PHOEBE'S PUMPKIN AND SAUSAGE SOUP
1 pound pork sausage (Phoebe used hot sausage)
1/2 cup onion, chopped, 2 3/4 ounces
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, chopped, about 5 medium
1 clove garlic, minced
15 ounce can pumpkin
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste
In a large pot, brown the sausage along with the onion, mushrooms and garlic; drain fat. Add the pumpkin and broth. Phoebe added a tablespoon of Italian seasoning at this point, but I've left that out. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and simmer 20-30 minutes. Add the cream and water; simmer 10-15 minutes longer. Adjust seasoning.
Makes 8 cups or 8 servings
Can be frozen
Per Serving: 277 Calories; 21g Fat; 15g Protein; 6g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 4g Net Carbs
This is a very popular recipe at Low Carb Friends so I really wanted to try it and see what all the fuss was about. It tastes good, and the pumpkin gives it a thick creamy consistency, but it's lacking in flavor. I tried various spices and seasonings and nothing seemed right and I knew I wouldn't like it with Italian seasoning. I'm surprised that you can't really taste the pumpkin. I was hoping that it would taste like squash, but it really doesn't have much flavor. The sausage is the main thing you taste in this soup. Surprisingly the carbs are very low considering that there's a whole can of pumpkin in it. I'm thinking that pumpkin might be a good thing to add to other cream soups to make them thicker. Since it doesn't add much flavor, it would go with all kinds of meats and seasonings. It certainly makes the soup very filling, if nothing else. After thawing the soup, it will look very curdled at first. Once it is heated and stirred it will get nice and creamy again.