Curried Coconut Pumpkin Soup

with Optional Apple Grilled Cheese Dippers

Ingredients:

  • 2 Cans pumpkin puree 15 oz. each (not pie filling, but if you’re feeling fancy or happen to have a pumpkin patch, you can freshly roast 3.5-4 C. pumpkin flesh)

  • 1 Can white beans (i.e. Canellini, Navy, well rinsed, don’t worry, we will be pureeing the soup so you or your picky eaters won’t even know they are in there providing the smooth creamy texture and protein)

  • 1 Onion, chopped

  • 2 carrots, chopped

  • 2-4 Tbsp. butter (or coconut oil, avocado oil with soup, use butter or alternative for dippers)

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1-2 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger, some like it hot

  • 1-2 Tbsp. curry powder (mild, unless you prefer the heat)

  • 2 tsp. Garam masala spice blend, or 2 tsp. Cumin, 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, ⅛ tsp nutmeg

  • 2 C. broth of choice (chicken or vegetable, low sodium if conscious with salt intake, add more broth as needed to thin out to desired consistency)

  • 1 can coconut milk (13.5 oz. not the refrigerated type)

  • Grilled Cheese: 4 slices whole grain or sourdough bread, 1 apple thinly sliced, and 1 C. shredded cheese of choice (like cheddar or gruyere) 

  • Optional: Pumpkin seeds for garnish

  • Salt and pepper to taste after cooking

Instructions:

  1. Heat pot over medium heat and melt butter. Add onions and cook ~2 minutes or until translucent/beginning to brown. Add carrots and stir, only add a splash of stock if veggies are beginning to stick to the pot. Add garlic and ginger and stir. Add the curry powder, garam masala or nutmeg, cumin and cinnamon.

  2. Stir in the pumpkin, followed by the stock and coconut milk. Add in beans. Stir and scrape any of the flavorful bits from the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let everything simmer for 20-25 minutes. Stir frequently.

  3. While the soup is cooking, assemble gruyere apple grilled cheese dippers: butter 1 side of each slice of bread and arrange apples and cheese, cook butter side up to come in contact w/ pan on medium heat for 30 seconds to a minute then flip and cook for another minute or until the cheese melts.

  4. After cooled, slice into rectangular pieces to dip in soup.

  5. **Carefully** blend soup with an immersion blender -or- allow to cool some and then transfer to a blender or food processor to puree in small batches.

  6. Season with salt and pepper. 

    Tip: measure out the spices ahead of time so they are ready to add quickly.

    Pumpkin, or butternut squash (likely if using canned “pumpkin”) is high in beta carotene, a carotenoid antioxidant that is a precursor to Vitamin A, which is important for skin and eye health. Vitamin A is fat soluble, so adding coconut milk and oil or butter helps us absorb this nutrient.