pumpkin coconut soup

I know I say this about everything I post, but this soup was delicious. Incredibly delicious. Geoff loved it and was excited to take it to work for lunch the next day. It was creamy and the flavor was amazing. I left out the butternut squash and cilantro (I had an aversion while I was pregnant and still can’t stomach either) and doubled the pumpkin, and it was delicious!

Pumpkin Coconut Soup
Just Cook Already

5 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium sized yellow onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1 inch grated fresh ginger (seriously, it’s worth buying it fresh)
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tbsp. chicken base or  2 bouillon cubes
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cooked chicken (or you can use 2 chicken breasts… but canned chicken is easier and i think tastes better in this recipe)
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz. can coconut  milk
2 tsp. salt (more to taste if you’d like)
1-2 tsp. pepper
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Chop the onion into small, even pieces and grate the ginger with a fine grater.  In a large stock pot, add 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil has heated, add the chopped onion, ginger, and minced garlic to the oil and stir.  Cook for about 5-7 minutes until the onion is mostly cooked through (it will be translucent).

While that’s cooking, peel your butternut squash and take 1/2 of it and cut into about 1/2 inch cubes.  In a small glass pyrex dish, add the cubed squash and pour 3 tbsp. olive oil over top. Add a sprinkle of salt and pepper. mix together so that all the cubes are coated in the olive oil. Make sure the pieces of squash are in one layer (no overlapping) so that they can cook evenly.  Bake in your oven for 25 minutes.

By this point, your onions, ginger, and garlic should be ready.  Add 1 tsp. ground cumin and stir, allowing the cumin to get all toasty and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Add pumpkin puree, coconut milk, chicken base, chicken stock, and drained canned chicken. Stir together and mix completely.  Bring the soup to a simmer.  Add 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper. Allow to simmer for 25 minutes so that everything heats through and the chicken becomes very tender.

When your squash is done, remove from the glass dish, making sure to drain away any excess oil, and add to the soup.  Allow to simmer and cook for about 10 more minutes.