I love soup, and I love pumpkin… and luckily, this pair go together quite nicely.  I already enjoyed this combination in Pumpkin meets Chicken Soup, so when I came across this recipe in the October 14th Parade magazine, I knew I wanted to try it.  Don’t be fooled by the “spiced,” it isn’t a hot spicy.  The addition of cumin, curry and cardamom go extremely well with the delicate pumpkin flavor.  Of course, if you wanted to add red pepper flakes on top, my opinion is that it would only improve upon the already delightful flavor.

Originally, this recipe called for evaporated milk and Greek yogurt.  I simply eliminated the Greek yogurt altogether, and substituted the evaporated milk for coconut milk.  I didn’t even cook the soup for as long as the recipe called for, because the only thing that needed cooking was the onion and garlic.  However, if for some reason you end up simmering the soup for longer, it won’t do anything but further meld the flavors.  I’m guessing that this soup will be even better the next day.  It is a great last minute recipe, because most of the ingredients can be found in your pantry and fridge.  Cardamom may not be a spice that you have in your cabinet now, but after making this recipe, you’ll hopefully be anxious to use it again.

This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by substituting the chicken broth for vegetable broth.

Ingredients

• 1-2 tbs coconut oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 garlic cloves, minced)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz) can pumpkin
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
• garnish with parsley, if desired

Instructions

• 1. In a large pot or dutch oven, heat coconut oil on medium/medium-high heat
• 2. Add onion and cook 5 minutes, or until soft
• 3. Add garlic, and stir for about 1 minute
• 4. Add chicken broth, curry powder, cumin, cardamom, sea salt, and black pepper, and stir well
• 5. Turn down heat to medium, and stir in pumpkin and coconut milk
• 6. Simmer for 10 minutes
• 7. Using a Vitamix, immersion blender, or regular blender, puree soup until smooth
• 8. Garnish with parsley, if desired