Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin may very well be the most iconic and versatile fall ingredient. I love it in quick breads, pie (of course!), and so much more. But of all of these pumpkin-powered delicacies, nothing goes the distance all fall and winter long quite like pumpkin soup—okay, okay, I see you pumpkin spice latte fans, but hear me out. Pumpkin soup is warming and welcoming from the first chill in the air to the last lingering cold days. Plus, it's the perfect way to use up any spare cans of pumpkin in the pantry after the holidays.

What takes this classic soup from good to great? Well, as much as I love silky smooth canned pumpkin puree, I wanted a bit of fresh pumpkin flavor. For that I turned to…wait for it—butternut squash! Yes, pumpkin's close cousin is super easy to work with—just try peeling and dicing a pumpkin!—and tastes like, well, like pumpkin, or close enough to amplify the flavor of the pumpkin puree. Keep reading below for all of my tips and tricks for making this soup the best it can be:

What People Are Saying:
"We just made this pumpkin soup tonight. It was a big hit! The smoked paprika really takes it up a notch. This is going into our keeper recipes for autumn. Thank you!" - nanlikestocook

How To Make Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS

• Butter: Pumpkin soup needs dairy for richness and texture, and that starts with the cooking fat. Cooking the aromatics in butter starts the soup off on the right foot.
• Carrots: Carrots accentuate the sweetness of the pumpkin and add a fresh, complementary flavor of their own.
• Onion & Garlic: These two aromatics lay down a savory foundation.
• Ginger: I turned to fresh ginger for some heat to balance soup's sweet.
• Butternut Squash: Be honest, in a blind test, could you distinguish the flavor of pumpkin from that of winter squash? Me neither—certainly not when an array of spices and aromatics are thrown into the mix.
• Tomato Paste: Tomato paste adds rich umami flavor, preventing this soup from becoming cloying.
• Smoked Paprika: A good pumpkin soup needs ingredients that buttress its savory side, and that's where smoked paprika comes in.
• Pumpkin: I'm a canned pumpkin devotee. It’s silky smooth, consistently good quality, and available all winter long. Because this all-star pantry staple is mild and slightly sweet, it needs supporting ingredients that support its flavor without overpowering it.
• Vegetable Broth: For more control of the seasoning, low-sodium is only way to go. Feel free to swap in chicken broth if you like—low-sodium, of course.
• Heavy Cream or Sour Cream: Regardless of which you choose, swirling one of these in not only looks pretty but adds to the velvety quality of the soup.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Grab yourself a large pot—I like to use a Dutch oven—and cook the aromatics (carrots, onion, garlic, ginger) in some butter until they're sweet and tender. Medium heat is all you need and want, since we're not browning here. Now we'll steam the squash. (One tip: Peel the squash with y-shaped peeler rather than a standard swivel peeler—you'll save yourself time and, possibly, band-aids.) Add the squash to the pot, cover with a lid, and cook until just barely fork-tender.

Uncover the pot and add the tomato paste and smoked paprika; stir to coat the squash. Cook, stirring often, until the tomato paste has darkened in color, then pour in the pumpkin puree and 6 c. broth; stir to combine

Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the squash is very tender, almost falling apart, about 15 minutes.

Time to puree! This step is best done with an immersion blender, but if you don't have one in your toolkit, a standard blender is more than up to the task. Blend the soup until it is completely smooth (work in batches if using a standard blender). It will thicken as you go. If it becomes overly thick, add more broth by the 1/4-c. as needed. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.

Divide the soup among bowls. At this point you can top it with a drizzle it with heavy cream (like some kind of soup barista) or a dollop of sour cream—your call. I like to finish it off with a sprinkling of pumpkin seeds and some freshly ground black pepper.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Blender best practices. While an immersion blender is the easiest way to puree this soup, don't worry if you don't have one—a standard blender will do. Do be careful when using it to blend hot liquids, though. I recommend pureeing the soup in batches to avoid overfilling the blender jar—and potentially blowing the lid off!
• No pumpkin spice, please. Since pumpkin is used in desserts so frequently, a good pumpkin soup needs other ingredients that amplify its savory side. Spices that offer some heat (like cayenne) or earthiness (like cumin) are especially welcome. Feel free to play around!

Storage

This soup can be made in advance and either refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.