I found this pumpkin soup recipe in a magazine a while back, and have served it every Thanksgiving since. It is wonderful, fairly easy to make, and can even be made in a crockpot if you don't want to cook it in the pumpkin.

The original article gives credit to Celebrating the Great Mother by Cait Johnson and Maura D. Shaw.

1 4-5 pound pie pumpkin

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 medium carrot, diced

2 teaspoons dried sage

3 cups good-quality vegetable broth

sea salt to taste

1/2 tablespoon butter, softened

3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

1 cup light or heavy organic cream

freshly-ground white or black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a large saucepan, cook onion in olive oil over medium heat until translucent and softened. Add diced carrot and stir to coat with oil, then cook until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle vegetables with sage, stirring to coat.

Add vegetable broth and salt and bring to a boil.

Cut top off pumpkin and scrape out seeds and strings. Prick cavity with a fork and rub outside with softened butter. Place pumpkin in a shallow baking pan and pour soup into pumpkin cavity. Add half an inch of hot water to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until pumpkin is tender, adding water to pan when necessary.

Carefully remove pumpkin and add remaining ingredients. Stir. Scrape some pumpkin into broth. Don't break the shell.

Serves 6.

See above directions until the pumpkin step.

Pour into crockpot. Add one can of pumpkin. Set crockpot and cook.

Add remaining ingredients. Stir. Serve.