I don’t know about you, but whenever I start seeing those orange cans of pumpkin line the shelves at the grocery store, I start to snatch them up like some kind of hoarder. I mean, why do I need 20 cans of pumpkin puree right now? Do they run out? I don’t know. Do they sell them year round? I don’t know that either. Do people buy cans of pumpkin in the spring? What kind of monster would buy pumpkin in the spring Has anyone bought a can of pumpkin puree in the spring?
All I know is that once the weather turns cool and the leaves begin to change, I’m ready for pumpkin everything. You can totally cook your own pumpkin, but the can makes things so much easier. Plus, according to this article, it may NOT BE PUMPKIN in those cans. Being the constant researcher, I dug up this snopes article that says the rumors about it not being pumpkin may not be entirely true. Honestly, I don’t care what it is; it’s tasty. Toss some into yogurt, add to hummus, energy bites; the options are endless.
I really like using pumpkin puree for dinner. It makes for a delicious savory and sweet dish. I’ve used it to make pasta, and now this simple pumpkin & kale soup recipe.
Simple Pumpkin & Kale Soup Recipe
When the weather turns cool, I like to start making soups while I’m serving up lunch. By the time dinner rolls around all the flavors have blended together and I can relax as opposed to running around trying to fix up dinner at the last minute.
This soup dish is super simple. I cook some bacon first because bacon makes everything taste amazing, but it’s not necessary if you are looking to reduce the fat or make a vegan dish. Then, I add the onions, cook them for a bit before adding the pumpkin, seasonings and broth.
I toss the kale in at the end, but spinach or some other leafy green (maybe beet greens!) works too. I also added some milk because that’s what I had on hand. I’m not a coffee drinker, so we don’t typically have cream all that often in our house. And if you’re going for a vegan dish, feel free to substitute with almond or coconut milk or just leave it out.
This dish is the perfect dish to enjoy on those cool fall nights. It makes for great leftovers too!
Ingredients
- 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
- 3 C chicken/vegetable broth *I use low sodium and add salt, but you can do the opposite
- 3 C onions, chopped
- 4 C kale, chopped
- 3 slices of bacon, chopped *to make the dish vegan/vegetarian simply skip this ingredient
- 1/2 C milk/cream *optional
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp sage *Fresh sage would be wonderful in this soup, but I only have powdered on hand.
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/3 C orzo pasta
Instructions
- Heat up bacon in a dutch oven or large pot until nice and crispy. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside, and remove fat except for 2 tbsp. *If you want to make this dish vegan/vegetarian, just skip this step and add 2 tbsp of olive/coconut oil.
- Add onions to the 2 tbsp of bacon fat/olive oil and heat until translucent, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add pumpkin puree, seasonings and broth. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low, covered and let cook for 10-15 minutes.
- While soup is cooking, make the orzo. Cook it for a little less than the box says around 7-8 minutes. Add cooked orzo to the soup to finish cooking, along with the kale, bacon bits and milk. *You can use cream or a different kind of milk or even skip it altogether.
- Cook for 10 more minutes before serving.
I’m making this when Timmy is out of town this weekend, I can’t wait! And a few years ago there was actually a pumpkin shortage because of an early frost or something. It has stuck with me and I always buy like 4 cans instead of just the one I need haha…