Holiday Leftovers: Pumpkin Edition

After four days of eating my body weight's worth of mashed potatoes and dessert and washing it all down with my body weight's worth of beer, I realized I still have a leftover can of pumpkin sitting in my cabinet.

Being a firm supporter of pumpkin everything all the time, I was completely okay with this discovery and ready to embrace some puree.

Despite the enthusiasm I was not completely ready for another Thanksgiving-esque meal so I wanted to avoid the typical creamy, sweet, cinnamon soup that is usually associated with pumpkin - a bowl full of spice was the perfect way.

Here, the pumpkin is really used as a way to build up the soup base by creating a thick broth that has a natural creaminess without actually using cream.  Including the chorizo brings a lot of much needed spice and flavor into the picture - if you're vegetarian try opting for a vegetarian sausage alternative or substituting chickpeas and adding some red pepper and smoked sea salt to make up for the flavor.  On the other hand, if you are not down to hang with some spice, try substituting a sweet fennel sausage that will still give you a good flavor base without the heat.  And don't forget to add some heaping handfuls of greens to balance out the bowl before enjoying!

Pumpkin Soup with Chorizo and Spinach

Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 chorizo sausages*
• 2 t herbs of choice, like sage or basil
• 3 t spices of choice, like turmeric, smoked paprika, and cinnamon
• Salt, black pepper, red pepper
• 1 can squash or pumpkin
• 2 cans of water
• 2 large handfuls of spinach

Combine:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat until it shimmers.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring in between to keep the onion from burning.  Push the onions to the edges of the pot then add in the chorizo.  Let the chorizo brown then give the pot a good stir.  Cook for 5 more minutes until the chorizo is evenly browned and onions are translucent yellow.
2. Add the spices and herbs to the pot and cook for one minute, stirring often until the onions and chorizo are well coated.  Stir in the can of pumpkin and two cans of water, turn the heat up to high until the pot boils.
3. Continue to boil for 5 minutes then simmer for 30, stirring periodically so the ingredients don't stick to the bottom of the pan.  Stir in a few large handfuls of spinach and cook until wilted.
4. Enjoy!

*If you use freshly made sausages, break open the casing and use just the meat for the recipe.  If you use pre-cooked sausages, slice them up before browning.