Kateryna Odyntsova

Purists would season this exotic but easy fall soup with garam masala—a classic Indian blend of cumin, black pepper, and “warm” spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and cardamom). Since you may not have g.m. in your pantry, we work around it with user-friendly options that give it a similar kick. It's so tasty, an unsuspecting purist might even go for it. If you happen to have g.m., use ½ teaspoon and omit the pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and cardamom. Tips: For a vegetarian version, use vegetable instead of chicken broth. To make it elegant rather than rustic, transfer the soup to a blender in batches and process until smooth. If you don’t have ground cardamom, just skip it. Hot food lovers should add the full ½ teaspoon cayenne. Finally, you can substitute 3 to 4 cups pureed cooked pumpkin for the canned pumpkin (and you may not need the brown sugar).

Per serving: 190 calories, 5 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 33 g total carbohydrate, 7 g dietary fiber, 7 g protein, 376 mg sodium.

Estimated Cook Time: < 30 minutes.
Difficulty: Easy.
Servings: 6