
State Plate Recipe: New Hampshire Pumpkin Soup
Rooted in the Land
A good deal of New Hampshire is rural. We know what that means: Food! From doughnuts, pies, jams and jellies, to seafood and beef, to hunting deer and moose, you’re never far from a hearty meal or sweet snack in The Granite State.
Here’s a creamy pumpkin soup that will satisfy your craving for comfort food. It can be whipped up in a relatively short amount of time. You can enjoy it as an appetizing starter, or make a meal of it. And you can make this basic recipe your “own,” adding your favorite spices and toppings to give it a personal touch. We’ve offered a few suggestions and ideas at the end.
Easy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 3 cups carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 onion, medium, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
- 2 pats butter
- 2 cans chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for a vegetarian soup)
- 3 cups canned pumpkin (peeled, seedless and diced)
- 12 oz. evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 1/4 tsp. salt (more or less to taste)
- 1/8 tsp pepper (more or less to taste)
Directions
- Melt butter in a saucepan.
- Add the carrots, onions, celery and garlic and cook on medium heat, about 5 minutes, until tender.
- Add the pumpkin and chicken or veggie broth.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat, and cover. Simmer the mixture for about 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft.
- When done, remove from heat and allow it to cool a bit.
- Pour the contents of the pot into a blender and puree until creamy smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into the saucepan, adding the evaporated milk, water (or if you’d like, additional broth) and spices.
- Cook on medium heat until hot, stirring occasionally.
- Serve hot.
Tasty Options
Spice up your soup! Experiment with any of these flavors—perhaps, not all at once!
Top with…
- Nuts
- Pumpkin seeds
- Chopped parsley (or other favorite herbs)
- Shredded Asiago or Parmesan cheese
- Croutons
- Nutmeg
- Sour cream, heavy cream, Greek yogurt
Make it Sweet or Make it Savory!
Pumpkin any way you like it
- Hot sauce (or cayenne pepper)
- Brown sugar
- Apple cider
- Flour (to thicken)
- Butternut squash chunks, cooked
- Ground ginger
- Curry, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and coconut milk
Serving Suggestions
This is a versatile soup, so almost anything goes, but it’s best to balance the creamy with the crunchy!
- Enjoy it with crusty, buttered bread, such as a French baguette, Italian ciabatta, or a rustic hard dinner roll.
- Add a hard cheese, such as cheddar, on the side.
- Serve with a tasty green salad including bleu cheese (or other cheese, if you don’t like the strong flavor), diced apples, dried cranberries, nuts or pumpkin seeds and a simple balsamic dressing.
- Make a meal of it and serve with baked chicken or your favorite sandwiches, and sip water, apple cider or Chardonnay with your meal.
PRINT THE RECIPE HERE