It’s rainy and cold{ish} outside, holiday laziness is kicking in, and Christmas movies are calling. What do you do? Make soup and paninis, that’s what. And when a certain family member declares she is hungry now, all-day slow-cooker stew is not an option. Thus, this quick yet amazingly delicious pumpkin soup is born.
Velvety smooth, creamy {without the cream}, deeply savory with just a hint of sweetness, filling, wholesome, and extremely quick and easy…I really love this soup.
ESPECIALLY when paired with soup’s best friend the panini. Cranberry fig-turkey bacon- fontina-spinach panini, that is. The sweet and tangy chutney pairs wonderfully with the smoky bacon and tender spinach, and that melty, buttery, nutty fontina brings it all home. Together with the soup you have a beautiful meal that brings in the best flavors of the season.
- 1 tsp EVOO
- chopped yellow or sweet onion (about 1/4 cup, more if desired)
- 1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic (1-2 cloves)
- 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 3/4 cup canned cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup canned pumpkin
- 1/3 cup 1% or 2% milk
- scant 1 tsp maple syrup
- sea salt and black pepper to taste*
- Heat EVOO in a small/medium saucepan. Add onion and sauté a couple minutes, until tender and translucent.
- Stir in garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and cook about 1 minute longer, until fragrant. Add a little broth to scrape up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Then stir in remaining broth, pumpkin, and beans until combined. Slowly add milk, then maple syrup and salt/pepper to taste.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cover about 15 minutes.
- Divide into bowls and enjoy!
- *If using a vegetable broth that contains salt, you may omit the added salt.
While the soup is simmering…
- 4 slices whole grain bread (I use Rudi's whole wheat)
- 1.5 Tbsp cranberry-fig chutney
- 2 slices turkey bacon
- thinly sliced red onion
- handful baby spinach leaves
- 1.5 oz freshly shredded fontina
- Cook bacon in a skillet over medium heat on each side until crisp; remove and set aside to cool.
- Preheat a panini press or grill pan (or simply wipe out the skillet you used for the bacon).
- On 2 slices of bread, layer a spread of chutney, torn pieces of bacon, onion, spinach, and cheese; top with remaining slice.
- Cook in panini press/grill pan/skillet until crisp and melty. (If using a grill pan or skillet, heat over medium; lightly press down on sandwiches with a spatula and flip half-way through.)
- I used a cranberry-fig chutney from Williams-Sonoma and it was delicious. Other great options would be homemade cranberry sauce, fig jam, or Stonewall Kitchen's Old Farmhouse Chutney.
