Pumpkin, Pepper, and Fall Herb Soup | Recipe

pumpkin soup for dinner in a rustic style

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

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

hour

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!