Meatless Monday: Curried Pumpkin Soup


Main Courses, Meatless, Soup / Monday, September 20th, 2010

I don’t get tempted by soup very often.

But once I saw the recipe for this Curried Pumpkin Soup, I had to make it. Pumpkin, mushrooms, onion, curry powder, vegetable broth, evaporated milk, honey, nutmeg. These were ingredients that would either create something wonderfully complex or a total abomination.

If you’ve ever made a bad soup, you know exactly what I mean.

But as I added each ingredient to the pot and watched the soup transform, I became more convinced that it was going to be something wonderful. A lovely, creamy, exotic concoction. And the most important ingredient was the one I feared the most, the curry powder. Curry powder can be as overpowering as pine-scented deodorant, but the half-teaspoon in this soup is just enough to marry the savoriness of the vegetables and broth with the sweetness of the pumpkin and honey and give this creamy soup a little edge.

Just right for a late-summer lunch in your flip-flops, dreaming of the fall.

Curried Pumpkin Soup

Adapted from “Taste of Home’s Big Book of Soup”

Makes 7 servings

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon curry powder
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin (or about 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree from pumpkin that has been roasted and drained for several hours)
  • 1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • Garnish: fresh chives (optional)
  1. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add mushrooms and onion. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. Stir in the flour and curry powder until blended.
  3. Gradually add the broth, stirring to combine. Bring the mixture just to a boil, and stir for 2 minutes, or until the mixture thickens.
  4. Stir in the pumpkin, milk, honey, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Heat through. Serve immediately. Garnish with chives, if desired.

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16 thoughts on “Meatless Monday: Curried Pumpkin Soup

  1. Do you have a source for canned pumpkin in Nashville? There's been a shortage for months and I can't find it anywhere….

    1. I've heard that it's at Aldi. During last year's shortage, I could still find pumpkin at Whole Foods. I plundered mine from my mom's pantry. She'd hoarded some from last year!

    1. You'd substitute 15 ounces of fresh pumpkin puree.

      Start by slicing the pumpkin in half and removing the seeds and pith. Then place each half cut-side down on a baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin at 350 for about 45 minutes, until the skin is loose and the pumpkin is soft. Let it cool for about 20 minutes.

      In the meantime, grab a colander and line it with paper towels or cheesecloth, and set the colander on a plate. Scoop the pumpkin flesh into the colander, and let it drain for a few hours in the refrigerator. The last step is to puree the pumpkin in a food processor or blender, and then it's ready to use.

      You could also use roasted butternut squash.

  2. My last attempt at a pumpkin soup was a complete abomination. It was over four years ago, and I still hate cumin thanks to that little experiment.
    This, however, looks amazing. And just perfect for our new fall weather! Thanks!

  3. I love curry powder, so this sounded good to me right off the bat. Thanks for the recipe. It will be one of half-dozen I'll be tryng in the coming weeks.

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