Well, fall is here and that means pumpkins are rolling in to the markets. But, we’re also fans of grabbing a can from the pantry to make a quick soup. Just make sure you’re not using pumpkin pie filling, or you’ll end up with something truly bizarre.
This soup uses the Instant Pot. For a stovetop version, simply do the same thing in a single pot, but keep an eye on it as you simmer.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter (or olive or coconut oil)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic (about 2 tbsp), minced
- 1 can (796 ml, or about 3 cups) pumpkin puree
- 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk (or 1.5 cups cream)
- 4 cups stock (we use chicken broth)
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, sage, cinnamon
Directions:
Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Melt the butter, and add onions and garlic. As the onions being to caramelize, add in some cinnamon, sage, and black pepper (to taste).
Add in pumpkin puree. It doesn’t need to cook, but we’re looking to caramelize some of the sugars in the pumpkin as well. Be sure to stir so it doesn’t burn.
When you see some browning in the pumpkin, pour in the stock a little at a time to deglaze the Instant Pot and slowly break up the pumpkin.
Once the stock has all been added, give it a little taste, and season further with salt and spices until it gets to where you like it (remember, the stock has plenty of flavour already! You might just end up adding a little salt and cinnamon).
Seal the lid and switch on “SOUP.” Set for 15 minutes…it’s just to soften the onions and garlic a little more.
When the timer goes off, you can let it slow release, or do a quick release and open it up. Add the full can of coconut milk (or other dairy, as you like). With an immersion blender (please be careful…it’s HOT), blend the soup until it’s creamy.
Give it a taste. Add any seasoning you like. Serve hot with a dollop of yogurt, a few curls of fresh parmesan, or a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds.
Variations:
- This particular recipe works well with other squashes as well. Try it with butternut!
- Some ground ginger or curry powder can also kick things up. Pumpkin spice loves ginger, and coconut milk loves curry! Get creative!!
- Before pressure cooking, you can add other blendable vegetables, like cauliflower, peas, or even carrots, for a rich seasonal soup.
- Adding roasted or leftover mashed sweet potato can give an even sweeter kick to this soup.
- Sauté some mushrooms and onions in a separate frying pan, and add them to the finished blended soup for nice earthy bite.
- For a hearty seasonal stew, blend the soup first, then add diced onion, carrot, celery, peas (fresh or frozen), fennel, chicken…even potatoes and those sautéed mushrooms, then pressure cook on the SOUP setting (hint: if the vegetables are frozen, give it 20 or 25 minutes, just to make sure). After it releases, you can still test for any additional seasoning it might need. But trust us, you’ll only need one bowl of this one!
Tried it? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you subscribe to our newsletter for more tasty treats and updates!