So for Thanksgiving I decided to use the same elements but with different recipes to put an alternative twist on the typical Thanksgiving meal because frankly I'm bored of it and I wanted to treat my mom to something different. For lunch I made ground turkey bulgolgi with ginger rice and roasted green beans, and for dinner I made this soup and warm german potato salad. I only took a photo of the soup since I've made the german potato salad before on this account. This is a soup I actually figured out on accident a long time ago, when I accidentally used pumpkin pie filling instead of plain pumpkin but got a tasty result.

Recipe:

1 pound canned pumpkin pie mix (pie spiced pureed pumpkin)
1 pound canned plain pureed pumpkin
¾ cup white onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 ½ cups chicken stock (Salted or non salted, can use veggie stock as alternate)
1 cup grated smoked cheddar cheese
1 ¼ cups cream
Fresh basil
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Bread for dipping (sourdough recommended)

Directions
1. In a large soup pot, toss onions and garlic with a bit of olive oil over medium heat. Roast until soft and edges are browned.
2. Add all the pumpkin and stir occasionally until it starts to bubble. Add the stock and simmer, covered, for up to 45 minutes, or until fully cooked.
3. Blend in small amounts of the cheese until all cheese is used, followed by the cream. Add small pieces of basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve with dipping bread and enjoy!


Thoughts: I really love this soup, it's balanced with enough regular pumpkin puree that it's not too sweet but it's just enough to be really pleasant. It's a nice blend of sweet and savory. Being a soft soup, it's a bit plain on its own, so it definitely needs bread or crackers to fully enjoy. It's a very simple soup to make so if you like sweet and cheesy, definitely try this.