I have previously declared my adoration for pumpkin. I love how beautiful the knotty squashes look at the farmers’ markets and grocery stores this time of year.  Today, as many of you are preparing your Thanksgiving meals, you may find you have some extra pumpkin lying around. Maybe you roasted too much pumpkin for that pie. Or, maybe you are like me, and bought a bunch of cans of pumpkin puree expecting to make a pie to bring to your parents’ when you suddenly came down with a death-plague and were told, nicely, to maybe not bring something you cooked for fear that you may spread your deadly virus (ok, fine, a common chest cold).

So what to do with that extra pumpkin? You could make this pumpkin tahini soup. I eat this soup from the start of fall to the end of winter. After a long day of work it is easy to throw together. I fully embrace using canned pumpkin puree here–there is little-to-no-chance that I am going to break down and roast a pumpkin on a work night, and I am sure that doing so is probably the last thing on most people’s minds the day of Thanksgiving. The tahini gives this dish a deep roasted flavor (without all of the work) and the apples add a nice brightness that prevents the soup from being too earthy. Plus, it looks way more impressive than it should.

Tahini Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Soup
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 medium apple, diced
2 tsps. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 15 oz can pumpkin
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
2 tbsps. tahini
pepper, to taste

Toppings (per bowl)
1/4 cup of your favorite dairy-free kefir, yogurt or sour cream
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1 tsp. sesame seeds

To Make the Soup: Add the olive oil, onions and apple to a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the onions brown and the apples begin to soften. Add the apple cider vinegar, paprika and salt to the pan and cook an additional minute. Pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the puree back into the saucepan and add the pumpkin, vegetable stock and tahini to the pan and whisk until all of the components are fully incorporated. Heat over medium heat until the soup is heated through, careful to not allow it to boil. Add pepper, to taste.

To Serve: Spoon a third of the soup into a bowl and top with the kefir, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. Makes 3 servings.