Pumpkin Soup to Remember

Four couples in our area, all with little ones the same age, have gotten together to host rotating dinners. We each fix dinner for the group once a month, and in turn we have a day a week that we don't have to cook at all. It has been a lot of fun getting together, enjoying a home cooked meal, and watching the kids play.

With everyone's dietary restrictions considered (mine being the trickiest), it's interesting to see what people come up with for dinner. They have all been very different so far, and all delicious! We hosted for the first time this week, just before Halloween. We love soup and have a couple good recipes that work for everyone, so we did a soup bar with salad and bread, and pumpkin muffins and spiced cider for dessert.

I have made pumpkin soup many times, but I did it a little differently for our baby dinner, and I do think it was an improvement! I want to remember what I did, and I'm sharing the new and improved recipe with you.

Pumpkin Soup to Remember

1 large onion, diced
drizzle of olive oil
1 large sugar pumpkin, peeled, seeded, and cubed
4-5 apples (I used Fuji), peeled, cored and diced
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 medium-sized jalapeno, diced
1/2 can coconut milk

In a large pot, sweat the onion in the olive oil over medium heat until it begins to turn clear. Add the pumpkin and apple and enough water to cover. Add the thyme, bay leaves, nutmeg, and jalapeno and bring to a simmer. Cook until apples and pumpkins soften. Remove the bay leaves. Remove pot from heat and use a stick blender (or carefully transfer to blender or food processer in batches) to puree the soup. On low heat, stir in 1/2 can of coconut milk and allow the flavors to combine.

Soup night was a success. It's nice to have our first baby dinner under our belt, and we're already coming up with ideas for next time.

Enjoy!