Autumn in Tuscany looks a lot like your neighborhood pumpkin patch – all shapes, sizes, and colors are piled high.
The beautiful golden color of this soup shows off it’s rich creaminess. For a big wow factor, serve the finished soup in a roasted pumpkin shell
Creamy Pumpkin Soup
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound pumpkin, for optional decorative bowl
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cups vegetable stock or water divided into 1 cup and 7 cups
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 5 cups pumpkin peeled and diced, or 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Kosher salt
- 6 cipollini onions or shallots peeled and quartered
- 1 cup fresh cremini or button mushrooms sliced
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 medium head savoy cabbage thinly sliced
- Garnish: toasted pumpkin seeds extra virgin olive oil, Parmesan cheese for dairy or shredded chicken for meat
Instructions
- If roasting pumpkin shell for serving, heat oven to 350°F. Hollow out a 5-pound pumpkin, and lightly coat with extra virgin olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until pumpkin becomes toasted and brown.
- Place 1 cup vegetable stock and porcini mushrooms in small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, then remove from heat and set aside.
- If using fresh pumpkin:
- – Lightly coat a large sauté pan with extra virgin olive oil. Add diced pumpkin; season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until brown on all sides.
- – Transfer pumpkin to a large stockpot.
- If using canned pumpkin puree:
- – Add to stockpot
- Add onions or shallots to large sauté pan (can use same pan used to brown pumpkin); cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer onions to stockpot with pumpkin.
- Brown sliced mushrooms in same sauté pan until browned and lightly crispy, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to same stockpot.
- Add remaining 7 cups vegetable stock or water, porcini mushrooms with liquid, and nutmeg to stockpot. Cover and cook over low heat until pumpkin is very soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Puree pumpkin mixture in batches in a blender, food processor, or with an immersion blender, adding more stock or water if necessary.
- Transfer pumpkin mixture back into stockpot, along with cabbage; simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
- Garnish with olive oil, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese if serving dairy or shredded chicken if serving meat.
I just had a bowl of leftover soup that I made for Shabbat. I have to say that I love everything about it except the cabbage, I would leave that out next time. I also topped mine with roasted wild mushrooms, which was amazing. The only negative point was that my husband and one son did not like it at all. So, it might not be for everyone.
I love the idea of having mushrooms and cabbage in this. I find most pumpkin soups to be sweet and this offers a refreshing savory twist.