Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Nov 1, 2010
Cecily Layzell

Seasonal Pumpkin Soup - Photo by Cecily Layzell

This special pumpkin soup, which is a perfect Halloween recipe or Thanksgiving recipe, is made from fragrant roasted pumpkin and flavored with sherry.

This easy pumpkin soup recipe makes use of fresh, seasonal pumpkin, which is at its best in October and November. The sherry added to the soup gives it a festive touch, making it a great Halloween recipe or Thanksgiving recipe.

Both sugar baby pumpkins and bright orange Hokkaido pumpkins are suitable for this soup recipe and can be roasted a day in advance. When the pumpkin has cooked and cooled, scoop the flesh out of the skin and refrigerate until needed.

Vegetarian Soup

To make this pumpkin soup vegetarian, leave out the bacon completely or replace with a small handful of sliced almonds, toasted in a dry frying pan until golden brown.

Pumpkin Soup Ingredients:

Serves: 4.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 1 hour 45 minutes, including pumpkin roasting and cooling time.

4 lb / 2 kg pumpkin
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 fl oz / 60 ml dry sherry
17 fl oz / 500 ml vegetable stock
17 fl oz / 500 ml water
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 fl oz / 60 ml cream
4 oz / 125 g bacon, diced (use smoked bacon for an extra fall flavor) to garnish (optional)

Pumpkin Soup Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F / 190 degrees C.
Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds with a spoon. Sprinkle the cut halves with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin cut side up on a baking tray and place in the bottom third of the oven.
Roast the pumpkin until tender all the way through, between 50 and 60 minutes depending on the thickness of the pumpkin flesh. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about 15 minutes.
When cool enough to handle, scoop the flesh out of the skin with a spoon – do not worry if the surface of the pumpkin is lightly browned, this will be incorporated into the pumpkin soup once it is blended and will give it its lovely, roasted flavor. Put the flesh into a bowl and discard the skin.
If using bacon to garnish the pumpkin soup, put into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cook on a medium heat until golden and crispy, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.
Fry the onions in the bacon fat until soft and transparent, 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in the sherry and cook until reduced by half, a couple of minutes. Stir frequently. Add the vegetable stock, water, thyme and pumpkin. Stir to combine all the ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly, bearing in mind that stock and bacon are both quite salty.
Bring the pumpkin soup to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until all the ingredients have blended, 8 to 10 minutes.
Remove the pumpkin soup from the heat and blend in the saucepan with a handheld blender, or puree carefully in batches in a food processor.
Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the cream. Divide between four bowls and serve immediately garnished with the crispy bacon or toasted almonds, if using.