Here’s the thing about this Creamy Pumpkin Soup recipe.
I’m not sure how I feel about it.
After my 11 mile training run on Monday, I couldn’t get this soup down fast enough.
I was cold, I was clammy, and I needed food. I ended up doing half of my long run on the treadmill and then hitting the road for the last half (for my sanity!), finishing 11 miles in 1 hour 50 minutes and change. It was a difficult run and I struggled with endurance greatly after mile 9. The run dragged on and on. At this point in my training, it’s still hard for me to believe that last year I ran 13.1 miles in almost the same amount of time (1:55:10)! I definitely do not feel trained to that level right now, but that just gives me something to train for this Spring! I’m currently eying the Marden Half (or possibly the 10k) at the beginning of April. Anyone running it?
When I returned from my run, I was feeling cold because it was drizzling outside and this soup really hit the spot. I oohed and awwed while I devoured it over a bowl full of hot couscous.
Fast forward to leftovers for dinner.
I thought the soup was still good, but it wasn’t as amazing as I remembered it to be when I was so hungry I could eat the fridge. Note to self: Never judge a recipe based on how you feel after an 11 mile run. ;) Eric also thought it left a lot to be desired (‘it needs more spices’- he claimed), but I thought I would post the recipe because I think it is a great template for you to play around with!
Next time, I will certainly double all of the spices because I agree with Eric, it was a bit bland. It may have been because I used a sad vegetable bouillon cube to make broth and the original recipe called for vegetable stock, preferably the homemade kind using fresh vegetables. I have a feeling that if I used a flavourful broth or a nice thick stock, this soup would have been taken to a new level. I did love how creamy this soup is thanks to the cashew cream sauce that I added at the last minute. The cashew cream sauce really took this soup to a a new level of comfort, satiety, and thickness and I would definitely recommend it!
Moral of the story: This is a decent soup, but it needs a bit of tweaking. Play around with the recipe and then let me know what you come up with! :)
Oh She Glows
Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Couscous
Adapted from The Vegan Table Cookbook.
Yield: ~4 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, peeled & chopped finely
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp ground tumeric* (see note below about spices)
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/8th tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional- gives a slightly cheesy flavour)
- 2 cups vegetable stock (store bought or homemade)
- 1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz) or 2 cups fresh, pureed
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup (next time I may reduce this to 1 tbsp)
- Juice from half a lemon (2 tbsp), or to taste
- Cashew cream sauce (1 cup soaked cashews blended with 1/2 cup non-dairy milk) OR 1 cup non-dairy milk (it won’t be creamy if you use milk though)
- 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste + fresh black pepper
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet and add in the chopped onion and garlic. Cook on low to medium heat for about 5 minutes being careful not to burn. Add all the spices and stir well. Heat for a couple minutes on low.
2. Now add in vegetable stock, pumpkin puree, maple syrup, and lemon juice. Stir well. Simmer on low-medium heat for 15 minutes.
3. Make the cashew cream sauce by blending 1 cup of cashews that have soaked in water for at least 1 hour (this helps them blend better). Add in 1/2 cup of milk into the blender and blend until smooth. Scoop out and add 3/4 of this cashew sauce into the soup. Stir and reserve the rest for garnish on top of the bowl. Heat for another 5 minutes and then serve immediately over your favourite grain or with bread. Sprinkle with Pepita seeds if desired. Makes about 4 cups.
Note: We thought this soup was bland for our taste. Next time I would double the spices. I also think I would reduce the maple syrup to 1 tbsp as the sweetness tasted a bit strange to me. Adjust this soup to your taste and add the seasonings, lemon, and maple syrup slowly to taste.
Do the sauté thang.
Assemble your spices…
I love having Tumeric after a long run because it is supposed to have an anti-inflammatory effect! I like to think it helps my sore limbs.
Mix well.
Add in the lemon, maple syrup, and pumpkin.
And vegetable stock. Simmer on low-medium for 15 minutes.
Make your cashew cream sauce.
Add 3/4 of it to the soup.
Serve piping hot over your favourite grain.
I served it over a bowl of couscous and I sprinkled on some Pepita seeds for some crunch.
All in all a decent soup, but it needs some minor adjustments. If you end up making it, let me know how you like it and if you make any tweaks to the recipe.
Update: A couple of you suggested adding some curry powder to this soup…I think that might help amp it up a little!
Breakfast the next day was more pumpkin!
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
That looks so good! I have leftover quinoa that I think might work with this, too! Yum :D
The soup looks gorgeous and packed with good stuff! Love its color! I can definitely see it hitting the spot after a cold, long run! :)
Mmm, I’ve been missing pumpkin! I’m one of those people that always adds more spice than the recipe calls for, lol.
I just tried the Avocado pasta and shared it in my blog, with a link to you, and a few pictures!(I couldn’t comment on the actual post in your blog)
here’s the link:
http://blog.fanikphotography.com/2011/03/02/food-photographer-dubai/
I’m a baby photographer and I’m not a fan of blog surfing! but found your blog truly functional, and yummy! Thanks!
It may need a “little something” but it sure LOOKS great in the photos. I’d love to hear how people tweak it if they do! Have a great day.
sorry, here is the link:
http://blog.fanikphotography.com/2011/03/02/simple-green-food-food-photography/
Have you tried this soup? Of course, you would have to veganize it by using a butter substitute and veggie broth:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Thai-Pumpkin-Soup/Detail.aspx
I live in Thailand, I will say that it is not very Thai because Thai people don’t generally cook with butter, but the flavors are Thai-esque and very good. Maybe you could try a pumpkin soup variation with coconut milk and lemongrass.
yum! Thanks for the link.
