Easy pumpkin soup

Canned pumpkin or fresh?

Canned pumpkin is the reason this soup takes 35 minutes rather than an hour and a half. It is also more consistent than fresh: the texture and sweetness are the same from can to can. Most canned pumpkin in the US is made from varieties closer to butternut squash than to a jack-o'-lantern, which is why it is smooth and sweet rather than stringy and watery.

Check the label. You want pumpkin puree (100% pumpkin), not pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced. The cans sit side by side on the shelf and look similar.

To use fresh pumpkin, choose a small sugar or pie pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin. Halve it, scoop out the seeds, and roast it cut side down at 400°F for 45 to 60 minutes, until a knife slides in easily. Scoop out the flesh. You need about 3 1/2 cups to replace the two cans. Fresh pumpkin is wetter than canned, so start with 3 cups of broth and add more after blending.

Keeping it savory

Pumpkin has a strong association with pie, and a pumpkin soup spiced only with cinnamon and nutmeg can taste like dessert. The ginger and cumin here move it in a savory direction, and the cayenne adds a little warmth. A tablespoon of maple syrup rounds out the flavor without making it sweet. If you want it more savory still, leave out the maple and the cinnamon and add a teaspoon of curry powder.

Variations

• Thai-style: replace the half-and-half with a 13.5-ounce can of coconut milk and use 3 cups of broth instead of 4. Add a tablespoon of red curry paste with the spices and finish with lime juice. It adds about 120 kcal a bowl.
• Vegan: use olive oil for the butter, vegetable broth, and 1/2 cup canned coconut milk instead of the half-and-half.
• Heartier: blend in a can of drained white beans. They add protein and fiber and you will not taste them.
• Roasted garlic: roast a whole head of garlic while you make the soup and blend the cloves in.

Toasting pepitas

Pepitas are hulled pumpkin seeds, sold raw in most grocery stores. Toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan, for 3 to 4 minutes, until they puff and start to pop. Toss them with a pinch of salt while still hot. They add crunch and a nutty flavor that suits the soup.

Keeping it

Four days in the fridge and three months in the freezer. Freeze it before adding the half-and-half, and stir that in when you reheat.

What it is worth nutritionally

About 170 kcal a bowl of about 1 1/2 cups, with about 5 g of fiber. Canned pumpkin is a good source of fiber, about 7 g a cup, and like other orange squash it is very high in beta-carotene, which the body turns into vitamin A. A bowl covers more than a day's needs. Unlike preformed vitamin A from supplements, beta-carotene from food carries no risk of overdose: the body converts only what it needs. The pepitas add a little protein and magnesium. On its own the soup is a light lunch. With the white beans blended in and a slice of whole-grain bread, it makes a filling dinner.