Soup in a Pumpkin

4.97 from 27 votes
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This Soup in a Pumpkin is the BEST fall recipe. It makes the house smell amazing as it cooks and the bits of pumpkin in the soup are SO yummy! 

Two bowls of Soup in a Pumpkin next to toasted bread.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Flavors of Fall
  2. Ingredients for this Pumpkin Soup Recipe
  3. Substitutions and Variations
  4. Frequently Asked Questions – Soup in a Pumpkin
  5. Serving and Storing Pumpkin Sausage Soup
  6. More Fall Soup Recipes
  7. How to Make Soup in a Pumpkin
  8. Soup in a Pumpkin Recipe

This Soup in a Pumpkin is a Fall favorite at our house! October is finally here which means we will be cooking and eating all things pumpkin! (Make sure to also check out our Dinner in a Pumpkin and Pumpkin Juice recipes — more of my fall favorites!) I love making this easy pumpkin soup recipe because the pumpkin makes such a festive serving dish.

A lot of pumpkin soups are made with pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin but this soup uses an actual pumpkin for its delicious pumpkin flavor. It is so fun to scoop the soup right out of the pumpkin — be sure to scrape the sides with a spoon so you can get nice, bite-sized chunks of pumpkin in your soup.

Flavors of Fall

I found the most perfectly round pumpkin at the grocery store the other night and I knew I HAD to make this recipe (you can also try our Spicy Roasted Pumpkin Seeds). When you take it out of the oven, be careful  — it is VERY heavy. Also, don’t try and lift the pumpkin because it gets very soft when it bakes and it can tear easily.

Soup in a Pumpkin reminds me of Our Version of Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, but the pumpkin and thyme make it taste more like fall. Both soups have sausage and kale which add a really rich flavor. If you aren’t a big kale fan, you can substitute broccoli or spinach. You can store leftovers of this soup in an airtight container in the fridge.

Ladle holding up a scoop of Soup in a Pumpkin.


Ingredients for this Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Blend these ingredients together to create a smooth and creamy soup. Grab a pot and let’s get started making the best fall soup!

  • Pumpkin – Cut and hollow out a pumpkin for soup to be cooked in.
  • Butter – Melt the unsalted butter in a saucepan.
  • Onion – I used a white onion. It is slightly milder in flavor.
  • Italian bread crumbs – A dry ingredient that will add flavor and thickness with the flour.
  • Flour – Helps create a thickness and stability in the soup.
  • Celery seed – Is a spice that adds celery flavoring without the actual celery.
  • Italian sausage – Cook and brown sausage according to package and drain any excess grease. Any pork sausage will work but we like the zing to the Italian sausage.
  • Cheese – Grate Swiss and cheddar cheese ahead of time.
  • Chicken stock – Stock or chicken broth will work.
  • Thyme and parsley – Dried is best!
  • Kale – Fresh kale that has a strong and earthy taste. It will be soft in the soup and cooked.
  • Kosher Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Heavy cream – Creamy and smooth soup.
Ingredients to make Soup in a Pumpkin including Italian sausage, cheese, Italian bread crumbs, spices, kale, onion, heavy cream, flour, butter chicken broth and a pumpkin.

Substitutions and Variations

Use an immersion blender to speed up the process of blending the soup together. Create this soup diary-free or lighter with a few substitutions and changes to the soup. Make this your way!

  • Vegetable broth is a great substitute with the same flavor like the chicken stock.
  • For a lighter soup, but still creamy pumpkin soup, try coconut milk, almond milk, or half and half.
  • Add fall seasonings like ginger, cinnamon, garlic cloves.
  • Warm up the soup with some heat from cumin or cayenne pepper.
  • Use the pepitas to roast pumpkin seeds for salads or snacking on.
  • For some added flavor add some Italian seasoning, coriander, or parmesan cheese.
  • For added spice add some red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, or Sriracha sauce.
  • Add more veggies like mushrooms or carrots for added nutrients.
  • Garnish with some parsley or fresh basil or thyme.
Bowls of Soup in a Pumpkin next to pumpkin.

“This was so yummy! I’ve never considered cooking in a pumpkin before but now I want to do it with all my soups!”

-Britni
Bowl of Soup in a Pumpkin with a spoon.

Frequently Asked Questions – Soup in a Pumpkin

Can you use any type of pumpkin for soup?

