Pumpkin Soup

This is THE pumpkin soup recipe you will make now and forever! It’s thick, creamy, and irresistible, a classic easy pumpkin soup made with fresh pumpkin that’s fast to make, and only 189 calories per serving. Don’t forget crusty bread for dunking! (Or up the ante with crusty cheese bread).

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg  pumpkin (any type) OR butternut squash, unpeeled weight (Note 1)

• 1 onion , sliced (white, brown, yellow)

• 2 garlic cloves , peeled whole

• 750 ml vegetable or chicken broth/stock , low sodium

• 250 ml water

• Salt and pepper

Finishes

• 125 - 180 ml cream , half and half or milk (Note 2)

Directions

1. Cut the pumpkin into 3cm /slices. Cut the skin off and scrape seeds out (video is helpful). Cut into 4cm chunks.

2. Place the pumpkin, onion, garlic, broth and water in a pot – liquid won't quite cover all the pumpkin. Bring to a boil, uncovered, then reduce heat and let simmer rapidly until pumpkin is tender (check with butter knife) – about 10 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and use a stick blender to blend until smooth (Note 3 for blender).

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper, stir through cream (never boil soup after adding cream, cream will split). 

5. Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle over a bit of cream, sprinkle with pepper and parsley if desired. Serve with crusty bread!

Recipe Notes

1. Pumpkin – 1.2kg pumpkin before peeling and removing seeds. Approximate is fine – use the liquid levels in the video as a guide for quantity.

2. Butternut Squash is also ideal in this. It’s called Butternut Pumpkin in Australia.

3. To make this with canned pumpkin puree, you will need 2 cans. Add it in place of the fresh pumpkin and follow recipe as is.

4. Cream – cream will add a layer of richness to the mouthfeel. But it is truly still delicious even made without – I often make it with just milk. To add a rich finish, I sometimes stir through a bit of butter instead!

5. Pureeing – you can use a blender BUT you must make sure that the soup is cooled slightly before blending it, otherwise you will find out the hard way that hot soup + blender = soup explosion (literally, the lid will blow off the blender when you start blending it).

6. Flavour variations – see in post for list of suggestions, including quantities.

7. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 servings and made with cream.

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