PUMKPIN soup?! Sounds AMAZING!! Looks great too!! I THINK I still have one can stashed somewhere…time for a Libby’s hunt I think!! :P
I made the same type of soup a few weeks ago with tomatoes and cashew cream and I felt it was just bleh good but not great thanks for the recipe I cant wait to play around with it!
it is a bit hard to get a pumpkin soup flavour perfect isn’t it?
yes! I feel that way with a lot of creamy vegan soups though.
looks a little thick for soup! but definitely looks good over couscous
Looks like a great base. I’d add some jalapenos and roasted red peppers to amp it up (I’m a spice addict!).
I made pumpkin ice cream the other day with cashews. I wonder how that would play in the soup?
I am sitting here as I eat my pumpkin oats and this soup looks delicious! I definitely love some spice in soup, and even add a lil hot sauce to top off my split pea…maybe some chipotles in adobo sauce mixed with the cashew cream would be good. I made some from “the conscious cook” and loved it on top! It was nice and smoky.
Mmmm….that looks so creamy and delicious and divine! :-)
I always like my recipes more when I’m hungry than when I’m not! It still looks good to me!
It sure looks great! I love your honesty. :-)
Well, even if the soup was bland, it certainly looks good! I’m just happy to see a pumpkin recipe! It seems everyone embraces pumpkin in the fall but forget about after the holidays are over, and I like to eat pumpkin all year round.
Well it certainly looks good! The perfect soup for yet another cold snap that we find ourselves in. I’d love to hear if you are able to tweak it to perfection b/c it’s definitely a soup I’d like to try!
This soup looks great! Definitely something that I could easily tweak to my liking! :)
omg this looks awesome!!!
This post made me miss pumpkin =[
looks like i’ll be making this one some time soon!
This sounds interesting – and tasty! I’m the same way after long runs – I’ll pretty much eat anything!!
I am sure all the training will pay off come April.
I am running the Mississauga 1/2 in May and I am hoping to PR so I have been focusing on getting outside when I can but otherwise its the treadmill for me too!!
Hey, I’ll take any ‘decent’ soup as long as it involves pumpkin! :)
Well regardless if the soup I live the idea if soup over couscous…perfect combo if textures!
Mmm I love your recipes. The color is fantastic.
I like the idea of pouring soup over grains. It’s like a thick vegetable sauce. Mmm.
I have been living off a series of butternut squash soups very similar to this one. I would add 2 tbsp. of curry powder along with all the individual spices. And pumpkin is move watery-fleshed and less intensely flavoured than squash, so might require even more spice than that.
A cheat I do for creaminess in pureed soups is to cook a diced potato in with the vegs.
great tips thanks!!
Yum! I think this soup looks fanTAStic!!! But– I definitely know what you mean! Sometimes my hunger tricks me into thinking that something is the BEST. MEAL. EVER. And then, I’ll make it again, and think, “Hmmm…well, this is okay.”
hahah yup!
Don’t get down on that one run! Everyone had “bad” running days – I have them OFTEN. But when it’s race day, your adrenaline will carry you through and pump up that speed. :)
I sure hope so…not to mention the hills played a huge factor in my tiredness too!
Hi Angela, Ive been following your blog for a little while now and I absolutely love it. Its about -30 in Alberta right now and I have been living off squash and sweet potato based soups. I think something that could really help this soup out would be curry powder!
Wow, your soup with couscous looks amazing! I love pumpkin in any way! Perhaps more of the spices are needed to amp up the flavor!
What a perfect way to use my leftover cans of pumpkin from the fall! Loveee:)
It looks mighty tasty to me! I totally understand where you’re coming from on the meals after a workout. I whip together the oddest meals after a long run or spin session… they never ever look like this though!
haha I made the soup beforehand…that is key!
Yep, we eat some weeeeird stuff when we’re hungry! I will tear through some craziness, go to eat it later, and go…”erm, faith? What did you just eat?”
Mmmm … I was wondering what I’d have for dinner tonight. I have about a 3/4 can of pumpkin in the fridge that would be perfect for this. I think I’ll serve mine over quinoa. Thanks!
Mmmm I love turmeric! And this still looks good to ME! hahaha. But I agree. Groceries and eating when ravenous, is not a good caliber for taste accuracy. :P
Wooohooo! Glad to see pumpkin again:)
I realized it has been months since I did my pumpkin hiatus! Crazy that I just now started craving it again
I can just imagine the beautiful marriage of pumpkin and couscous now.
What a great texture combination
I think the soup looks wonderful and the pics are stunning. I think you should submit these pics. You never know WHAT they will take…maybe they will take the pics, even if you feel the recipe itself is sub-par. Now THAT would be LOL and comical but i bet it could happen…you should try! haha!
Ok this “Eric also thought it left a lot to be desired”–If Scott ever told me that, I think I would slap him. He better just nod and smile and tell me it’s wonderful. It’s like the age-old, “honey do I look fat in this dress?” question…the only way to answer that one is to say, you look beautiful :) Just like your soup…it looks and tastes beautiful :)
haha I BEG Eric to tell me his honest opinion!!! It helps when I write up the review. I hate when he tells me he likes it when I can tell that he is iffy on it. We always say if things are ‘in the vault’- meaning we’d make it again and again and this one was not in the vault, haha.
PS- I did submit to tastespotting!
I think it looks glorious! A few more spices and you’re good to go!