Easy Pumpkin Soup
Published October 22, 2018
If I go out to eat and pumpkin or squash soup is on the menu, I normally order it. Just as I experienced at Boniello’s, I usually say to myself: I could make this. How hard could it be?
This week, I decided to use the leftover pumpkin puree from my pumpkin whoopie pies to make an easy pumpkin soup.
Pumpkin Soup History
The internet doesn’t provide too much information about the origins of pumpkin soup. Most of the information I could dig up came from Wikipedia (very reputable) — so I can’t confirm how accurate this is.
Some articles said that pumpkin soup is inspired by African cuisine, which has squash-based soups. Others say pumpkin soup didn’t appear in the U.S. until the 1800s. A book from 1998 cites that pumpkin soup was a war-food during the Vietnam War.
Either way, the U.S. loves its pumpkins. In 2017, each person consumed 4.4 pounds of fresh pumpkin per year.
Can you imagine how much that would be if we counted pumpkin flavoring, too?
An Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Since this is my first time cooking pumpkin soup, I decided to follow a recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. It is a one-pot meal (plus a blender). Quick and simple to make, this easy pumpkin soup is great for cold, autumn days.
Easy Pumpkin Soup Ingredients
I already had the heavy cream and pumpkin on hand. The rest of the spices are standard pantry items, which makes this a quick (yet delicious) recipe for a weeknight.
Pumpkin Soup Instructions
Unfortunately, with this week’s video, I had some filming issues.
When I turned the camera ON to record my actions I was actually turning it OFF. I didn’t realize this was happening until I was editing the film.
This means that you miss seeing my measurements and the individual ingredients as I add them to my soup.
I thought I would share what I have anyway. This isn’t a complex recipe, so you should still understand what each step should look like. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment and I would be happy to share what I did.
My Thoughts
Overall, I am happy with the final product. This is an easy recipe to execute and clean up. You can improvise with pureeing the soup based on your preferences and available tools. For this time of year, having the ingredients on hand make this a festive appetizer or entree.
The Flavor
As I’ve noted from Boniello’s soup, if I’m eating pumpkin, I expect to taste the flavor. This recipe is great that way, because you taste the pumpkin flavor among the other ingredients.
If you want a sweeter soup, you could add more cinnamon or brown sugar. I personally prefer the savory flavors. You get a bit of the pumpkin flavor (without it being sickening).
I think the garlic and the onions are what give this dish its depth while the sweeter spices help balance these strong ingredients and bolster the “tinny” flavor canned puree may have.
The Texture
I didn’t want my soup to be watery. I also wanted the pumpkin flavor and texture to be apparent in the soup. My final pumpkin soup is more like a thick puree than a traditional soup. I don’t mind this, but if you’re expecting a brothy soup, you should add more stock as you are cooking.
I also diced my onions and garlic very small. At first I wasn’t going to puree the final product. I changed my mind, since this is my first time making this recipe, I figured I should follow it all the way through. I’m partial to believe that pureeing it made it even thicker, but I still don’t mind this texture.
Carbs, Always
For the most part, my soup was a smooth, pureed consistency. Here-and-there you had small pieces of the translucent onion, which was a texture. I didn’t mind having these pieces to chew, but if you’d rather not have them, spend more time pureeing your soup.
I decided to make a herb-toasted bread for dipping. The herbs helped pull out the earthy flavors in the soup. The golden bread was the much needed crunch. I recommend you make your own garlic bread or toast when serving.
