Sweet Pumpkin Soup with Cipollini Onions

I confess: Even though I live 53 miles north of Green Bay, Wis., football games on TV put me to sleep. It's white noise to me. So on most fall Saturday or Sunday afternoons, while my husband is cheering for Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Michigan or Green Bay, I'm sleeping on the couch.

Except when I'm in the kitchen.

On Sunday afternoon, I was in the kitchen watching nuthatches and chickadees frolic at the backyard feeders and making pumpkin soup. Since I'd never made it before, I did my research, perusing a variety of approaches online and in cookbooks.

My goal was to use ingredients on hand. I had a small cipollini onion left over, and the savory liquid from the bottom of a pan I'd used to roast chicken. While I roasted the chicken, I also roasted a small sugar pumpkin.


Easy Sweet Pumpkin Soup with Cipollini Onions

• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1 small cipollini or other sweet onion, chopped
• 1 cup unsalted chicken broth
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 can (8 ounces) pumpkin puree, or 1 cup fresh pumpkin, mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• dash ground cloves
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a medium stockpot or sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown the chopped onions slightly. Gradually add the chicken broth and water. Then slowly add the pumpkin puree, the spices and the milk. Grate pepper over the soup last. Use a whip to keep the soup smooth. Makes 4 good-sized servings.

The soup is mild but comforting. I added a dollop of sour cream to mine.

This soup won't appeal to people who need spice or heat. I'm going to try it with canned pumpkin and vegetable broth next time. It's a start, but I think it needs some tweaking.

I served this with chicken salad sandwiches on beer bread and a small green salad. I think next time I will serve it with corn bread croutons and grated Gruyere cheese.

The onions and pumpkin were locally grown, from Immerfrost Farm.