This soup is one of Deborah Durst’s favorites! She uses a few spices and one secret ingredient (because it has everything already in it!) to achieve a delicious Thai-inspired Pumpkin Soup. We hope you love it, too!

If you don’t have a sugar pie pumpkin, a butternut or kabocha would make a fine substitute.

Ingredients:

2 lb pumpkin, cubed

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium/large yellow onion

1 clove of garlic, peeled & crushed

1 tsp ground ginger (or to taste)

1 tsp ground cumin (or to taste)

4 cups chicken stock

1 14 oz can coconut ginger soup

salt

pepper

Optional toppings:

Cilantro leaves

Yogurt or sour cream

Method:

Prepare your pumpkin: using a vegetable peeler or sharp knife, remove the hard skin of the pumpkin, then remove the seeds from the cavity (this is really easy to do with a spoon - save the seeds for roasting!), once the pumpkin is peeled and deseeded, cube the flesh into 1” cubes. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic to pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, fragrant and slightly translucent (about 10 minutes). Add ginger and cumin, stir to coat onions and garlic, and cook for about 3 more minutes.

Add pumpkin and stock to the pan, salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to maintain a gentle simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender.

Let mixture cool slightly before transferring to a blender or food processor (if you use an inversion blender, dive right in!). Puree soup and return to the pot.

Add coconut ginger soup to the mixture, stir to combine, and return to the heat until warmed through and flavors have melded.

Serve in bowls with a swirl of yogurt or sour cream and cilantro leaves.