Easy Pumpkin Curry Coconut Soup

On Saturday I enjoyed going to a Soup Party given by Kalyn Denny of Kalyn’skitchen.com. Some of us brought soups, bread and cheese to share. It was fun to sample the variety of soups. I especially liked one with turkey and barley, because the barley always adds a little chewy texture.

I tweaked the Harvest Pumpkin Soup recipe found in my cookbook, “Soup’s On!” to make Easy Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup. It’s SO easy because there’s no peeling, chopping or other prep work involved! You can make it on the stovetop in about 25-30 minutes. But you can also make it in a slow cooker (which I did for the party), or even in the microwave.

My Harvest Pumpkin Soup contains cheddar cheese and cream. I came up with this version using coconut milk for a friend who can’t eat dairy.  It’s honestly a strange combination — bacon, coconut milk, pumpkin, and curry — who knew?  But I really like the overall flavor.

EASY PUMPKIN COCONUT CURRY SOUP

Makes 6 1-1/2 cup servings.

Prep time: 30 minutes

5 cups chicken broth

1 29-ounce can pureed pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie mix)

1/4 cup dried chopped onion

3/4 cup cooked, crumbled real bacon bits (you can usually find these near the salad dressings in supermarkets. I really like the brand sold at Costco.)

1 14-ounce can coconut milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Pour the chicken broth into a stockpot over high heat (or place in a slow cooker, if using).

Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well.

When soup comes to a gentle boil, turn down the heat to medium low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat. Blend with an immersion blender until soup is smooth. Or, puree in two batches in a stand blender.  (You will need to do two batches, because if you turn on a blender filled to the top with hot liquid, it will erupt like a volcano in your kitchen.)