Who else started a garden for the first time ever while in quarantine then accidentally grew a 32 pound pumpkin? Just me? Cool.
So here’s the thing: I had visions of having pumpkins to pick as the temperatures started to fall in October. I thought the kids would sit on the front porch and carve jack-o-lanterns in time for Halloween. I could proudly take pictures and say, “I GREW PUMPKINS! I’M CREATING MEMORIES!” Welp. I planted the seeds not realizing how fast these suckers grow. This pumpkin fell off the vine it got so heavy. I have no need for that much pumpkin as a decor item until October so it became my mission to eat it. So here I am, in August, creating vats of pumpkin-infused food. You’re welcome.
I don’t know much (or anything) about gardening, but I do know there are some pumpkins better for cooking than others. I’ve used “sugar pumpkins” in baking before with much success. This is NOT a sugar pumpkin, but I wanted to see if some of my recipes would work. This yielded a more liquid-y (that’s a word, right?) soup, but I think it’s delicious.
Pumpkin Soup
This recipe serves an army. Feel free to half this if you live with a normal amount of people. These measurements are based on a massive pumpkin. I used EIGHT (8!) pounds of pumpkin (with skin, not 8 pounds of puree) for this. The beauty of soup is that it’s very forgiving so add or subtract as necessary.
Ingredients
Eight pounds of roasted pumpkin (Again, weighed with skin. Not just the puree)
8-ish tablespoons of olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
10 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground clove
2 TBSP of maple syrup
Black pepper to taste
2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (You may want to add more depending on the type of pumpkin or your desired consistency of soup)
1 can of full fat coconut milk
Pumpkin seeds to garnish
Instructions
Safely hack the pumpkin into chunks and remove seeds.
Slather olive oil onto the pieces and place on baking sheets.
Roast the pumpkin (skin side down) for 35 minutes.
In your stock pot, add a TBSP of olive oil and saute onions until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for an additional two minutes.
Once your pumpkin has slightly cooled, remove the pumpkin flesh in chunks.
Add the pumpkin, spices, and broth to the pot and stir to break up the pumpkin.
Bring this mixture to a boil for 20 minutes, then let simmer for an additional 20.
With a ladle, add your soup base to a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
Some Final Tips
Don’t forget you’re roasting the pumpkin seeds. Yes, I failed to set a timer on the oven so mine were charred. I cheated and found some pumpkin seeds from my pantry.
MAKE IT YOUR OWN! On day two of this soup I added a tsp of red curry paste, roasted cauliflower rice, and two big handfuls of greens.
SHARE WITH NEIGHBORS! I filled some glass mason jars and handed off a few to some friends. There’s nothing like a warm soup on a 95 degree day, amirite?
