Pumpkin soup made with painstakingly peeled and seeded fresh pumpkin is a lovely thing. But I'll be honest – sometimes I don't want to painstakingly peel and seed a fresh pumpkin. Canned pumpkin purée is a wonderfully convenient item that I like to keep on hand for making sweet baked goods as well as savoury soups and stews. Made with canned pumpkin purée and a short list of other ingredients that includes ancho chile powder and cumin, this soup is not only quick and easy to prepare, but nourishing and flavourful.
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ancho chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
3 cups canned pumpkin purée
4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups (or more) water
Salt
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp (or more) lime juice
Pumpkin seeds
Instructions
Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, chili powder, and cumin; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pumpkin, broth, water, and ¾ teaspoon salt. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
Working in batches, transfer soup to blender and purée until smooth (or purée in pot with immersion blender). Return soup to pot; stir in honey and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Season with additional salt and lime juice, and thin with water, if desired. Divide soup among bowls and garnish with pumpkin seeds.
I do not provide nutrition analyses of the recipes I post for various reasons, but mostly because I would rather not uphold diet culture messaging about choosing foods based on their caloric value or macronutrient composition. Humans survived for millennia without knowing the calorie and nutrient content of the foods they ate. They were fine – really.