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I almost forgot about this Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup.
Well, not really I just realized that I better get this posted.
Time is running out. I mean jeez (or geez?? I never know), Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday! Yikes.
Do you guys have your menus all planned out yet?
I’m hoping not, since I have a few more Thanksgiving recipes coming your way. I feel so late to the game, especially since my family has somehow completely skipped over Thanksgiving and moved on to Christmas. I think it’s the weather.
But today were are talking soup. And Thanksgiving!
I have always wanted to make soup and serve it in roasted pumpkins. It’s kind of the cutest Thanksgiving recipe ever, if you ask me. I mean really, pumpkins were made for serving soup out of them, right?
I realize this soup has a lot going on, but it is all good stuff.
There is sage pesto, which is maybe one of the tastiest pestos ever. Sage + roasted garlic + pistachios + blue cheese = one darn good pesto. I was a little worried the sage would be too strong in the pesto, so I also added parsley. I think it was the perfect ratio. and it’s so festive. It would be perfect for crackers and cheese or even over pasta for Christmas.
And then there are the pumpkin seeds, which you should add as a topper to almost everything.
Seriously, these salty seeds are so good… and addicting. You will not be able to stop after just one handful, which is kind of ok since they are pretty healthy. Don’t fret about the word fried because they are not fried at all. Really, they’re just toasted in a skillet. It’s a little faster than roasting, but just as good.
Now, I know that if you are having like twenty people for Thanksgiving that giving each person their own pumpkin bowl is not really realistic. Unless of course you are Super Thanksgiving woman and rule the kitchen. In this case, I totally envy you.
Obviously, you can serve the soup in regular old bowls and it will still taste just as good, but if you’re doing a smaller Thanksgiving, do the pumpkin bowls. People will be SO impressed, and trust me, impressing people at Thanksgiving is a good thing. Not easy to do with my crowd!
But really, what are you guys making?
I have not planned a single thing yet.
Do you guys do traditional or something new every year?
I am kind of for tradition believe it or not. When it comes to the holidays, traditions rule for me.
But I do like putting a twist on things, which my family hates.
One year I tried to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes. That was that a giant mistake. Let’s just say I will never again mess with any of the boy’s “Thanksgiving Foods”.
I still hear about those roasted garlic potatoes, which by the way were awesome in my opinion.
Anyway, this soup is Thanksgiving in a bowl, and so festive and cute. Plus, it’s cute food that’s actually delicious, score!
These could be served as the perfect first course (wow them right off the bat!) Or as an appetizer served in shot glasses. Or just let them shine in all their orange glory as a full-fledged side dish.
Lastly, if you make this Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 636 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 large sugar or pie pumpkin cut half and seeds removed and reserved (plus 4 small ones if you are making the pumpkin bowls)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 small shallots chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more or less to your liking
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Sage Pesto
- 1 clove head garlic or you may sub 1 raw garlic
- 1 cup fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup fresh sage
- 1/4 cup shelled pistachios
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese if you do not like blue cheese sub feta or parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Fried Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tablespoon coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- reserved pumpkin seeds from above
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- lots of salt to your tasting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F.
- Cut your pumpkin in half or into fourths and reserve the pumpkin seeds for later. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and rub the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal the cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top of the garlic cloves and cover with foil. Roast both the pumpkin and garlic together on the same baking sheet for 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender and the garlic golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and allow everything to cool five minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl and mash well with a fork, set aside.
- Grab the pumpkin and add it to a food processor (or mash extremely well) and puree with 1 cup of the chicken broth, puree until completely smooth.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the butter and shallots. Saute the shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and cook another 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree, remaining chicken, coconut milk, water, cayenne, nutmeg, maple syrup, and crushed red pepper. Bring the soup to a low simmer and simmer 15-20 minutes.
- While the soup cooks make the pesto. Add the roasted garlic, parsley, sage, and pistachios to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and then stream in the olive oil. Add the cheese and pulse a few more times until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
- To fry the pumpkin seeds. Add the reserved pumpkin seeds to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon coconut milk and 1 tablespoon flour. In a small bowl combine the chipotle chili powder, pepper, and brown sugar. Place a skillet on the stovetop and set to medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pumpkin seeds into the pan, but be careful! Stir the pumpkin seeds around in the skillet with a spoon or spatula continuously until they expand and start to brown. Once the seeds are browned remove them from the skillet and place them onto a paper towel to drain. Toss with the chili powder and a good pinch of salt. Taste and season accordingly.
