This soup is GORGEOUS! It’s also delicious. How much salt you need will greatly depend on what kind of chicken stock you use. Don’t add all your salt at the beginning! After it has simmered, taste it with a clean spoon and decide if you need any more salt added beyond 1/2 teaspoon. Serve with my Brown Sugar Croutons for a truly gourmet appetizer. Add a salad and you’ve got a light dinner.
Gourmet Pumpkin Soup
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8 cups pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Pinch of nutmeg (about 1/8 teaspoon)
Directions
- In a large dutch oven over medium heat, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onions and cook until translucent (about 3 minutes). Add garlic, thyme and white pepper. Stir until incorporated, about 30 seconds. Add stock and scrape up any bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and pumpkin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes uncovered.
- Puree the soup in small batches (1 cup at a time) using a food processor or blender.
- Return to pan, and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for another 30 minutes, uncovered. Stir in heavy cream and nutmeg. Taste test and add up to 1 teaspoon additional salt to taste. Pour into soup bowls and garnish with fresh parsley or thyme. I drizzled a little cream on top as well.
Bakerlady 
I figured out the calories for this soup, each 1 cup serving has 100 calories, assuming the entire pot is 12 cups.
Each serving would be 93 calories…assuming 12 servings. I would guess there’s about 8 full servings in the pot…which would be 140 calories per. 🙂 Nice and light even with the cream in it. You could always cut the calories even more by using 2% milk. But then it wouldn’t be nearly as good I’m sure.