There’s nothing better than simple recipes that require few ingredients and come together in minutes. And there’s probably no greater example of this than pumpkin soup. All you really need is some chicken stock, an onion, a few herbs and garlic cloves, and of course a pumpkin. And making the dish is as easy as adding the ingredients to a pot, simmering them for roughly 15 minutes, and blending it all until smooth.
Honestly, that’s it!
What’s The Right Type of Pumpkin for Soup?
Say the word pumpkin and the first thing that comes to mind is often the large ones used to carve jack-o-lantern. But just like any type of produce, pumpkins come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. In fact, there are over 40 different varieties of pumpkins! And while all pumpkins are edible some are definitely better for cooking than others.
So which ones should you use?
Well, generally you should stay away from large jack-o-lantern/carving pumpkins. They don’t have a lot of flesh relative to their size. But mainly because they tend to have a rather bland, almost bitter flavor.
Instead, go for the smaller pie pumpkin, sometimes referred to as a sugar pumpkin. They are readily available in most grocery stores and have a rich and sweet flavor.
That being said you can use other types of pumpkins like long island cheese, cinderella, and kabocha.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- If pumpkins aren’t in season, or you simply don’t have access to them, then feel free to use canned pumpkin puree instead. Just swap out the fresh pumpkin with two 15-ounce cans of pumpkin puree. However, make sure that it is pure pumpkin, as some canned pumpkins will have other ingredients added like sugar
- Want to make this pumpkin soup vegan friendly? Then simply replace the butter with olive oil, the chicken stock with vegetable stock, and either omit the heavy cream or sub it out with coconut cream.
- Make sure to save the pumpkin seeds and use them to make our recipe for spiced pumpkin seeds. It’s such a delicious snack that’s pretty healthy to boot!
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 Pie/sugar pumpkin, roughly 2½ Lbs in weight
4 Tablespoons of butter
1 Medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 to 3 Cloves of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
1 Quart of chicken stock
¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
¼ Teaspoon of rubbed sage
Salt & pepper to taste
Optional finish:
A drizzle of heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep the pumpkin: Begin by cutting your pumpkin in half and use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds. Then cut each half into thin crescent shaped slices that are no larger than 2½ inches thick.
Lay these slices flat and carefully use your knife to cut off the tough outer skin and discard it.
Once all of the skin is removed cut the remaining pumpkin flesh into rough chunks and set aside.
- Sautee onion and garlic: Place a large 4 to 6 quart pot over medium heat and melt the butter in it. Toss in the onion and sautee it for 5 to 7 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Finally, toss in garlic continue to sautee everything for another minute.
- Add the chicken stock, chunks of pumpkin flesh, thyme, and sage to the pot.
- Cook the soup: Stir everything together and let the liquid come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes. You will know that everything is cooked through when the chunks of pumpkin are easily pierced with a fork or knife.
- Remove the pot from the heat and use an emersion blender to puree everything until velvety smooth.
If you don’t have an emersion blender, then wait until the soup has partially cooled, and puree it in a regular blender.
- Adjust thickness: At this point you can adjust the thickness of the soup if you prefer it thicker or thinner. If it is too thick simply add in a little bit of water or stock until it is the consistency you like. If it is too thin, then simply return the pot to the stove and simmer until it thickens up.
- Taste the pumpkin soup and add salt and black pepper until it is to your liking.
- Ladle the pumpkin soup into bowls and use a spoon to drizzle a little bit of heavy cream over the soup, enjoy!
Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Pie/sugar pumpkin roughly 2½ Lbs in weight
- 4 Tablespoons of butter
- 1 Medium onion peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 to 3 Cloves of garlic peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 Quart of chicken stock
- ¼ Teaspoon of dried thyme
- ¼ Teaspoon of rubbed sage
- Salt & pepper to taste
Optional finish:
- A drizzle of heavy cream
Instructions
- Prep the pumpkin: Begin by cutting your pumpkin in half and use a spoon to scoop out all of the seeds. Then cut each half into thin crescent shaped slices that are no larger than 2½ inches thick. Lay these slices flat and carefully use your knife to cut off the tough outer skin and discard it. Once all of the skin is removed cut the remaining pumpkin flesh into rough chunks and set aside.
- Sautee onion and garlic: Place a large 4 to 6 quart pot over medium heat and melt the butter in it. Toss in the onion and sautee it for 5 to 7 minutes or until they start to turn translucent. Finally, toss in garlic continue to sautee everything for another minute.
- Add the chicken stock, chunks of pumpkin flesh, thyme, and sage to the pot.
- Cook the soup: Stir everything together and let the liquid come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it cook for 10 to 15 minutes. You will know that everything is cooked through when the chunks of pumpkin are easily pierced with a fork or knife.
- Remove the pot from the heat and use an emersion blender to puree everything until velvety smooth. If you don’t have an emersion blender, then wait until the soup has partially cooled, and puree it in a regular blender.
- Adjust thickness: At this point you can adjust the thickness of the soup if you prefer it thicker or thinner. If it is too thick simply add in a little bit of water or stock until it is the consistency you like. If it is too thin, then simply return the pot to the stove and simmer until it thickens up.
- Taste the pumpkin soup and add salt and black pepper until it is to your liking.
- Ladle the pumpkin soup into bowls and use a spoon to drizzle a little bit of heavy cream over the soup, enjoy!
