Pumpkin, Pepper, and Fall Herb Soup | Recipe

This pepper and pumpkin soup is a delicious appetizer. Pumpkin and pepper make the iconic cold-weather flavor. Then, oregano, thyme, and sage create full flavor complexity in this simple soup. It’s a perfect fall soup and tastes best with herbaceous garnishes and toasted french bread on the side.

Pumpkin, Pepper, & Fall Herb Soup

Recipe by Gardenuity
Servings

6

servings
Prep time

30

minutes
Cooking time

1

hour 

20

minutes
Calories

300

kcal

This rich pumpkin and squash soup recipe is a flavorful fall option. It has a longer cook time but is quite simple, requiring little attention throughout.

Ingredients

  • 1 sugar pumpkin, butternut squash or kabocha squash

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion

  • 1 cup chopped red or green peppers

  • 1 ½ cup chopped celery

  • ½ cup chopped carrots

  • 6 crushed garlic gloves

  • 4 thyme springs

  • 1 sage sprig

  • 1 oregano sprig

  • ¾ teaspoon salt

  • Pepper to taste

  • ½ teaspoon turmeric

  • 6 cups chicken broth

  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

  • 4 tablespoons sour cream

  • 3 tablespoons whole milk

  • Yellow peppers chopped for topping (optional)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 425°F.  
  • Cut pumpkin into quarters; discard seeds. Place on a baking sheet, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
  • Bake in preheated oven until tender — about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Cool until easy to handle. Remove & discard skin.
  • Set aside 1 ½ cups (about 15 ounces) cooked pumpkin; reserve remaining pumpkin for another use.
  • Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium.
  • Add onion, celery, peppers, carrots, garlic, thyme, sage, and oregano. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very tender — about 6 to 8 minutes. (Do not brown.) Add salt and turmeric. Cook, stirring often — about 1 minute.
  • Stir in chicken broth and 1 ½ cups cooked pumpkin, Bring to a simmer. Cover and let simmer 15 minutes. Remove and discard herb sprigs.
  • Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape). Secure lid on blender, and place a clean towel over opening in lid. Process until mixture is very smooth — about 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Transfer to a large bowl.
  • Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Then, stir in the apple cider vinegar.
  • Whisk together sour cream and milk in a small bowl.
  • Divide soup evenly among 6 shallow bowls. Drizzle with sour cream mixture.
  • Enjoy!
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