Smoky Beer Cheese Pumpkin Soup

  Autumn Beer Cheese Pumpkin Soup 

 

Bring on Fall with its crunchy leaves, bonfires, Oktoberfest and cooler temps! This soup embodies the season with its cozy, smoky, cheesy flavors and crunchy topping. There are lots of options for making this soup your own, with a variety of garnishes, an addition of smoked sausage and different texture options.

Let's talk about toppings, because toppings on soup are the icing on the cake. I made a Candied Bacon and Pepita topping and some Beer Bread Skulls. Other options are cornbread, croutons or popcorn. Or try a combo of the above. You can add extra cheese, fried onions, tortilla chips. Whatever makes you happy.

What You'll Need:

Olive Oil

1 Yellow Onion (not sweet) - diced

1 Large potato - peeled and diced

4 Cloves of garlic - minced

1/4 cup Flour

3 cups Chicken Broth

1 can Pumpkin Beer (regular beer works, too)

1 can Pumpkin Purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

Chipotle Puree (purée a can of chipotle in adobo sauce and what you don't use in this recipe, keep in the frig to add to other recipes. It will make your chili amazing)

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika

1 Tablespoon Cumin

Bay Leaf

Worcestershire Sauce

Liquid Smoke

Salt and Pepper

1 cup Smoked Gouda cheese - shredded

1 cup Cheddar cheese - shredded

1 cup whole milk

Smoked Sausage- sliced (optional)

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For the Candied Bacon and Pepita Topping

Package of Bacon

1/2 cup of Pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds)

Brown Sugar

I only used half of the package of bacon, but I cooked it all and we had BLTs for lunch. I mean...bacon. If you're going to make this topping, make it before you make the soup because you need to watch this carefully so it doesn't burn. 

Cook the bacon until it's almost crispy (I cooked it in the microwave, but you do whatever you like). Let it cool and break it up into little pieces, bite size and smaller. 

Heat a Le Creuset Skillet or Le Creuset Everyday Pan over low flame and add the cooked bacon. Let it warm up a little and then add the pepitas to warm. Sprinkle some brown sugar evenly and stir until the sugar has melted and formed a glaze on the bacon and seeds. Keep stirring to keep it from burning. 

This takes about 3-4 minutes until all of the sugar is melted. Don't try to taste it directly from the pan because it will burn your tongue. Don't ask how I know this, it's just a hunch. :) Remove to a plate to cool, do not put on a paper towel, as it will stick. The mixture will get crispy as it cools. 

Candied Bacon and Pepitas 

What You'll Do:

Heat a Le Creuset Dutch Oven or other large, heavy pot over low/medium with about 3 tablespoons of olive oil. When the olive oil is hot, add the chopped onion and cook, stirring often until it starts to brown. 

Add minced garlic and diced potato and keep stirring. Add a little more olive oil if needed. Cook for about 3 minutes and then sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the veggies and keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes. 

Add the chicken broth and deglaze the pan with a wooden or silicone spoon, scraping up all of that browned goodness. Add the beer, chipotle purée, cumin, a good dash of Worcestershire sauce, a few little dashes of Liquid Smoke, paprika, and a bay leaf. Add a little salt and pepper and let everything come to a simmer. Keep simmering on low while the potato softens and the flavors develop.  

**Do you want a smooth, velvety soup or a chunky soup? If you want chunky, skip the blender part coming next**

When the potato is very tender, purée the soup using a stick blender or transfer into a traditional blender. I use my stick blender very carefully in my Le Creuset and don't scrape the pan, but if you're squeamish about that, transfer to a large bowl to use the stick blender and then pour it back in the pot.

Now, taste the soup and adjust your spices, salt and pepper. Remember that you will be adding cheese and milk, which will cut the spiciness, so make it a little spicier than you want with the chipotle puree. Likewise, don't add a lot of salt because you'll still be adding cheese and bacon topping, which adds salt. 

Keep the flame on very low and add the grated cheese, stirring (no 'folding' necessary) until melted, then add the milk. If you've puréed and the soup is too thick, add a little more chicken broth. 

If you're adding smoked sausage, now is the time - get it in there and get everything heated back up on low.  

Serve with your choice of toppings and Happy Fall! 

Aren't the Le Creuset pumpkins gorgeous!?