Meatless Monday - Pumpkin Soup

It's fall though you wouldn't know it by the temperatures here in Houston, Texas. With fall comes the yummy goodness that is comfort food. Hearty soups, stews, casseroles and breads are the order of the day.

I made the first of my fall favorites on Thursday night after work. If you ever need a quick meal run don't walk for soup.

I adapted this recipe from the October 2009 Southern Living magazine. Their recipe called for half & half and chicken stock. I wanted to lighten it up, make it vegetarian and add some protein. Oh, and it had to be yummy and filling.

Yummy as in eating the guts out of a pumpkin pie and leaving the crust, yummy.
Filling as in stand alone as a meal filling.
Done and Done

Pumpkin Soup

1 - 15 oz. can pumpkin, the kind you buy for pie
1 - 12 oz package frozen cooked squash.
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium-size sweet onion, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped. you can substitute dried but cut back to 1 teaspoon.
2 cups vegetable broth
7 ounces or 1/2 carton of soft tofu
1 cup non-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
4 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste


1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme; saute 1 minute more. Sniff the air. Yeah, that is one of the best smells. But wait, it gets better.

2. Stir in broth, pumpkin, squash and tofu. Increase heat to medium-high to bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool, about 10 minutes.

3. Process soup in small batches, either in a blender or food processor. Or do what I did. Stick your immersion (stick or hand-held, whatever you call it) blender right in the pot. Blend until smooth. If you took the soup out of the pot, stick it right back in. Stir in milk and all the remaining ingredients. Cook, over low heat, stirring often for about 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Taste. Adjust seasonings if needed. Serve.

Serves 4 healthy sized servings.

I served this to my friend Sally last night and she loved it. She had never had pumpkin soup before. Give it a try. It makes a wonderful Meatless Monday meal.

Bonus for me this week is that the Spin Cycle is comfort food recipe week. I try to participate in the Spin Cycle over at Sprite's Keeper but since I'm fairly lazy as well as lame I just don't participate as often I should. This week I'm gold. Woo Hoo.

Love,
M