This year has been a busy, wild ride, and as I look at the calendar, I can hardly believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow! And on top of that, fall blew in two months ago, and I’ve yet to make pumpkin anything in my kitchen. I’m not a sweet pumpkin spice girl, but I sure love anything that combines pumpkin, salty, and spicy - especially if that “spicy” entails copious amounts of curry. YUM!

Now, I know canned pumpkin seems like cheating, but sometimes life dictates a few shortcuts, and if you buy the good stuff, it still works beautifully. This creamy, flavorful soup has a lot of flavor, thanks to generous shakes of curry and and several other spice rack cohorts, and the addition of coconut milk keeps it rich and smooth. To amp up the interesting factor, I did a quick roast of curry pumpkin seeds. They add an element of texture and take almost no time to prepare, but honestly, the soup doesn’t need it.

This soup is vegan (of course!), healthful, and would make a great first course for your Thanksgiving meal or an excellent main on a Monday night after a long day at work when all you want to do is put on PJs and eat something quick and cozy while you unwind from the day.

vegan pumpkin curry soup with curried pumpkin seeds
serves 4-6 as a main course or 8-10 as an appetizer

for the soup
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups veggie broth, divided
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/4 tsp coriander
1 pinch ground cardamom
2 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 28 oz can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

for the curry pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp refined coconut oil, melted
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1) In a large soup pot, over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of veggie broth for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.

2) Add minced ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, curry powder, crushed red pepper, and sea salt, and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
3) Stir in remaining 2 cups veggie broth, pumpkin purée, and coconut milk. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if it’s becoming too thick.
4) While the soup is simmering, preheat your oven to 350˚.
5) In a small bowl, stir together all of the curry pumpkin seeds ingredients and spread them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
6) Roast in a 350˚ oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they become fragrant and start to lightly brown.

7) Serve soup with a drizzle of coconut milk, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, and optional fresh cilantro.

vegan pumpkin curry soup with curried pumpkin seeds
serves 4-6 as a main course or 8-10 as an appetizer

for the soup
1 sweet yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups veggie broth, divided
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
2 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/4 tsp coriander
1 pinch ground cardamom
2 1/2 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 28 oz can pumpkin puree
1 14 oz can light coconut milk
fresh cilantro for garnish, optional

for the curry pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds
1/4 tsp refined coconut oil, melted
1 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp fine sea salt

1) In a large soup pot, over medium heat, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/2 cup of veggie broth for 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions begin to soften.
2) Add minced ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, curry powder, crushed red pepper, and sea salt, and continue cooking for 2 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.
3) Stir in remaining 2 cups veggie broth, pumpkin purée, and coconut milk. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding more broth if it’s becoming too thick.
4) While the soup is simmering, preheat your oven to 350˚.
5) In a small bowl, stir together all of the curry pumpkin seeds ingredients and spread them on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
6) Roast in a 350˚ oven for 8 to 9 minutes, or until they become fragrant and start to lightly brown.
7) Serve soup with a drizzle of coconut milk, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, and optional fresh cilantro.