The best creamy pumpkin soup recipe ever and one that I have been making for over 30 years! I have a post with the recipe, but I called it Butternut Squash Soup as the title, and I think (even if you decide to use Butternut squash) that it’s okay to call it pumpkin soup. That is what the French chef called it and upon asking for the recipe, he hand-wrote it for me and I’ve been making it every fall since! It’s the perfect start to any fall menu and even Thanksgiving. It can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for about 5 days. That makes dinner prep easy!
The restaurant no longer exists, but it was in Scottsdale, Arizona. The velvety creamy pumpkin soup with a little bite to it was the best thing I had ever tasted. I was visiting my sister and I insisted we go again the next day! It was that good! And I was determined to get the recipe.
I am going to give you the recipe exactly as it was given to me by the chef. Of course, you could make a few adjustments and make this for your vegan friends quite easily.
Squash or pumpkin?
The recipe calls for any hard yellow squash. You can use acorn, banana, butternut or you could use sugar pumpkins. They are the small, smooth-skinned pumpkins
This velvety smooth soup has so much depth in flavor. You can adjust the chili powder and cayenne if you find it a little too spicy, but we make it this way every time and it’s always a hit!
So what’s in Pumpkin Soup?
Onions – three kinds! Yellow onion, shallots, and green onions
Butter – Yes, butter, perhaps that’s why it’s so good! You could substitute butter for olive oil.
Herbs and Spices – Chili powder, cumin, oregano, cayenne, and fresh cilantro
Stock/Broth/Water – The original recipe calls for chicken broth, but you could substitute for vegetable broth.
Winter Squash – Butternut is the easiest and can be purchased already peeled and cubed which saves time, but any hard yellow squash or sugar pumpkins will work!
Whole Milk, Half and Half or Heavy Cream – A swirl of cream just as you are about to serve makes it even richer, but it’s completely optional.
The best tools for pureeing soup
There are a few tools that you can use to get the consistency of a velvety, smooth soup in every bite.
- A Food Processor – Any size, you can always do it in batches.
- An Immersion Blender – This works great, but you’ll need to check for chunks! One big chunk always seems to make it into my perfectly smooth pumpkin soup!
- A high-speed blender like a Vitamix or a Ninja Blender for smoothies works great too.
creamy pumpkin soup
This is the perfect fall soup and it can be made up to five days ahead making it the perfect weeknight meal or as a first course for a dinner party!
Ingredients
- 2 ounces butter
- one small onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 bunch green onions, chopped using white and most of the green
- 3 shallots, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 pound acorn, banana, butternut, or any hard yellow squash or sugar pumpkins, chopped and roasted with olive oil, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes in a 375º oven.
- 4 cups chicken broth (hot)
- 1/2 bunch cilantro
Instructions
- Sauté in butter: Onions, green onions, shallots, and all the spices except the cilantro. Stir until onions become translucent and then add the garlic.
- Add the flour and stir making sure it does not scorch.
- Add the hot chicken broth and roasted squash.
- Add cilantro and tomato paste.
- Cook on stove on low heat for about 2o minutes.
- Let cool slightly, but while still warm, puree in a blender, food processor, or using an immersion blender, blend until consistency is velvety smooth.
- Pour back into the pot and reheat before serving.
- Ladle into bowls, add a swirl of heavy cream, and a little savory granola.
Notes
This soup should be served with bread, you’re going to want to dip and get every last bite!
Roasting the squash is optional, but I think it adds extra depth to the flavors with a little caramelization in the roasting. If you’re in a hurry, just add it to the pot after adding the chicken broth and make sure it’s fork tender before blending it.
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What a cool idea!
★★★★★