkin is cooling, steam or roast (or microwave like I did) about a cup of mushrooms - any variety you prefer is fine. Also set aside to cool down. Next peel the skin off the pumpkin and load into a food processor along with the mushrooms. Puree until combined, scraping sides down as you go. Add chicken broth in 1/4 C increments until mixture is smooth.

Transfer pumpkin mixture to a sauce pan and bring to a simmer then reduce heat. Season with salt, granulated garlic (you could also use roasted garlic if you prefer, in that case add during the food processor stage) and pumpkin pie spice. Next stir in milk of choosing and allow to simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

There you have it, such a quick and easy soup with wholesome ingredients that you can control!

     Recipe:

• 1 Sugar Pumpkin
• 1 C Mushrooms
• 1.5-2 C Chicken or Vegetable Broth
• 1/4 C Milk (Skim, Coconut, Almond, or any other)
• Pumpkin Pie Spice
• Granulated Garlic
• Salt

1. Bake Pumpkin at 375 for 30 mins. allow to cool then peel skin.
2. Steam mushrooms and combine both mushrooms and pumpkin flesh in food processor and pulse until blended.
3. Slowly blend in Chicken/Veggie broth until smooth, scraping down sides as needed
4. Transfer mixture to sauce pan and bring to simmer. Add milk and seasoning and continue to simmer for 5-10 mins. Remove from heat and serve.

This can be garnished with croutons, garlic bread, or kale chips like I did here. Enjoy!