Pumpkin Cheddar Chipotle Soup

photo by Dustin Lewis Images on Flickr

This recipe called out to me on a day that started with -25 temperatures. Brrr! It really hit the spot. You can use real pumpkin but I saved a lot of time using the canned puree. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheddar Chipotle Soup

1 small pumpkin or small butternut squash or 1 can pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
4 cups chicken stock
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Honey
salt and pepper

3 tbsp butter
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 cups milk
2 cups grated old cheddar cheese (I used half cheddar and half imperial)
2 small chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped (found in Mexican section of grocery store)

Roast Pumpkin or Use Puree:

If using fresh pumpkin or squash, pre-heat the oven to 425°F.

Peel, seed and chop the pumpkin or squash, coat with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast until tender (apx. 45 minutes). If using canned pumpkin puree, skip these steps. Set aside.

Sautee

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in soup pot over medium-high heat. Sautée the carrot and onion for about 10 minutes. Season with nutmeg, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, paprika, a drizzle of honey, salt and pepper, to taste. Toast the spices, about 1 minute.

Food Processor:

Add the carrot and onion along with the roasted pumpkin or squash to food processor and puree with a splash of chicken stock. If using canned pumpkin, puree the onion and carrot together with some stock and stir in the canned pumpkin to combine. Set aside.

Make Cheese Sauce:

Wipe out the soup pot and return to heat. Melt the butter; whisk in the flour, then milk. Season with salt and pepper and thicken to coat a spoon. Stir in the cheese to melt, then add the chipotle peppers.

Final Step:

Stir in the remaining stock and squash or pumpkin puree mixture to the cheese sauce. Let simmer to thicken the soup.

Garnish:

It called for tacos to garnish with. I actually like to buy egg roll wrappers (in the produce section), slice them up in strips, drizzle with olive oil and bake on a cookie sheet until golden brown. They worked great in this soup!