Pumpkin Soup
This soup is pumpkin pie’s savory twin and just as satisfying without the guilt - the soup itself is vegan, but couldn’t be creamier. (Note that you can make the cornbread vegan if you’d like a fully vegan meal). Getting a hardy spoonful of the cornbread and soup together is my favorite way to eat this. The sage warms everything up, making it the perfect comfort food.
I N G R E D I E N T S
For the soup:
1 medium baking pumpkin, seeded and cut in 2” chunks
1 large (or 2 medium) onion, roughly chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, peeled
4 tbsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
5 whole fresh sage leaves (or 1 tsp dry)
Optional: roasted pumpkin seeds
For the cornbread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup neutral oil or melted butter
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh sage (or 2 tsp rubbed sage)
D I R E C T I O N S
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Rub pumpkin, onion, and garlic with olive oil and place on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until the pumpkin is easily punctured with a fork. Remove, cool until they can be handled, and purée the vegetables with coconut milk until smooth.
In a large deep skillet over medium-high heat, stir the vegetable stock into the purée, and the sage leaves, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the salt and nutmeg. Remove and discard the sage leaves.
While the soup simmers, prepare the cornbread by whisking the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder together. In a small bowl, beat the egg with the neutral oil or melted butter, milk, and sage.
Use a wooden spoon to gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry just until it comes together. It’s ok if there are still some lumps.
Pour the cornbread batter into an 8” round cake pan or 9”x9” pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until deep golden brown.
Serve the warm pumpkin soup with hunks of fresh-from-the-oven cornbread and (optionally) roasted pumpkin seeds.
