Sarah’s Rap: In my opinion, there is nothing better than a creamy pumpkin or squash soup in the fall to round out a meal. This recipe was inspired by a Thai butternut squash recipe that my good friend and fellow foodie gave me. I had been thinking of what to do with a pie pumpkin that I had bought so I swapped the squash for pumpkin, made a few personal tweaks and voila…this Thai Pumpkin Soup was born!

I love this soup so much that I always make sure I have some on hand in the freezer (frozen in individual portions to grab one for work or to serve alongside my dinner). The spice level depends on how much curry paste you use. I find 2 tablespoons is perfect for me, but feel free to add more or less as your taste desires. Look for one that does not contain sugar or weird additives.

Thai Pumpkin Soup

2 pie pumpkins (yields 4 cups pumpkin)

½ medium yellow onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated

2 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce

2 1/2 cups chicken or beef bone broth

1 can full-fat coconut milk

1-2 tablespoon Thai red curry paste (depending on personal spiciness tolerance)

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

Garnish (see garnish notes below):

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut pumpkins in half and scoop out seed and stringy pulp. Put open-side down on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until soft when pierced with a fork, 30-40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.

Once cool enough to handle, scoop warm pumpkin flesh out of the shell and measure out 4 cups and put in a large stockpot. Add garlic, onion, ginger, fish sauce, broth, coconut milk, curry paste, apple cider vinegar and sea salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until onion is very tender. Remove from heat and puree with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. If you prefer a thinner consistency, you can add a little extra broth to thin, if desired.

For garnish, fry 2 tablespoons minced garlic cloves and olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat until crisp and golden brown. Mix with chopped cilantro and  a teaspoon full on each serving.

SAFETY CAUTION: Do not put hot soup in a blender. Trust me! I did this once with a potato soup on Thanksgiving and it burst out everywhere, giving me severe burns on my face. I still give thanks for the turtleneck sweater I had worn that day which protected the rest of me. If you do not have an immersion blender, first let soup cool considerably until it is lukewarm. Pour into blender, filling only 1/3 full and puree while holding lid on tight. Do in batches until all the soup is pureed. Reheat your portion that will be eating immediately in the same stockpot you cooked in and refrigerate the rest.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do! Pie pumpkins are in season right now, so I plan to stock up my freezer to last for many months! I love canned pumpkin for muffins and pies, but this recipe is so much better with fresh.  I think you’ll agree! And it can also be made with butternut squash if you prefer or want to switch it up a little.

As you can see from the picture, I paired my soup this week, with steamed haricot verts, roasted cauliflower and stir-fried chicken sausage. It was a feast! If you make this, please let me know what you think of it or if you have a favorite side dish to pair this with.

Sarah

YUM! I can’t wait to try this! It sounds delicious! I wish we lived closer. I could just come over. 🙂 Love you! –Melissa