Savory Pumpkin Soup

My friend Erica experimented with pumpkin soup recipes several years ago, and this was my favorite. I've removed the stuff we decided not to use and made it vegetarian.

You Need:

1/2 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb. can pumpkin
4 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2 bay leaves

The Plan:

• In a medium soup pot, melt butter. 
  
• Saute onions, stirring occasionally until soft. 
  
• Stir in pumpkin, veggie broth, salt, spices and bay leaves. 
  
• Bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
  
• Remove bay leaves. 
  
• Puree the mixture in batches in food processor or blender (I skip this step, I like the onion in the soup for texture). 
  
• Return to soup pot. 
  
• Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally until heated through. 
  
• Adjust seasonings. 
  

I actually just double the recipe, dump everything into the large crockpot I own, and cook on low all day when I serve this for Thanksgiving, so that's another option.  You could easily make this vegan by substituting margarine for the butter.