Pair with a Pumpkin Ale (or ale brewed with warm spices)
I don’t know about you guys, but I feel like as soon as we enter September, pumpkin is on the brain. Whether I want to admit it or not, summer is almost over and pumpkin EVERYTHING is gracing the shelves and menus of every grocery store and coffee shop. Don’t even get me started on the pumpkin beers. It has almost become overwhelming how pumpkin has taken over the world.
And it will continue to take over the world right up until Christmas. I think people tend to forget what pure pumpkin tastes like. Am I mistaken, or did a certain coffee shop just start adding actual pumpkin to their lattes? The thing about pumpkin (like any gourd or squash) HAS to be seasoned. It has to be spiced up, otherwise, it’s just pumpkin puree. And let’s be honest, it’s super boring.
This is all A-OK though. I’m definitely not trying to diss the pumpkin, and I think it’s time we start sharing some pumpkin recipes. Don’t you?
While I love pumpkin pie as much as any other human being on this planet, I prefer pumpkin in the savory sense. I love pumpkin to jazz up an ordinary risotto (recipe coming soon) or a polenta (also coming soon). I love it seasoned with warm spices and placed on top of my favorite quinoa bowls (not coming soon … but it probably should be!). While pumpkin bars and cakes and brownies are amazing, pumpkin in soup is where my heart lies.
I’ve wanted to post this recipe for slow cooker spicy and creamy pumpkin soup for a long time. I make it every year, a couple times a year, and it’s always a hit. It has been my main appetizer for Thanksgiving for more years than I can count, and I literally could make this soup in my sleep. The curry sets this soup apart, and don’t worry…it’s not an overwhelming amount of curry flavor. There are other spices to tone that flavor down.
This soup is one of my favorites, and I hope you guys love it as much as I do! Recipe is below! Pair it with something pumpkin(y), well, because pumpkin beer. Obviously. Have a wonderful week friends! xo
Yields 8
10 minPrep Time
8 hrCook Time
8 hr, 10 Total Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- 1 14-ounce can full-fat coconut milk
- 20 ounces pumpkin puree (canned or homemade)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds, garnish
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, garnish
- Optional: drizzle of cashew cream
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook for about 10 minutes until tender. Add the garlic, curr powder, cumin, cardamom, coriander, cayenne pepper, nutmeg and a dash of salt and black pepper. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of your slow cooker.
- Also to the slow cooker, add the vegetable stock, coconut milk pumpkin puree and brown sugar. Stir and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Once the soup has slow cooked, transfer it to the pitcher of your blender (or you may use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth. Be careful as you transfer hot liquid to a blender. Cover it with a kitchen towel and hold the top with your hand as your blend.
- Keep the soup warm in your slow cooker until you are ready to serve. Serve the soup with roasted pumpkin seeds and fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
