Daddy's Pumpkin Soup

At my elementary school, there was a pumpkin patch that the Dads' Club ran to raise money for the school every year. We would be left afterward with about 12 dozen pumpkins. So my dad would search for things to make or do with them. He found this soup, which is now my favorite Halloween tradition.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 60 mins
• Calories: 199 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 4 cups water
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cube chicken bouillon
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 (3 pound) pumpkins - seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine the pumpkin, water, and chicken bouillon cube in a soup pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in the chili powder. Pour the mixture into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the pumpkin mixture moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.

Step 2

Return the soup to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat; stir in the cream, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, and orange zest and simmer for 10 more minutes. Return the hot soup to the blender and puree as before.