Today has been the pits. Nothing in particular, just work stuff. It could possibly be that I'm just super irritable today, for reasons that I can not seem to deduce. On my lunch, I normally run for an hour...today...I laid on the ultrasound bed and watched a Bones on my iPhone. It was pretty pathetic but honestly, quite nice. Well anyways, my day was made exponentially better by the discovery of Season 5 Parks & Recreation being added to Netflix! Woot, woot! I had to share this wonderful news, in case some readers are Parks & Rec fans and they were uninformed. Of course, I realize most people just watch it on the actual TV, but I was late on to that boat so I am forced to watch it on Netflix. This is very exciting news for Todd and I. Almost as exciting as this pumpkin soup!
Why is this soup so exciting? Two reasons. For one, I'm not really too experienced with pumpkin. Okay, let's be real, before this recipe, I had never even cooked with it! I'm talking like a real, round, actual pumpkin. Not canned pumpkin. This soup was a pretty rad way to get into. I'm in love! So, clearly, this was very exciting for me.
And two, this soup is so, so lovely and absolutely delectable. It is completely velvety, creamy and melts in one rich, smoky, pumpkin packed bite in the mouth. It has made the list as one of my all-time favorite soups and is just perfect for the season! So if you've been on the fence about making a pumpkin soup (it's kinda weird, right?), start out with this recipe and you won't be disappointed!
Smoky Paprika Pumpkin Soup
Inspired by Verses From My Kitchen
Serves 6
- 1 small pumpkin (about 2 lbs.) peeled and cubed
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 medium red onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 4 whole sprigs of thyme (or additional dried)
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 15 oz. can of full-fat coconut milk
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
- 1/8 tsp. chipotle chili powder (to taste)
- 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
- sprinkle of ground black pepper
- pepitas, for garnish (optional)
Heat the oil in a large soup pot and saute the onions, garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel the pumpkin and cut in half. I just used a potato peeler! Scoop out the seeds (roast or discard) and cube the pumpkin.
Add in the cubed pumpkin and continue to saute for an additional 10 minutes, or until the pumpkin begins to just become softened. Then, add in the remaining ingredients and simmer over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the pumpkin can be easily pierced with a fork.
Transfer carefully to a blender and whiz on high until silky and smooth. Make sure to allow the blender to vent at the lid or else you could have a hot soup explosion, and that's never good. It's never happened to me, but I've heard stories.
Serve hot with additional thyme, paprika and pepitas, if you wish!
Grumpy, and listening to The Heavy – How You Like Me Now
This is me...
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