This creamy pumpkin soup is loaded with vegetables and spices, with just a little bit of bacon and cream to keep things fun!
Pumpkin soups are easy to make and don’t take very long at all. This ginger spiced pumpkin soup is equally easy and delicious. This pumpkin and apple soup is the perfect blend of savory and slightly sweet. These soups are a perfect way to kick off autumn. They make great starter soups, or serve them with a piece of crusty bread or side salad for a light dinner.
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Ingredients
- 3 Bacon Slices, cut or chopped into roughly ½ – 1 inch pieces
- 1 Medium Onion, diced
- 1 Carrot, diced
- 1 Celery Rib, diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano, dried
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, to taste
- Dash of Nutmeg
- 2½-3 pounds Baking Pumpkin, seeded, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Half & Half
- Salt, to taste
- Chopped Parsley, for garnish, optional
Prep work
The prep work for this pumpkin soup is pretty straight forward. The ingredients are going to be pureed at the end so you don’t need to do a small dice. Just try to keep the ingredients roughly the same size so they cook at the same rate.
Peel the pumpkin: Peeling pumpkin can be a little tricky. It’s oddly shaped and has super-thick skin rendering a peeler useless. Here is how I make quick work of pumpkin peeling.
Cut the pumpkin in half or quarters and scoop out the seeds and the stringy flesh with a large, sturdy spoon.
Cut the pumpkin into several large chucks. It will be much more manageable if it’s cut into pieces. Make sure there’s a side that can sit flat on the cutting board. Cut off a thin section of the peel at a time.
Once the pumpkin is peeled, cut each chunk into roughly 2 inch pieces for the soup.
Cut or chop the bacon into roughly ½ – 1 inch pieces. I like using kitchen shears to make quick work of this.
Dice the onions, carrots and the celery. They’re going in the pot at the same time so keep them in the same bowl. I like using glass nesting bowls to organize my prepped ingredients.
Mince the garlic and measure out the remaining ingredients.
Cook’s Notes: After preparing the pumpkin don’t throw away those pumpkin seeds, roasted them instead! Separate the seeds from the stringy flesh and rinse them well. Pat them dry, toss with a little bit of oil (I use olive oil) salt, pepper, paprika or your favorite spices. Arrange the seeds on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake them in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10 minutes. Stir them with a spatula and arrange them in a single layer again. Continue cooking another 5-10 minutes until the seeds are completely dry and crunchy.
Start the soup
- Add the chopped bacon to a large pot over medium heat. Cook it gently for 5-6 minutes to render the drippings, stir frequently.
- Next, add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper and nutmeg, cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the pumpkin to the pot and stir. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Cook the soup for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is very tender and breaks apart easily when pressed with a fork or spoon. Keep the liquid at a simmer, if it’s boiling too vigorously lower the heat – if it’s not simmering raise the heat a bit.
Finish the soup
Remove the pot from the heat. Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until it’s completely smooth. An Immersion blender (also called stick blender) is a fantastic tool for blending hot liquids right in the pot they were cooked in. If you’re a fan of creamy pureed soups, then you should definitely invest in one.
If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender. Do not fill the blender to the top with hot liquid, process in small batches. Remove the center piece (feeder cap) from the blender lid. Replace the lid (without the feeder cap) and cover with a clean, folded kitchen towel. Hold the towel down while blending. Start at a very low speed and increase gradually if necessary.
Place the soup (back in the pot) over low heat. Add the half and half and stir well. Heat the soup gently until warmed through – do not let it come to a boil. Taste the creamy pumpkin soup and salt, if needed. Garnish with the chopped parsley if desired and enjoy.
You may also like these soups:
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Bacon Slices cut or chopped into roughly ½ - 1 inch pieces
- 1 Medium Onion diced
- 1 Carrot diced
- 1 Celery Rib diced
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ teaspoon Oregano dried
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper to taste
- Dash of Nutmeg
- 2½-3 pounds Baking Pumpkin seeded, peeled and cut into roughly 2 inch chunks
- 6 cups Chicken Broth
- ¼ cup Half & Half
- Salt to taste
- Chopped Parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add the chopped bacon to a large pot over medium heat. Cook gently for 5-6 minutes to render the drippings, stir frequently.
- Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot, cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, cumin, oregano, black pepper and nutmeg, cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the pumpkin to the pot and stir. Raise the heat to medium-high and add the chicken broth. Bring the broth to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot.
- Cook the soup for 30 minutes until the pumpkin is very tender and breaks apart easily when pressed with a fork or spoon. Keep the liquid at a simmer, if it’s boiling too vigorously lower the heat – if it’s not simmering raise the heat a bit.
- Take the pot off the heat. Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until it’s completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a blender.
- Place the soup (back in the pot) over low heat. Add the half and half and stir well. Heat the soup gently until warmed through – do not let it come to a boil. Taste and salt, if needed. Garnish with the chopped parsley if desired and enjoy.