Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Cayenne Pecans

Autumn in a bowl, that’s what this dish is – and it is unbelievably simple.  You’ll want to make some of this to enjoy snuggled up on the sofa with your sweetie. I made this over the past weekend when I went on a fall flavors cooking binge. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes, but it tastes like it cooked on the stove all day.

Recipe Source: Fast Food My Way, Jacques Pepin (one of my favorite cookbooks of all time)

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 cup chopped celery
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 15oz can pumpkin puree
sour cream (garnish)
1 cup pecan halves
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, saute the chopped vegetables in olive oil for 3-5 minutes to soften. Season generously with salt & pepper. Add in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes then stir in the pumpkin puree. Boil another 5-8 minutes. Using an immersion blender or food processor, blend soup until smooth.

Spray pecan halves with non stick spray, sprinkle with cayenne pepper and toss with your hands to coat evenly. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes.

At serving time, add a dollop of sour cream and a few of the toasted cayenne pecans. Will keep in the fridge for a few days. Freezes well.

5 Responses to “Pumpkin Soup with Toasted Cayenne Pecans”

1. Maggie [The Freckled Citizen] says:

   October 3, 2011 at 5:52 pm

   Oh my! I will ABSOLUTELY be making this soup!

   Reply
2. Ally Garner says:

   October 3, 2011 at 6:16 pm

   My biggest worry is that i’ll eat the cayenne pecans before they ever make it in the soup. Yum! I’ll be making those pronto for snacks. The pumpkin soup looks delicious. And yay for an excuse to finally use my immersion blender

   Reply
3. amy @ fearless homemaker says:

   October 4, 2011 at 8:30 am

   this looks delicious + the toasted cayenne pecans are a wonderful addition. i’m with ally, though – i’d probably eat them all before they ever made it near the soup!

   Reply
4. Ellen says:

   October 6, 2011 at 5:32 pm

   I absolutely love this time of year because that’s when the pumpkins are here! This soup looks delish.

   Reply
5. lisaiscooking says:

   October 9, 2011 at 1:51 pm

   Clearly, I need to spend more time with that book. The pecans on top look so great!.

   Reply