Pumpkin Soup Recipe

I don't like eating pumpkins. I can tolerate them, but I'm not a fan. But if we're talking about soups, well that's a different story. I LOVE pumpkin on my soup!

I like it paired with carrots, chicken, and a whole cast of spices. I like it swirling in cream and chicken stock. I like it thick and richly flavored, that appetizing natural orange color beckoning me to take a spoonful. And before I know it, I’m done with an entire bowl.

I got inspired to learn to make pumpkin soup when our daughter Audrey was about a year old. I discovered that she, too, loved soups, and not only is pumpkin soup yummy, it’s also very nutritious. It’s a complete meal in liquid form---perfect for babies.  True enough, Audrey loved her Mama’s pumpkin soup (but now that she’s 3, it’s taken a backseat to oat fudge bars).

I added a potato for extra soup thickness, and cheese for extra creaminess. But the real key to get the rich chicken flavor is in the chicken boiling process -- don't use too much water. The less the water, the more concentrated chicken flavor you get. The more flavorful your soup is. 

Let me brag a little: I have gotten compliments from my very picky husband and my amazing cook of a mother-in-law for this pumpkin soup! Even my very picky friend Joy seems to have liked it enough to want to ask for the recipe (being a vegan, though, she had wanted to omit the chicken). So I’m sharing this little crowd-pleaser, hoping that your family and friends would love them as much as mine did.  Happy cooking!

PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients:

16 oz (2 cups) squash or pumpkin, peeled

2 medium carrots, peeled

1 medium potato, peeled

1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped

1 large red onion, finely chopped

1 chicken breast

4 oz (½ cup) cooking cream or all purpose cream

1 chicken cube

4 oz (1/2 cup) chopped cooked ham or fried bacon bits (optional)

Parsley (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

In a large pot, boil the squash/pumpkin, potatoes, carrots, and chicken breast in water. (You may boil the chicken breast separately, but to save time, I boil them together in one large pot). Make sure that the water is just enough that the ingredients are barely immersed in it (you will be using this water as chicken stock later, so the lesser the water, the better). 

Note the water level in this picture. Just enough to immerse the ingredients

Remove from heat when all the ingredients are well-cooked.  Set aside the water used to boil the chicken.

Voila! You just made chicken and vegetable stock!

2   When the boiled chicken has cooled, take the meat off the bone and shred into thin strips. (I use my fingers in this process; just make sure you have clean hands)

Pumpkin soup: boiled chicken shredded into thin strips

3.      Puree the boiled vegetables in a blender. You may add ½ cup of the chicken stock (the water you used to boil the chicken) and a dash of salt and pepper.

pumpkin soup: mashing the veggies with a blender

      If a blender is not available, you may manually mash the vegetables using a fork until there are practically no solid chunks remaining.

pumpkin soup: i know i said "fork", but...you can use whatever you want,
so long as the veggies get mashed well

4.      Place the pureed vegetables back into the pot containing the water you used for boiling.   

  

   Add the cheese, chicken cube, celery, onions, and ham/bacon.  Simmer under low heat for 5-10 minutes. Stir well.

5  
Add the cream and mix until the cream is well integrated into the soup. Season with salt and pepper. 

 Remove from heat. Garnish with pasley on top before serving. 

pumpkin soup: add parsley all over as a finishing touch