Friends, I have a pumpkin soup recipe for you that’s so good, it might make you forget the bread. It happened to me!

Let me explain: I love bread. I especially love the carefully-made, artisan bread from the bakery around the corner. I like to toast it and slather it with spreads and enjoy it with coffee and tea.

And doesn’t it also go so well with soup? The firmness and crunch makes toast perfect for dipping; a crispy edge becomes meltingly tender when it kisses a creamy soup.

I popped a slice in my toaster, fully intending to enjoy it alongside. But then I made the mistake of sitting down and having a spoonful… and then another… and another… andanotherandanotherandanother until the bowl was nearly empty! My lonely slice languished in the toaster.

I guess the short version is: this perfect friend for fall is so good, you won’t miss the bread! Curried pumpkin and sweet potato join real maple syrup and peanut butter with just the right amount of spice from fresh jalapeño. It’s everything you want in a bowl of creamy comfort. I hope you love it!

Curried pumpkin and sweet potato soup
Serves 4 – 8, depending on appetite!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons coconut, vegetable, or canola oil
• One extra-large (or two medium) yellow or sweet onion, diced small (2 cups)
• 2 cups carrots, chopped
• 6 cups sweet potatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tbsp minced jalapeño (from one good-sized fresh jalapeño)
• 1 tbsp freshly-minced ginger
• 2 tbsp good-quality curry powder
• 6 cups of flavorful, salted vegetable stock
  • (if unsalted, add 1 tsp salt to recipe, and more to taste)
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 15 ounce can pumpkin (no seasonings/holiday spices added! ingredients should be “pumpkin”)
• 1 14 ounce can coconut milk, full-fat
• 1 tbsp soy sauce (recipe can be made gluten-free if you use gluten-free tamari)
• 2 tbsp freshly-squeezed lemon juice, from one medium lemon
• optional: toppings: I used minced fresh chives and chopped peanuts in the picture above

Summary of some of the tools needed

A sharp knife; cutting board; gloves to wear while chopping jalapeño (trust me…); measuring cups and spoons; bowls for your mise en place (remember exercise zero?); a large pot; cooking spoon; a hand/immersion blender OR a blender

Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat.
Add onions and allow to cook over medium for about 5 minutes.
Add carrots and cook 5 more minutes.
Add sweet potatoes, mix well, cover, and cook 6 minutes.
Add jalapeño, ginger, and curry powder to the vegetables. Toss well to coat. Cook, covered, 1 minute.
Add six cups of stock to this mixture. Stir to make sure anything that might have stuck to the pan is scraped into the soup.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and simmer 10 minutes.
In a measuring cup or bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of peanut butter with about a cup of hot broth from the soup. Mix vigorously with a fork or whisk. At first, the mixture may seem to separate – this is normal! But after thirty seconds or so, it should become creamy. Whisk or mix with a fork until the mixture is creamy.
Add peanut butter mixture, maple syrup, pumpkin, coconut milk, and soy sauce to the pot. Mix well.
Use an immersion (hand) blender* to carefully purée the soup until it is silky.
Add fresh lemon juice and stir to combine.
Allow soup to sit for about 10 minutes so flavors can combine. Serve!

*If you don’t have an immersion blender, wait until the soup has cooled and then carefully transfer, in batches, to a blender to be pureed. You’ll have to be careful and you’ll have to do several batches, but it is totally doable. Once everything is pureed, return to a pot and add the lemon juice. Return soup to warm serving temperature and serve!

It’s great served fresh, but if you can believe it, it tastes even better the next day!