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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
This sounds lovely. Going to give this a go. thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
And would you recommend for or against substituting the coconut milk with flax or almond milk? Dietary issues in the family… Thank you again!
Can leftover soup and/or pesto be frozen? It’s awesome. Thanks so much.
yes, that works great, just thaw overnight in the fridge. Thanks!
I actually followed this recipe with roasted butternut squash (and roasted seeds!) because the flavors sounded so good & it was delicious! 🙂 Still would like to try with pumpkin & bowls when I can find some sugar pumpkins!
I need to substitute canned pumpkin how many do I use?
Hey Gina! I would use one (29 ounce) can. Hope you love the soup!
After roasting the pumpkin, do you scrape out just the fruit or put the skin and all into the food processor?
Thanks, this sounds delicious!
You want to scrape out the flesh of the pumpkin and discard the skin. Hope you love this soup!
I am German and married to an American, so this will be my first Thanksgiving 🙂 This recipe sounds amazing. I think I’ll try this… Since we have a lot of people coming over, I think I won’t be able to make the small pumpkin bowls, but I kinda want to get a big pumpkin and serve it in this (like in a pot) and then everyone can get as much as they want 🙂
What type of coconut milk are you using? I have everything from fat free unsweetened (50 calories per.cup) to full fat with tons of calories in just one can. There is a middle ground that is light, but still maybe approx 120 calories per 1/3 cup x 6 in a can (still a lot). But I want to get the flavor correct if I am going to make it for Thanksgiving / company.
Can this be made ahead of time & put in the freezer?
Yes, but don’t put the roasted pumpkin in the freezer. Just roast the pumpkin before serving. Hope you love this!
Hi! I’m using this for a school assignment and I was wondering approximately how much soup this makes? I know it says 4 servings, but do you have a general idea of how much a serving is or how much the soup makes?
Thanks so much!
HI Amelia!
I want to say around 4-5 cups of soup. Hope the recipe is a hit! 🙂
This looks fantastic! I am also having 16 for thanksgiving – but I thought this would be great for the night before. Since my guests are all coming in from out of town, I don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking for non-turkey day. Can I make this ahead of time and freeze it? I might make it this weekend just cuz I don’t think I can wait to try it! 🙂
Hi Trish! Yes, this is great to make ahead and freeze. Just don’t freeze the soup in the pumpkins. I would roast those just before serving. Let me know if you have ANY questions. Happy to help!
Thanks and I hope the soup is a hit!
This looks amazing! I really want to try it this year. Will the soup turn out okay if you make it the night before and warm it up before Thanksgiving dinner?
Hi Anna! That works great! 🙂
I just made this today (minus the bowls since I’m not entertaining), it’s delicious! The pesto is very bitter…is that normal? It’s gotta be the sage, maybe I’ll use less next time.
I also used a little scout of sour cream on top rather than more coconut milk….yummmmm!
Hey Chris!! So happy you loved this, but I do not remember my pesto being bitter. Was your sage fresh?
Thanks again!
Looks yummy! Quick questions. Need to sub something for the pistachios and flour due to allergies. Please advise what to use to sub and how much. I make my own pesto and have used pine nuts and cashews. Can’t use peanuts, walnuts or pistachios. Thanks!
Hi! I would either pine nuts or cashews, both will work great. As for the flour, you can just leave that out. Hope you love this soup and please let me know if you have any more questions.
Thanks for the response. Will try them!
Quick question about this recipe: do you peel the pumpkin prior to roasting, or scoop the flesh away from the skin before putting it in the food processor? Or do you leave the skin on?
I like to scoop the flesh away from the skin and then add the flesh to the food processor. No skin goes into the food processor. Hope you love this soup! 🙂