Finally a pumpkin soup recipe that makes a tasty pumpkin soup using carving pumpkins!! It’s taken me years to perfect this recipe and I’ve finally cracked it!
If you’re making pumpkin soup don’t use carving pumpkins. They’re bred for their size not for their quality. The thing is that would mean wasting the flesh from the carving pumpkins you buy for decorating with. I just can’t bring myself to do it. So every year I make a bland, flavourless soup from my carving pumpkins.
Not so this year!! This year I finally figured out how to make a great tasting pumpkin soup using my carving pumpkins.
The secret is to roast the pumpkin flesh before starting the soup. Then it’s all about the seasoning. Double cream adds body and crispy bacon rounds the soup off perfectly.
Ingredients
- 4 Large Pumpkins £3.96
- Onions 1kg 50p
- Garlic 14p
- Chicken Stock
- Double Cream 600ml £1.70
- Bacon 1kg £3.49
- Salt
- Pepper
Total Cost = £9.79
Makes 24 servings = 41p per serving
I’ve used homemade chicken stock which is ideal but if you don’t have any, you can use four chicken stock cubes.
If you were buying pumpkins to make this soup (or any pumpkin recipe) then get normal pumpkins or butternut squash not the large pumpkins bread for carving.
If so you could halve the quantity of pumpkins as they will contain more flesh. You could also halve the bacon and cream as the pumpkins would have more flavour. This would greatly reduce the cost of this recipe and bring it more in line with my other soup recipes.
Ignoring the cost of the pumpkins, as they were purchased primarily for decorating:
Total Cost = £5.83
Makes 24 servings = 24p per serving
Which is a bargain in anyone’s book!
How to Make Pumpkin Soup
I start by slicing the top off the pumpkin.
Then I scoop out all of the pumpkin guts with an ice cream scoop. This is hard work! I’ve separated the seeds and the stringy bits. The stringy bits go in the compost. The seeds I’ll roast separately for snacking.
The ice cream scoop makes pretty evenly sized chucks of pumpkin. These get popped onto my biggest roasting tray and drizzled with a little oil. I’ve also seasoned them well.
If you’re using “proper” pumpkins (i.e. not carving pumpkins) it would be much easier to just chop off the outer skin and dice up the flesh.
Roast the pumpkin flesh for about 50 minutes at gas mark 5. It wants to be nice and tender with the slightest hint of browning.
While the pumpkins are roasting, peel and chop the onions and finely dice the garlic.
Throw them into a big pan with a little oil. Fry them until they’re translucent and smelling heavenly.
Add the stock and pumpkins.
Bring the soup to the boil and let it simmer for a few minutes.
Blend the pumpkin soup. I use a hand blender.
Stir in the cream.
Give it a try and see if you need to add any seasoning.
Portion the pumpkin soup up into freezer tubs.
Dice the bacon and try to until it’s nice and crispy. Almost brunt is best for this recipe.
Sprinkle the top of each soup portion with crispy bacon bits.
Let them cool and pop them in the freezer.
Defrost in the fridge overnight before re-heating and enjoying!!
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I do hope that this pumpkin soup recipe has encouraged you to make the most of your carving pumpkins.
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A Little Bit About Me . . .
Hey there I’m Bridie, a busy mum to two amazing humans, a spirited border collie puppy and a pair of sweet guinea pigs. We homestead in a cherished Edwardian terrace in not so sunny Lancashire, England.
When I’m not spending time with my children and menagerie, I’m usually to be found in my craft room creating and blogging or in the kitchen cooking up a big batch of something tasty. I’m always looking for thrifty hacks to save money on my crafts and recipes. Crafting doesn’t have to cost a fortune!
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