- To assemble the soup, ladle the soup into bowls (or your roasted pumpkins) and top each bowl with a dollop of pesto, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, and if desired drizzle with coconut milk. Start slurpin!
- To make the roasted pumpkin soup bowls. Remove the tops of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Rub the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or just until soft to touch but not falling in.
Whatever way you choose you won’t go wrong.
This post was originally published on November 18, 2013
Oh, these are so clever!! I want a big ol’ bowl of this!!
Thanks so much, Lauren!
This soup needs to be dinner tonight and those pumpkin bowls – the cutest!
Thanks Laura!
The pumpkin bowls! Be still my heart. Tieghan, these are fantastic! I have to make pumpkin soup one of these days. Haven’t done it yet.
Our thanksgiving is traditional. Always at my parents’ house with all the fixings: turkey, candied sweet potatoes (my fave!), homemade pumpkin pie, apple/sage stuffing, green bean casserole, homemade cranberry bread, the works! I’m making my mini pecan tarts this year for it. My mom is demanding them 🙂
Thanks Sally!!
Your Thanksgiving sounds pretty awesome. I love tradition and the sweet potatoes are my favorite too! Although, I think your pecan tarts might wine as my favorite part to the meal! 🙂
This soup sounds amazing! And I’m certain my life needs a lot more sage pesto in it pronto. What really makes this soup is the presentation….stunning! We mostly stick with traditional favorites on Thanksgiving, plus one or two “new” sides.
Yes, more sage pesto! 🙂
Thanks Kelli!
What a great presentation, those pumpkin bowls are awesome! I love the flavors going on in this soup, complimentary, yet distinct. I can’t wait to try it out!!
Thank you, Anna! I hope you love it!
Love the pumpkin bowls! I always try and stir things up just a little for thanksgiving. Maybe one new side dish with some pancetta? Otherwise, all hell breaks loose and fanily members miss their mashed potatoes and stuffing!
Haha! My family is the same way. LOL! Thanks Liz!
Oh my goodness! This looks amazing!!!
Thank you, Robyn!
First, this soup. You are right, pumpkins are made for serving soup. And it adds so much creaminess. Second, your mashed potatoes made me laugh! It sounds JUST like me … I wanted to mash hummus into our mashed potatoes, but like you said, you just don’t mess with the boy’s thanksgiving foods. You just don’t. That’s okay, I’ll come have pumpkin pesto soup and garlic mashed potatoes in the closet with you;)
Ha! Let’s do it! LOL!
Thanks Mary!
What a gorgeous soup! Perfect as a “the-week-before-thanksgiving” meal 😉
Thanks Ashley!
This soup is so… adorable. And that dollop of pesto in the pumpkin soup = best. idea. ever.
Thanks Stephanie!!
This soup is gorgeous! I have yet to have the patience to serve soup in anything that isn’t a bowl–which is lame, I know. But this would make such an impressive dinner at this time of the year! Love all the pictures Tieghan!
Thank you, Laura!!
UGH those pumpkin bowls! Every soup ever should be served in a pumpkin bowl! 😉 That pesto is driving me crazy…and the pumpkin seeds with the soup…it all looks so wonderful!
Thanks Julia!
Gaaahhhhh those little pumpkins are the cutest! LOVE!
Thanks Katrina!
These bowls are so cute! I recently discovered your blog because every delicious thing I clicked from interest brought me here. Everything looks so delicious! Although Thanksgiving has passed here (Canada), I will definitely be making these soon!
Awe, thank you so much!! You are so sweet, Jessica! Hope you love the soup!
It is traditional here. Not that it is my choice because I really am not a big fan of this type of food. There is ham, turkey, chicken and dressing casserole, green beans, cream corn, creamed potatoes or oven roasted potatoes, mac and cheese, sweet potato casserole, and cole slaw. Lots of starches, but something for everyone I guess. Lots of dessert too.
We go to our sons next door. Our daughter in law’s parents and her brother that lives in CO are there also. We all have a good time though. We are a close family.
Sounds like a really great Thanksgiving, Charlotte! You are lucky to have your family so close!