Spicy Pumpkin Soup

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My Spicy Pumpkin Soup is one of my favorite New England fall recipes! I blend sweet pumpkin and spicy chipotle peppers for warming supper ready in 30 minutes. It's garnished with pepitas and sour cream.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Comfort Food, Fall Dish, Halloween, Lunch, Soup, Winter Dishes

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 142kcal

Author: Nancy Mock

Ingredients

2½ tablespoons vegetable oil
1½ cups diced onion (such as yellow, white, or Vidalia onions)
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
29 ounces solid pumpkin purée
1 whole chipotle pepper (from a can of chipotle peppers)
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper sauce (from can of chipotle peppers)
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
optional toppings, like sour cream, pepitas, dried cranberries, croutons, toasted breadcrumbs, or grated cheese like cheddar or Monterey jack

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sauté the aromatics:

Heat the 2½ tablespoons vegetable oil in a stock pot or large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in the 1½ cups diced onion
Sauté the onion, stirring often for about 5 minutes, until it's translucent and softened. Stir in 3 cloves garlic, minced; sauté and stir the vegetables for another minute.

Add the other ingredients:

Add in 5 cups chicken stock, 2 cups water, 29 ounces solid pumpkin purée, 1 whole chipotle pepper, and 1 tablespoon chipotle pepper sauce Stir to combine the ingredients.
Note: For a less spicy soup, you can use just half of a chipotle pepper, or omit it and use just the sauce instead.
Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-high. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup is beginning to thicken.
Remove the pot from the heat. Remove the pepper from the soup and discard.

Purée the soup:

Purée the soup by pouring it into a mixer (in batches if necessary) and blending the soup until smooth. (Remove the cap from the lid of the blender and cover the opening with a kitchen towel, so that steam can escape and your hand is protected.)
Another option is to use an immersion, or stick, blender to purée the soup right in the pot. Move the stick blender all around to completely process the soup.
Note: For a spicier soup, you can purée in some or all of the chipotle pepper.
Return the soup to the stock pot, and stir in the 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Taste the soup; add more salt and pepper if needed.

Garnish and serve:

Ladle the Chipotle Pumpkin Soup into bowls or soup crocks. Top them with optional toppings, like sour cream, pepitas, dried cranberries, croutons, toasted breadcrumbs, or grated cheese like cheddar or Monterey jack
Tip: Thin the sour cream with a little cream or milk and you'll be able to drizzle it into the soup, or make decorative swirls on the surface.
Another idea perfect for fall is to ladle the soup into small, hollowed out, sugar pie pumpkins, then add the garnishes.
Serve the soup while it's hot.
Makes about 7 to 7½ cups of soup.

To store:

Once the chipotle pumpkin soup is cool, cover the pot tightly or transfer the soup to covered food storage containers.
Refrigerate chipotle pumpkin soup for up to one week.

To freeze the soup:

Transfer the cooled Chipotle Pumpkin Soup to a freezer proof container or containers, leaving room at the top for expansion.
Freeze the soup for up to three months. Allow it to thaw in the fridge before reheating.

Notes

Chipotle peppers pack a lot of heat, so it doesn't take much to give this pumpkin soup a spicy kick. To make it less spicy, I remove the whole pepper after simmering. To make it hotter, you can purée some of the whole pepper into the soup.
Sour cream is a delicious topping for this soup, balancing the heat with its creamy, cool flavor. You can thin the sour cream with a little cream or milk; that way you'll be able to drizzle it into the soup, or make decorative swirls on the surface.

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