Silky smooth and delicately spiced, this pumpkin cream soup is one of those fantastic recipes that yields an amazingly delicious dish with very minimal effort.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Produce-wise, all there is to prep is a small white onion and a single garlic clove. Though you'll want the size of each to be fairly uniform so they cook evenly, everything is eventually getting pureed together, so your chop job needn't be aesthetically perfect. And while there are definitely dishes that command the use of a fresh pumpkin, this is not one of them. Just be sure to buy a can of pure pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling.
Make ahead
This creamy pumpkin soup is even better if it's made a day ahead of time. Just refrigerate overnight, reheat on the stovetop, and garnish immediately before serving.
Ingredients
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3 tablespoons unsalted butter
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1 small white onion, chopped
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1 garlic clove, minced
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1 tablespoon firmly packed light brown sugar
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1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon white pepper
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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
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1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
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1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin puree
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3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
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Kosher salt
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1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
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Crème fraîche, for garnish (optional)
Directions
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Diana Chistruga
Gather the ingredients.
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Diana Chistruga
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter is just beginning to brown, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, sugar, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne pepper and cook for 3 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
Stir in the pumpkin puree and broth, season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
Stir in the cream and let cool for 10 minutes.
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Diana Chistruga
Transfer the soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender in the pot) and puree until smooth. If needed, add additional water or broth to reach desired consistency. Return the mixture to the pot or a large saucepan.
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Diana Chistruga
Serve warm and drizzle with crème fraîche.