Pumpkin Soup
There’s something magical about a steaming bowl of pumpkin soup in the crisp autumn air, and this recipe delivers exactly that. With its rich orange color, warm spices, and creamy texture, it’s the kind of dish that’s perfect for before trick-or-treating or for winding down after a leaf-crunching stroll.
Why Pumpkin Soup Feels Like Fall (and Is Good for You)
Pumpkin is loaded with vitamin A, fiber, and antioxidants, making it gentle on the stomach and good for immunity (always handy during the cold season). Blended into a soup, it becomes a silky-carrier for warming flavors (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) that evoke the scents of fall. Plus, the addition of a touch of honey and heavy cream gives it a balance of sweet, savory, and indulgence, making it feel like a treat rather than a purely “healthy” soup.
The Process
- Roast the pumpkin: Halve your 4- to 5-lb pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, slice into quarters, brush the flesh with olive oil, and roast cut-side down at 425 °F until fork-tender (≈ 35 minutes).
- Sauté aromatics: In a heavy pot, heat remaining olive oil, sauté chopped onion and minced garlic with a pinch of sea salt until translucent (about 8–10 minutes).
- Build the soup: Peel off the pumpkin skin, add pumpkin flesh to the pot along with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pepper, then pour in warmed broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer ~15 minutes so flavors can marry.
- Finish & blend: Stir in heavy cream and honey, then either use an immersion blender (or blend in batches) until silky smooth.
- Garnish & serve: Divide into bowls and drizzle the reserved cream to create a spider-web effect (use a toothpick for detail), adding cut olives and arranging them to look like a spider if you’re going full Halloween.
Optional Pepita Seed Garnish
For a textural, nutty accent, sprinkle toasted pepita (pumpkin) seeds on top. Here’s how:
- Rinse and dry your saved pumpkin seeds.
- Heat a dry skillet over medium heat, add the seeds, and stir constantly for 3–5 minutes until they become fragrant and begin to lightly toast (don’t burn them!).
- Optionally, toss with a pinch of salt or smoked paprika.
- Let cool and sprinkle over each bowl just before serving.
The crunch of pepitas contrasts beautifully with the velvety soup and reinforces the pumpkin theme.
Whether you’re serving this as a starter before a Halloween dinner or scooping it into bowls after a chilly evening walk, this pumpkin soup is seasonal, nourishing, and incredibly comforting. Pair with our Roasted Tomato and Basil Focaccia Bread for the perfect, dip-able side!
Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- 1 Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Member's Mark™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Pumpkin 4-5 lbs
- 1 Yellow onion chopped
- 5 Garlic cloves minced
- ½ tsp Member's Mark™ Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Member's Mark™ Organic Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Nutmeg
- 2 Cloves
- Member's Mark™ Black Pepper Grinder
- 4 tsp Member's Mark™ Chicken Base
- 4 cups Water
- ¾ cup Heavy cream ½ for recipe, ¼ for garnish
- 2 tbsp Member’s Mark™ Wildflower Pure Premium Honey
- Olive for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425' F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Carefully halve the pumpkin and scoop out and discard the seeds (or save them and roast them for a snack- they aren't needed in this recipe).
- Slice the pumpkin halves to make quarters. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon of Member's Mark™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut sides down, onto the baking sheet. Roast until the orange flesh is fork tender, usually about 35 minutes. Once done, set aside to cool for a few minutes.
- Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of Member's Mark™ Extra Virgin Olive Oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add onion, garlic and Member's Mark™ Sea Salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes. While onion is cooking, peel and discard the pumpkin skin off the pumpkins.
- To the side, make your chicken broth using 4 teaspoons of Member's Mark™ Chicken Base and 4 cups of room temperature water. Mix until combined.
- Add the pumpkin, Member's Mark™ Organic Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and a few twists of Member's Mark™ Black Pepper Grinder. Use your spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit.
- Pour in the broth. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
- Once the soup has cooked for 15 minutes, stir in the heavy cream and Member’s Mark™ Wildflower Pure Premium Honey. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup in the pot (you can also transfer batches of the soup to a stand mixer or blender and blend). Blend until smooth.
- Divide the soup into individual bowls. Pour the remaining heavy cream over the bowls to make the spider web design (a toothpick may help move the cream to get the design just right). Using a few olives, cut a spider and place it in the web. Serve warm.