I have never made a pumpkin soup before- other than my pumpkin and black bean chili. I’ve never even had an inkling to make a pumpkin soup, but the other day we were watching BBC America, and watched Chef Gordon Ramsay whip together a luscious looking pumpkin soup, and I had to have it. Or something similar.
So I spent some time going through my cookbooks, and online, looking at different variations on pumpkin soup. After looking through dozens of possibilities, I chucked them all and came up with my own variation. A variation that I hope I can get the recipe right on again, because this bowl was lick-the-bowl-clean. We had this last night for dinner, and Andy is already asking when I can make it again, he liked it that much, and while he usually tolerates soup night, it’s not exactly his favorite meal of the week. This one? This will be made again and again, because it was delicious, and really easy as well.
I started with my pumpkin. For myself, I had three whole pie pumpkins sitting in the root cellar needing to be used. They all had these teeny-tiny little spots that I knew were an indication of use them now or lose them. Pumpkins will store for about 3-4 months, so that is pretty much right on as far as how long they last. I cleaned all three up, saved and toasted the seeds, and roasted all three in the oven until tender. Then I scooped out two of the halves for my soup, and divided the rest between two containers for future pumpkin endeavors.
You can make this soup with your own prepared pumpkin, canned pumpkin, or a butternut squash would work really nicely as well. I used approximately 28 ounces of pumpkin- or the quantity of the large can of Libby’s pumpkin. (Not pumpkin pie filling- check the can to make sure!)
Pumpkin ready, I drizzled some olive oil into my pot and added one onion, chopped, to soften in the oil. After a few minutes, I also added 4 cloves of garlic that I’d minced, six sprigs of thyme, one bay leaf, and one sprig of rosemary. A minute or two later, I added six cups of chicken broth to the pot, as well as two potatoes, thinly sliced and one large carrot, diced. I cooked those vegetables up for 15 minutes, or until soft, and then I added my pumpkin to the pot, along with a healthy sprinkle of salt, freshly ground black pepper, and white pepper.
Off to the blender we went, then. I had to divide my soup mixture into two batches in order to blend it up safely. I removed the thyme, rosemary and bay leaf, and then put half the mixture into my blender and hit puree. I also added 1 tablespoon of butter while blending. Then I switched, pouring my creamy-smooth soup into a bowl while I emptied the rest of the pot into the blender- added another tablespoon of butter and pureed. Next, I rinsed out my pot to remove any stray chunkies, dried it, and returned it to the stove-top where I added a new drizzle of olive oil.
To this oil I added 1 pound of smoked sausage that I’d cut into 1/4-inch dice. I let that cook for a few minutes, or until nicely fragrant and heated through, and then I poured my soup back in. Smooth and creamy does not even begin to describe the texture of this soup! The small chunks of sausage made it look really enticing, but I wasn’t finished yet.
Next, I tasted for seasoning and found I wanted more pepper, so I added another sprinkle of white pepper, and then I cooked up my basmati rice. While I waited for the rice to cook, I also added 1/2 teaspoon of sweet curry powder to my soup. A few minutes later, the rice was cooked through and I added two cups of rice to my soup. Dinner was ready.
The sweet pureed pumpkin soup and the smokey sausage were absolutely perfect together. Adding the curry powder to give it some depth and warmth, and then the nutty fragrant basmati rice made this pot of soup sing. Everyone enjoyed this soup- which is an extremely rare occurrence in our household. As I cooked and stirred, I also thought that smoked turkey or smoked chicken would be a nice compliment instead of the sausage. We ate our soup with some salad on the side and corn muffins, but for lunch today I just had the soup. Just as delicious reheated the next day, if I might add!
I thought it was great with the smokey sausage, but if you are meat-averse, you could easily leave the meat out, use a veggie broth, and then add some cooked beans if you want a hit of protein in the soup. A sprinkling of smoked paprika to finish would enhance the soup with that smokiness you’d be missing.
While this soup was hearty and very satisfying, it was also on the lighter side. After a few days of holiday indulgences, this soup fit the bill perfectly. It made mouths happy and filled tummies with a delicious warmth that didn’t overwhelm in any way.
Pumpkin Soup with Sausage and Basmati Rice
2 teaspoons olive oil1 medium onion, diced 4 cloves garlic, minced 6 small sprigs thyme 1 bay leaf 1 sprig rosemary 2 small to medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1 large carrot, peeled and diced small 6 cups chicken broth 28 ounces cooked or canned pumpkin 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper white pepper to taste 2 tablespoons butter
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch dice 1/2 teaspoon sweet curry powder
2 cups cooked basmati rice
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the two teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf and rosemary. Cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Add the potatoes, carrot and chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, and cover the pot. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrot are tender. Add the pumpkin and salt and peppers.
Working in batches, remove the soup to a blender to puree to a smooth consistency. While blending, add the butter to each batch of soup. Pour the pureed soup into a bowl while you rinse out the soup pot.
Add another drizzle of olive oil to the pot, and once heated, add the smoked sausage to the pot. Cook the sausage for 3-4 minutes, or until hot and fragrant, and just beginning to brown around the edges. Return the pureed soup to the pot and stir it in. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste to check for seasoning- depending on your sausage, you may or may not need to add more salt. Add the curry powder.
Just before serving, stir in the cooked basmati rice. Alternately, you could place a small scoop of basmati rice in each bowl and pour the pumpkin soup around the mound of rice for a pretty presentation.