Brown "Butter" and Sage Pumpkin Soup

This insanely easy 15 minute soup is perfect to whip up on a chilly fall day.

Course Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword fall, gluten free, pumpkin, quick, Vegan

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings

Calories 226kcal

1 tablespoon vegan "butter" (or: regular butter if not vegan)
1 tablespoon shallot-infused olive oil (or: 1 tablespoon oil of choice and 8 oz chopped onion)
3 fresh sage leaves (or: ¼ teaspoon ground sage)
3 cups unsalted vegetable stock
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ cup blanched almonds
1 15 oz can pureed pumpkin
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Brown: Add the oil, "butter", sage, and (optional) onions to a soup pot on medium heat. Sautee until butter is a light caramel color (about 4-5 minutes).
Simmer: Mix the corn starch into the veggie stock. Add the rest of the ingredients including the veggie stock mixture to the pot, bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.
Blend: Carefully pour soup into blender. Remove center of blender lid (to allow steam to escape) and place lid on blender. Holding clean towel over hole in lid, blend on med-high until soup has visibly lightened in color and appears smooth
Top: Add optional toppings, or use as a vessel for your favorite sandwich.
Store: This soup stores great in the fridge for 3-4 days. Frozen, it can last up to 3 months.

I have also used almonds with the skin on and the soup has still turned out very creamy, perhaps with a slightly more nutty flavor.
Salt and pepper to taste, but as a reference I like to use about ½ teaspoon of salt and several cracks of fresh cracked pepper.
This recipe serves about four, where each serving is about 1 ⅔ cup. This soup can also easily be serve two as a heartier meal.