Directions
Get ready, folks. I went to Costco yesterday and was forced (you know how they are…) to purchase a six-pack of canned pumpkin. I have pumpkin coming out of my ears now, but I’m banking on you guys really enjoying fall flavors. I have a love affair with pumpkin every fall, so why shouldn’t you?
This soup alone is a good reason to keep some canned pumpkin on hand. My entire family loved this twist on traditional, creamy, pumpkin/squash soup. It was so easy to throw together, and was packed with so much flavor, that it may turn into my go-to soup once the weather turns chilly. Plus, with just a little bit of spice, and a decent vitamin kick from some citrus and mango, it would work wonders on a nasty cold.
I started by pouring two cans of chicken broth, one can of mango nectar and one can of pumpkin into a large saucepan.
**Shopping Tip: Whenever I’ve needed Mango Nectar for a recipe, I’ve always found it wedged somewhere in the Hispanic/Asian food aisle of the grocery store. You’d think it would be with the juices, but they keep it apart from the others, for some reason.
I stirred all of that together and let it come to a boil. Then, I reduced the heat, covered the pot, and let the mixture simmer for ten minutes.
As it was simmering, I got my aromatics together. I measured out some creamy peanut butter, grated some ginger and fresh orange zest, and minced a clove of garlic.
Once the soup had simmered for ten minutes, I removed 1 cup of the mixture and poured it into my blender. Then, I blended it up with the peanut butter until it was nice and creamy smooth.
I stirred the pumpkin-peanut butter mixture back into the soup, which turned it into a beautifully creamy concoction, and then added my ginger, orange zest, garlic, a dash of red pepper flakes, and a couple of tablespoons of rice vinegar. I let the flavors come together for a few minutes, and then we were ready to eat!
When I served the soup, I sprinkled the top with some chopped cilantro and some shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds.
This soup was so good. We were all ooohing and aaahing at the flavor. It looks simple enough, but there’s a lot going on in there! Chalk this up as the first pumpkin recipe success story of the fall. Based on my pantry, you’re going to see many more!
THAI STYLE PUMPKIN SOUP
Adapted from Cooking Light
- 2 (14.5 oz.) cans fat-free chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
- 1 (12 oz.) can Mango Nectar
- 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. grated, peeled fresh ginger
- 1/2 tsp. grated orange zest
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- chopped fresh cilantro and pumpkin seeds for garnish
- Combine the chicken broth, pumpkin, and mango nectar in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- As the soup simmers, prep the rest of your ingredients.
- After the ten minutes, remove 1 cup of the soup and pour it into a blender. Add the peanut butter, and blend until smooth. Add this mixture back into the soup pot and stir it in.
- Stir in the vinegar, ginger, orange zest, red pepper, and garlic.
- Cook for 3 more minutes, allowing the flavors to come together.
- Serve, garnished with chopped fresh cilantro and shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds.
- ENJOY!
