Pumpkin Soup

I love this soup. It's sooo good. Pumpkin soup can be served in individual, small pumpkins or one large pumpkin, your choice. 

Pumpkin Soup, serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 small pumpkins, hollowed or one large pumpkin, hollowed
• 3 cups fresh pumpkin "meat", cut into 1 inch or so chunks (a 3 lb pumpkin should give you about 2 cups)
• 2 white onions, chopped
• 2 TBS chopped garlic
• Finely grated rind & juice of one orange
• 3 TBS olive oil
• 3 TBS fresh thyme, chopped (stalks removed)
• 2/3 cup 2% milk
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 2 TBS cornstarch 

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To cook hollowed pumpkins, place pumpkins (or pumpkin) on a large cookie sheet or casserole dish lined with parchment paper. Place in preheated oven & cook for 1 hour. If  pumpkins can be pierced easily with a fork or knife. If not, continue cooking & check every 15 minutes.

Set cooked pumpkins aside. In a large soup pot, heat olive oil. Add chopped onions & cook over medium heat until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & chopped pumpkin meat. Cook another 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.

Add vegetable stock, orange rind  & juice to pan. Simmer over medium/low heat for 10 minutes. Add 2 TBS thyme & simmer for 10 minutes or until pumpkin pieces are tender.

Remove from heat & cool slightly. Puree mixture in food processor or use a hand mixer/processor. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Return soup to pot & add milk & cornstarch. Heat until boiling. Reduce heat & simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour the soup into cooked pumpkins, top with remaining TBS thyme.  Serve & enjoy! NOTE: Be scrape the walls of the pumpkin "bowl" while eating to add extra pumpkin meat to your soup. Delicious!!!