Pumpkin Soup Recipe Ideas For Any Season

Do you have fond memories of pumpkin soup? Perhaps this dish reminds you of Halloween, enjoying yourself with the family, trick or treating and eating other traditional seasonal dishes. The great thing you will discover about pumpkin soup recipes however is that they are not just for the fall but are great any time of year.

Pumpkin freezes well and you can cook it and then freeze it for months, until you are ready to make pumpkin soup. Alternatively you can make a pumpkin soup recipe with canned pumpkin.

How to Freeze Cooked Pumpkin Puree

To make pumpkin puree you should select pie pumpkins, which are sweet, non-grainy pumpkins and about six inches across. Choose pumpkins which are firm and orange without any soft areas or bruises.

Wash the outside of the pumpkins in water then cut them in half with a serrated knife. Scoop out the seeds and the stringy mass with an ice cream scoop or spoon. Chop the pumpkins roughly and microwave it in a covered bowl with a couple of inches of water for about thirty minutes on high or until it is soft. You can cook it on the stove if you prefer but allow an hour for that.

How to Freeze and Thaw the Pumpkin

Scoop the cooked pumpkin flesh out of the skin and blend it with a hand blender or conventional blender. Divide it between Ziploc bags or plastic containers and freeze it until you are ready to make a pumpkin soup recipe. Then either use it from frozen or thaw it for a few hours at room temperature.

There are many different pumpkin soup recipes you can make but the following recipe is ideal for any time of year and very easy to make. It serves eight people. You can make it a day ahead if you like.

Tasty Pumpkin Soup Recipe with Smoked Paprika

You will need:

• 2 1/2 lbs pumpkin puree
• 2 yellow onions, chopped
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup milk
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 big green apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried sage or 1 sprig fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

How to make it:

Melt the butter in a big pan over a moderate to hot heat and add the garlic and onions. Cook, stirring often, for about 4 minutes or until soft. Add the cayenne, cumin and paprika and stir for a minute. Add the pumpkin puree and chopped apple.

Add the water and broth and mix well. Season the pumpkin soup then bring it to a boil, turn the heat down and partially cover the pan. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the apples are soft. Puree the soup in batches in a food processor or blender until smooth.

If you want it to be extra smooth, pass it through a food mill after pureeing it. Put the soup back in the pan and add the cream and milk, stirring well. Add salt if necessary and serve hot.

You can use parsley sprigs as a garnish if you like or serve a swirl cream on top of the soup for a classic touch.

There are plenty of pumpkin soup recipes you can make with thawed pumpkin puree, including spicy pumpkin soup, creamy pumpkin soup, curried pumpkin soup and many more. You will find lots of pumpkin soup recipes to choose from at PumpkinSoup.org and you can always use pumpkin puree instead of fresh pumpkin or canned pumpkin for a delicious, homemade pumpkin soup recipe. We have many articles to help you work with pumpkin and pumpkin soup easier, along with a wide selection of easy pumpkin soup recipes and specialty pumpkin soup recipes too.

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