It’s that time of year, to cook all of the gourds in your slow cooker, and to make soups! This recipe is for making a creamy pumpkin soup out of an actual pumpkin. For those of you looking to use canned pumpkin, I will have another recipe for you coming up soon. This version is for those of you that want to turn a small (3 to 4 pound) pie pumpkin into some soup, or just as an excuse to have some pumpkin seeds to roast.

The cutting and cooking of the pumpkin definitely takes more time that using a can. I decided to make a recipe using the whole pumpkin because, well, some people have whole pumpkins they want to eat!

What you need:

• 1 small pie pumpkin, mine was 4 pounds even. I used 4 cups of cooked pumpkin flesh, go ahead and add more for a thicker soup.
• 1 tbsp of ghee or grass fed butter.
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped roughly.
• 1 small bartlett pear, peeled, cored, and chopped.
• 4 cups of chicken stock.
• 1 can of coconut milk.
• 2 tsp cumin.
• 2 tsp cinnamon.
• 1 tsp ground ginger.
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional).

Tools you need:

• 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
• Baking pan with 1/2 cup water.
• Immersion blender, blender, or food processor.

How you make it:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. Carefully cut the top off of your pumpkin and then cut it in half. Large serrated knives can be easier. Then cut the pumpkin into quarters.
3. Do remember to save the seeds for later if you enjoy roasting them.
4. Coat the inner surfaces of your pumpkin sections with your ghee or butter, partially melted works best.
5. Place your pumpkin shell side down in your baking pan with 1/2 cup water and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. You are looking for the pumpkin to pull away from the shell.
6. Allow your pumpkin to cool and then use a large fork to pull it from it’s shell, place it in a large bowl and mash it.
7. Add 4 cups of mashed pumpkin to your slow cooker, along with the rest of your ingredients.
8. Cook on low heat for 5 to 6 hours.
9. Use your immersion blender to puree your soup as desired, or transfer the contents of your slow cooker to your food processor or blender.
10. Optional: garnish with pumpkin seeds (pepitas) and enjoy!
11. Note: I’m giving away an immersion blender in this new giveaway.