Pumpkin & Corn Soup with Jalapeno Pesto
A delicious fall soup with a zingy pesto. Add diced potatoes or black beans for a heartier soup, and serve with a crusty bread or cornbread. A fall staple for many years in our home.
A delicious fall soup with a zingy pesto. Add diced potatoes or black beans for a heartier soup, and serve with a crusty bread or cornbread. A fall staple for many years in our home.
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup onion finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped (or add to food processor/blender)
- 1 cup fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup pine nuts lightly toasted, finely chopped
- 4 jalepenos finely chopped (seeded if preferred)
- 1/2 teaspoon lime zest
- 4 cans (14.5 oz. each) vegetable broth (chicken broth, if preferred)
- 2 cans (11 oz.) corn drained
- 2 tablespoon jalepenos finely chopped
- 1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin
- 1 cup half and half cream
- 11 corn tortillas optional, for serving
- Carbohydrate 45.9611130488258 g
- Cholesterol 12.567500001752 mg
- Fat 14.0786313796846 g
- Fiber 7.99448860467376 g
- Protein 8.17725331131797 g
- Saturated Fat 3.70374422483939 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (369g)
- Sodium 77.5845978123029 mg
- Sugar 37.9666244441521 g
- Trans Fat 1.14569202033431 g
- Calories 326 calories
Step-by-step
- Combine the following ingredients in a food processor or blender (olive oil last): cilantro, parsley, 4 jalepenos, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic cloves, lime juice, lime zest, olive oil
- Combine onion, 2 tablespoons jalepeno, corn and broth.
- Boil, reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes until onion and jalepenos are tender.
- Stir in pumpkin, blend well.
- Cover and simmer 5-10 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
- Add half and half, salt and pepper; heat (don't boil).
- Line bowls with warm corn tortillas (optional). Pour soup over tortillas, and top with a spoon of pesto.
Canned pumpkin brings dense starch and heavy body to a broth base without requiring hours of reduction. Pureed winter squash naturally thickens liquids, but it also creates a dense matrix that scorches easily over direct heat. Managing viscosity requires proper sequencing during the simmer phase.
Simmering the aromatics, corn, and broth first softens the onions and jalapeños completely. This initial 20 to 25 minute simmer breaks down cell walls so no fibrous crunch remains in the base. Only after this tenderizing phase should the pumpkin enter the pot. Stirring the pumpkin into the hot broth distributes the starches evenly before the dairy arrives. Pouring half-and-half into a rolling boil will curdle the milk solids due to the high heat and acidity from the vegetable broth. Add the cream near the end and keep the temperature just below a simmer, heating gently until steam rises.
Testing doneness without a thermometer relies entirely on visual and textural indicators. Watch the onion pieces in the initial broth mixture. When translucent edges turn completely opaque and soft enough to mash against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon, the vegetable base is ready for the pumpkin. Meanwhile, the accompanying pesto relies on emulsion mechanics. Pouring olive oil last into a food processor running with herbs, nuts, and cheese creates a stable suspension that coats the spoon rather than separating into an oily slick.
Adjusting the body of the soup is straightforward. Swapping vegetable broth for chicken bone broth increases the protein density and savory depth by a factor of two without altering the liquid volume.
