Thanksgiving. Autumn. Turning Leafs. Enjoy this low fat recipe that brings to light the rich and earthy flavors of fall as the opener for your Thanksgiving feast or as a warmer for a chilly autumn evening.

Gingered Pumpkin-Pear Soup

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 50

Cook Time 40

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine French, Mediterranean

Servings 6

Ingredients

1 medium size pumpkin about 3 lb, cut in half and seeded
1 Tbsp butter
2 sweet onions chopped
3 tsp fresh ginger grated
3 ripe sweet pears peeled cored and chopped
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp coarse sea salt
Garnish: 1 pear cored and thinly sliced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F / 190°C
Place halved and seeded pumpkin, cut sides down, on a baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes until tender. Cool. Scrape pumpkin pulp from peel with a spoon. Set aside in a bowl.
Melt butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onions, pears and ginger. Saute for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
Add pumpkin pulp and saute for 5 more minutes
Add broth and wine and bring to a boil over medium-high heat
Add curry powder, black pepper and salt. Stir well, and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree soup with a chopping hand-blender until smooth.
Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pear slices.

Notes

Use any sweet pears you like: Bartlett, Anjou or Bosc. Just sample before using to make sure you do not have grainy pears that will affect the consistency.
To scrape pumpkin pulp from peel easily, hold it in place with tongs and use an ice cream scoop.
Not all pumpkins are born the same: if using a bigger pumpkin, you can freeze the extra pulp for future use.
Like a spicier soup? Add more ginger; rather have a more mild? Use only 1 tsp ginger.
More curry powder can be added for a more “Asian” flavor. Feel free to experiment with different curry blends according to personal preferences.
If you like your soup even richer in flavor, you can add cayenne pepper, ground coriander and even minced garlic.
Taste the soup before serving: if a little too spicy, add up to ½ cup of cream to cool it down.
An even fancier garnish is dried pear slices: preheat oven to 200°F / 95°C. Cut a pear lengthwise into paper thin slices. Arrange in single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until dry, about 1 hour. Let cool completely before handling.
Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds for a more “earthy” feel