Pumpkin & Apple Soup

Perfect for fall days and chilly winter weekends, pumpkin and apple marry beautifully in this sensational soup. Make it extra special with the addition of toasted croutons, blue cheese crumbles and bacon crumbles.

Serves: 4
Difficulty: easy
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Diet: without garnishes, GF, Vegetarian (can be vegan with olive oil instead of butter)

Ingredients

2 lb pie pumpkin, roasted, seeded and peeled
4 oz butter
8 oz onions (1 med) diced
2 oz shallots (minced)
12 oz green apples, peeled and diced
8 c vegetable stock
½ c cider vinegar
1 t salt
1/8 t white pepper
1/8 t nutmeg
1 T fresh thyme sprigs, stems removed
1 c apple juice
toasted croutons, blue cheese crumbles, bacon crumbles, for garnish as desired

Steps

Split pumpkin top to bottom; remove seeds. Rub lightly with oil all over and place on parchment-lined sheet pan. Roast in 350° oven until soft throughout (a wooden pick will pierce easily). Cool to handle and remove skin. Set aside. Sauté onions and shallots in butter over medium heat until very soft, approx. 6 min. Add apples and cook until soft, approx. 2 min. Add pumpkin, stock, vinegar, spices and fresh thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 min. Puree with a stick blender or (carefully) do so in counter-top blender. Pass soup through a sieve back into pot, discarding any solids. Finish with apple juice. Serve hot and garnish with toasted croutons, blue cheese crumbles and/or bacon, as desired.