This delicious and creamy harvest pumpkin soup with subtle spices and a hearty texture is something everyone will enjoy!
It’s fall and everything everywhere foodie-wise seems to be all about apples and pumpkins. I’d say I’m sorry to be adding to it, but–yeah, I’m not. Pumpkins are one of my favorite things to grow and cook, and right now we’ve got several field pumpkin vines growing in the back yard and producing, and we’ve got a whole lot of pumpkins ready for Halloween.
And there’s nothing better with those pumpkins than carving them, letting them spend a brief evening as jack-o-lanterns, and then roasting them up for soups, pumpkin purees to save for pies and other things, or just delicious bits of roasted pumpkin you can use in a variety of ways!
There’s only one big obstacle to that in my house. My husband. Love the man dearly, but he has a list of things he just plain doesn’t like. Granted, it’s a lot shorter now that he’s lived with me for twelve years and I keep pushing him out of his culinary comfort zone, but there’s still a list. And pumpkins are on it.
He’s not a pumpkin fan. No pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin bread, pumpkin muffins…none of that. And god forbid you come near him with anything resembling a pumpkin spice latte {for a great substitution, though, please check out our cinnamon maple latte or our cinnamon toast cereal milk}.
But far be it from me to admit defeat on anything–well, except mushrooms. There’s just been no way to get the man to try those.
Turns out, he’s just not a fan of the canned puree, but a fresh roasted pumpkin with plenty of savory flavorings–garlic, parmesan, pepper–is just fine by him. This soup is rapidly becoming one of our favorites, and I think if you check it out, you’ll understand why!
Here’s what you need for our version:
- 3 lbs cooking pumpkin
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- olive oil
- 1/2 head garlic (peeled)
- rosemary sprigs
- 1 pinch nutmeg (freshly grated)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- Parmesan shavings, bacon, and parsley (for garnish)
Start out by heating your oven to 375F. Cut your pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds {although I recommend saving those for roasting, or just throwing them into your garden for a surprise next year}. Score the pumpkin halves with a sharp knife, and season them with salt and pepper.
Place a few garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs in the center of the pumpkin and drizzle with olive oil.
Put the pumpkin halves on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan {if they’re large, you’ll probably need that roasting pan!} and roast for between an hour and an hour and a half, or until the pumpkin is really soft. Let it cool for about 10 minutes.
Remove the rosemary sprigs and the garlic from the pumpkin, but keep the garlic. Scoop the pumpkin flesh into a bowl and set it aside.
Heat the butter in a large stock pot. When the butter is melted, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the reserved garlic and the pumpkin flesh to the pan along with the grated Parmesan cheese, a dash of salt and pepper, and a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg. Let this cook for a couple minutes.
Add the chicken stock and stir. Let the mixture come to a boil, and then reduce and simmer for about fifteen minutes. Stir in the cream and let it heat through for another minute or so.
Then either ladle into your blender or blend with an immersion blender until the soup is nice and creamy. You don’t want any lumps in this soup!
Serve garnished with shaved parmesan, parsley, and crumbled bacon! Delish.
Doesn’t that look divine? It tasted wonderful!
Harvest Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
For the soup:
- 3 lb cooking pumpkin
- salt and pepper to taste
- olive oil
- 1/2 head garlic peeled
- rosemary sprigs fresh
- 1 pinch nutmeg freshly grated
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion diced
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
For garnish:
- Parmesan cheese shaved
- bacon crumbled
- parsley fresh, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds and pulp. Score the pumpkin halves with a sharp knife and season with salt and pepper. Place a few garlic cloves and Rosemary sprigs in the center of the pumpkin and drizzle with olive oil.
- Put the pumpkin halves in a roasting pan and roast for 1-1.5 hours, or until the pumpkin is nice and fork-tender. Then pull it out of the oven and let it cool for about 10 minutes.
- Remove the rosemary and the garlic from the pumpkin, but keep the garlic. Scoop out the pumpkin flesh and set it aside.
- Heat the butter in a large stock pot. When melted, add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Toss the reserved garlic and the pumpkin into the pan with grated Parmesan, a touch of salt and pepper, and a pinch of fresh grated nutmeg.
- Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in the cream and heat through for another minute or so.
- Ladle the soup into a blender and blend until smooth or use an immersion blender. Then serve with a little more Parmesan and some crumbled bacon and enjoy!
How do y’all navigate around the “do not like” lists in your home? Are things banished from the menu, or do you get them to at least try things?
