easy chipotle pumpkin bisque
Coming in hot with a 25 minute bowl of coziness.
I was lazy the other day, had the fixings for a creamy and quick soup, and didn’t much give a fuck that the other two recipes I’ve posted this week were pumpkin themed. I like it, I wanna share it. Kind of my philosophy these days.
Last year’s Apple and Cheddar Pumpkin Bisque was such a slamming success, both in the social media realm and in my house, that a second type of pumpkiny soup felt right. This one contains a more Latin-esque flavor profile thanks to the spice blend, and is marvelous if you’ve the taste for chili but don’t really want to commit to all the chopping required. Simple ingredients, plenty of oomph.
Okay, oomph is officially a professional foodwriting term. Coining that shit now.
Whip this up in about 25 minutes, enjoy the yield all week. While rich, I wouldn’t dub it the most unreasonably caloric bisque; still not a ~health food~ but better than some. A bowl is imperative when the temperatures drop and the desire for comfort amplifies. Which I feel even when it’s 70 degrees out.
Fucken Florida.
All Up In This Bisque
This dude is real easy, fellas. A most unintimidating zoop.
First, find your big soup pot or Dutch oven. Melt some butter and stir in a diced onion until it softens and becomes a bit more translucent.
Swirl in your handy dandy spice blend. That is, minced garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and cumin. My mainstays for anything I dub “chipotle” in the recipe title, as it’d be rather unreasonable to name something smoked paprika-chipotle-oregano-cumin. You know?
After a minute, swirl in a glob of tomato paste. Then, pour in some apple cider and use the liquid to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Kinda like you would wine.
Dump in your pumpkin puree and a can of full-fat coconut milk next. If you’ve an aversion to coconut milk, you can use whole milk or half and half. Heavy cream if you’re feeling really luxurious. Let the soup simmer for a bit to thicken, then finish with a big handful of cheddar cheese. Taste for salt and pepper, too, and see if you need to add a little more of either.
Garnish and Varnish
You can pile on heaps of toppings, or keep them minimal, for your bowls. I’m a big garnish guy so I typically go hogwild with my embellishments.
For this soup, I like some cilantro, green onions, more cheese, and a little bit of Greek yogurt (or sour cream, if you prefer). Sometimes I’ll dice up an avocado if I’ve one on hand, and if I feel like it. Sometimes I don’t feel like it.
This soup keeps remarkably well in the fridge for around 5 days. Ideal if you want to pack away a bit for work. Rip off a hunk of baguette for dipping, and pack up some of your choice toppings in separate little containers. You can totally bento-style this shit if you please.
And, if you like serving soup on Thanksgiving, I’d say this is a pretty damn good option to please all your holiday guests!
Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!
Savor the pumpkin:
White Wine Pumpkin Ricotta Stuffed Shells
Chipotle Pumpkin Enchilada Chili
easy chipotle pumpkin bisque
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cans pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup apple cider
- 2 cups full-fat coconut milk, or half and half/whole milk
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded, plus more for serving
- cilantro, green onions, and sour cream, to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute the onion until soft and translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, oregano, and cumin for 1 minute, until fragrant. Swirl in the tomato paste.
- Pour in the apple cider and scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to deglaze. Stir in the pumpkin and coconut milk. Simmer on medium-low for 10 minutes (or longer if you wish), stirring occasionally, until thicken. Stir in the cheddar cheese until melted.
- Divide into bowls or ramekins. Top with chopped cilantro, green onions, and a dollop of sour cream, as desired.
