The reality is most my days are not memorable. Wake up, take care of kids + dog, go to sleep. Repeat. Last Monday, however, is a day my husband and I will remember. Oof.
We bought two pie pumpkins during our first trip to the orchard, and last Sunday I finally gutted and roasted them. The boys were begging for a pie, so I figured that'd be a way for us to kill time on Monday morning. I made it into a pumpkin crunch pie, with a pecan streusel topping. I mean, perfection in a pie dish if I say so myself.
It went a little sour though when Sabrina reached her index finger into the opened can of evaporated milk and sliced it open on the lid. Hoooooly bloodbath.
It. Would. Not. Stop. Bleeding. Even after 45 minutes of compression. We did a virtual visit with a pediatrician who told us to head to Children's Hospital for treatment.
Fortunately no stitches- just a good clean up job and some glue, plus a bandage job that left her feeling like quite the invalid.
Good thing big brother was waiting for her at home to help her eat her peanut butter and jelly dinner.
Who knows what the hospital bill will be- gulp- but we are glad sissy is okay. A very expensive pie, when all is said and done.
Blood and pie aside, I still had about 3 cups of leftover pumpkin. With the pie safely behind me, I was in the mood to make a savory dish for dinner. Thus pumpkin-turkey-white bean-bacon soup was born! And this time I made sure to discard the cans immediately after opening.
Pumpkin Bacon Soup
-3 cups-ish pumpkin puree (make sure it's not pumpkin PIE puree!), fresh or canned
-2 boxes low sodium chicken broth
-1 small yellow onion, diced
-2 cans white beans (I used Great Northern), drained and rinsed
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon ground black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon onion powder
-1 24 oz turkey tenderloin, cooked and finely diced*
-4-5 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
-1/2 cup milk
-Cheddar cheese for topping (I found bacon cheddar at my Wal Mart)
*I season a turkey tenderloin with just 1/2 salt and pepper and bake it in a shallow dish covered with foil at 350 for 45-55 minutes, or until internal temperature registers at least 165 degrees. The turkey could be cooked up to 2 days in advance and kept in the fridge until ready. You could also sub in cooked chicken as well.
In a large Dutch oven or stockpot, combine pumpkin, broth, yellow onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the pepper, onion powder, and bring to a simmer. At this point I used my immersion blender to puree it even further (my kids claim to dislike onion, but if it's blended in, they don't notice it). You could leave it as is though.
Add beans, turkey, and bacon (leave a few bacon crumbles for garnish if you'd like), milk, and let simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Serve with a sprinkle of grated cheese and reserved bacon crumbles.
This soup is so thick and hearty yet it's low calorie compared to similar creamy soups. The pumpkin adds a creamy texture without the high fat content of actual cream. Pumpkin is an awesome source of fiber and vitamins A and C. The beans add even more fiber, plus some protein, and the turkey pumps up the protein even more. My kids ate this up, in spite of their initial apprehension about pumpkin being in a soup. The pumpkin truly doesn't have a taste- it's the texture that's so good, and the smokiness of the bacon with the turkey and beans is perfection.
This recipe makes six large portions. Per serving: 360 calories, 38 grams carbohydrates, 10 grams fiber, 7 grams fat, 38 grams protein, 1306 mg sodium.