Pumpkin Soup

Mmmmmmmmmm, smells good!

The other night we had a houseful of family. It was wonderful and fun. Since there are so many of us I decided to do the ultra-elegant pot luck option. My contribution was this soup and some home made French bread. Super easy. The thing to make when you want easy, tasty, warm and cozy. No pictures today. No frills. Just a simple recipe for a soup that never fails  - ever!

Pumpkin Soup


1 medium onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup butter
3 boneless chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
scant tsp chili powder
scant tsp cumin
6 cups chicken broth
4-6 potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 large can pumpkin puree
2 cups cream

In a large heavy stock pot melt butter and saute onions and celery until vegetables are limp and glassy. Add spices and stir well. Add chicken and saute until chicken is lightly browned. (5 minutes) Pour in broth and potatoes, making sure potatoes are covered. Bring to boil, turn down to simmer and cook until potatoes are done (10 minutes) Add salt to taste. Slowly stir in pumpkin and cream. Heat until warmed through.

Note: I usually "cheat" and substitute cooked chicken breast. I almost always have some in the freezer and it makes this faster and easier - which is most often what I am after when comfort food is the order of the day. It also means this is a "pantry" meal - in other words, I have all the stuff on hand most of the time and don't really need to plan ahead.