Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Paprika Recipe

Try this delicious creamy pumpkin soup recipe that pairs perfectly with a crusty garlic bread. Look for sugar pumpkins or Japanese kabocha pumpkins to roast as normal store pumpkins aren’t always meant for cooking.

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Roasting pumpkin time: 1 hour
Yield: Serves 8

Ingredients

• 4-5 pounds of cooking pumpkins, or 3 (15-ounce) cans of pumpkin purée
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped, about 2 cups
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 to 3 teaspoons smoked paprika, more or less to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 large tart green apple (Granny Smith) peeled, cored, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option, and gluten-free broth for gluten-free version)
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup cream
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• Handful of toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) for garnish

Directions

1. Roast the squash: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cut your pumpkin(s) in half, and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff (an ice cream scoop works well for this purpose). Lay the halves face down on a foil or silicone lined baking sheet and bake until soft, about 45 min to an hour.
   Cool, remove the peel, scoop out the flesh. You’ll need 6 cups roasted pumpkin for this recipe; freeze whatever you don’t use for future use.
2. Cook the onions with the seasonings: Melt butter in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 4 minutes.
   Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add smoked paprika, ground cumin, and cayenne and stir for a minute more.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer: Add the chopped apple, pumpkin, broth, water, thyme, and ground sage. Mix well with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper.
   Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer for 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through.
4. Purée the soup: Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender or a food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Alternatively, use an immersion blender to purée.
   If you want extra smooth soup, pass the purée through a food mill, after it’s been through the blender.
5. Stir in the milk and cream: Return the soup to the saucepan over low heat. Slowly add the milk and cream, stirring to incorporate.
   Taste and add additional salt or other seasonings if needed.
6. Serve! Sprinkle with toasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds) and a little more smoked paprika to serve.
   This soup can be made a day ahead. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for about a week, or frozen for up to three months.

Source: Simply Recipes