Creamy pumpkin, chicken & veggie soup with homemade croutons

 Hey there friends,

Since it is Thanksgiving week I've been pondering the things that I'm grateful for even more, whether they are big or small. Today, I'm extra thankful for my beautiful family that I have the privilege of taking care of, that I could whip up a recipe using what I had on hand & that they can be the Guiney pigs for trying my new recipe's on haha ;) 

I was flipping through recipes in my recipe box today and came across one that looked delicious but I realized I hadn't tried it before, so what better time to try it out than today right? Whelp, I got started on the recipe only to realize I didn't have half of the ingredients😅 Ooopsy! 

So I did what any momma would do who doesn't want to waste ingredients or time lol and added in several ingredients that I thought would pair well with what the recipe called for and created a new version of this soup. The results: My hubby's new favorite soup! My kiddos also raved about it and the yummy croutons, haha. Glad I wrote down what I added & supplemented so I wouldn't forget and I can recreate this soup for him ;) 

I don't have an actual name for this soup so I'm going with: "Creamy pumpkin, chicken & veggie soup" :)

Ingredients

• 1/2- 3/4 can of pumpkin puree (* I may try the full can next time for a richer pumpkin flavor)
• 5-6 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled & chopped
• 3 medium carrots, chopped
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion
• 1/2 bag frozen peas
• 12 bag frozen sweet corn
• 2 cups shredded (cooked) chicken
• A 32 oz carton of chicken stock (* I prefer O Organics brand or Costco brand, Kirklands)
• Spices: Pink Himalayan salt, ground black pepper, basil, oregano & 21 seasoning salute from Trader Joes
• Toppings: Shredded Cheese & Homemade Croutons: Any bread you have, sliced into squares the size of croutons

Directions: 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees for Croutons*
2. Add one spoonful of coconut oil to base of Instant Pot or large pot/pan
3. Chop all veggies and add to IP or pot
4. Saute' veggies 5-10 minutes, stirring regularly
5. Add chopped potatoes, shredded chicken, pumpkin puree & a sprinkle of spices to your IP or pot and stir to combine
6. Pour in chicken stock, add lid and cook on manual for 5 minutes in IP, or until bubbling if in pot on the stove (stir regularly to make sure veggies don't stick to the bottom)
7.  
   
   **While soup is cooking: slice several pieces of bread into thin strips, cut strips into square size pieces and add to a baking dish or cookie sheet. Drizzle a small amount of olive oil, salt, pepper & the 21 seasoning salute over the pieces. Bake for 12-15 minutes depending on your preferred level of crunch. * I baked ours for 15 minutes and they were perfect, just right amount of crunch and they didn't get soggy even on our last spoonful of soup! 
8. When timer goes off on IP do a quick release, and add in a splash or two of heavy whipping cream to thicken soup (* If desired), stir well to combine. 
9. May also add additional pumpkin puree if desired, stir well to combine.
10. Ladle soup into bowls, sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese and homemade croutons on top. Serve immediately. YUM! Enjoy!! :)

Let me know what you think! I'd love to hear any recipes that you've whipped up on a whim or had success salvaging when/if you've been in a situation like I mentioned above lol ;) 

Also, you can follow along with our homeschool journey & find more recipes etc at my instagram link: thishomeschoolerslife/

Happy Thanksgiving week friends! 

~K