Not just any type of pumpkin. Sugar pumpkins or pie, sweet pumpkins are best! These pumpkins are usually small and round.

How do you hollow out a pumpkin for soup?

First, cut lid out of pumpkin. Next, cut around the stem, angle the knife towards the stem so the ring on the inside of the pulp is smaller than the ring on the outside of the pumpkin. The lid won’t fall in when it is baking.

How do you make pumpkin soup thicker?

Add in a tablespoon of cornstarch with pumpkin puree. Then stir together the soup and cornstarch making a roux.

Is pumpkin soup good for health?

Yes! Pumpkin soups are normally healthy and made with simple and fresh ingredients. In general, pumpkin is heart healthy. Loaded with fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. There are several health benefits eating pumpkin.

Can this be made gluten-free?

Yes, you would just need to substitute the flour for a gluten-free flour or use corn starch as a thickener. And use gluten-free breadcrumbs.

Can this creamy pumpkin soup recipe be made dairy-free?

Yes, you would need to use dairy free substitutes for the butter, cream, and cheese.

Serving and Storing Pumpkin Sausage Soup

For a fun serving idea, hollow out some small pumpkins- like pie pumpkins to use as bowls.

Make this soup ahead of time and reheat when ready to enjoy! Store this soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days long. When ready to reheat, warm on medium-low heat to avoid separating the soup.

Holding up a spoon full of Soup next to the pumpkin.

More Fall Soup Recipes

When the leaves start to change and the temperatures drop, nothing tastes better than a hot bowl of soup. Try these delicious soup recipes on a crisp fall day.

How to Make Soup in a Pumpkin

Two bowls of Soup in a Pumpkin next to toasted bread.

Soup in a Pumpkin

4.97 from 27 votes
This Soup in a Pumpkin is the BEST fall recipe. It makes the house smell amazing as it cooks and the bits of pumpkin in the soup are SO yummy! 
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Course Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Video

Ingredients

  • 1 large pumpkin
  • 1/2 cup butter + 1 Tbsp divided
  • 1 cup white onion diced
  • 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 Tablespoon celery seed
  • 1 pound Italian sausage cooked and drained
  • 1/2 cup Swiss cheese grated
  • 1 cup cheddar cheese grated
  • 2 quarts chicken stock or broth
  • 1 teaspoon thyme dried
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup parsley dried
  • 2 cups kale fresh
  • 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions

  • Cut lid out of pumpkin. As you are cutting around the stem, angle the knife towards the stem so the ring on the inside of the pulp is smaller than the ring on the outside of the pumpkin. This will make it so the lid won't fall in when it is replaced for baking.
    Cutting open the top of a pumpkin with knife for soup.
  • Preheat oven to 400. Remove seeds.
    Scooping out the seeds from a pumpkin for soup.
  • Rub the inside of the lid with 1 Tbsp butter.
    Spreading butter on the top of the cut out pumpkin for Soup.
  • In a skillet, melt ½ cup butter and sauté onions in the melted butter until tender.
    Skillet with butter and onion for soup in a Pumpkin.
  • Add bread crumbs, flour, and celery seed. Stir until coated and cook for 3 minutes.
    Skillet with bread mixture for Soup in a Pumpkin.
  • Remove from heat and pour into pumpkin.
    Bread crumb mixture in the bottom of a pumpkin for Soup.
  • Add sausage, grated cheeses, chicken stock, thyme, salt, parsley, and kale.
    Kale, spices, cheeses, broth and sausage added into the Pumpkin for Soup.
  • Put lid on pumpkin and bake on cookie sheet for 1 ½ hours then carefully remove from oven.
    Pumpkin with cut out top on resting on a baking sheet to bake soup.
  • In a medium saucepan, bring cream to a simmer. Add to contents of pumpkin. Stir well.
    Stirring cream into Soup in a Pumpkin.
  • When serving, scrape sides of pumpkin with the ladle or a spoon so that bits of pumpkin are added to the soup.
    Ladle holding up a scoop of Soup in a Pumpkin.

Notes

Making Ahead and Storing Soup in a Pumpkin 

Make this soup ahead of time and reheat when ready to enjoy! Store this soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days long.
When ready to reheat, warm on medium-low heat to avoid separating the soup.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 777kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 28gFat: 52gSaturated Fat: 26gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1571mgPotassium: 1223mgFiber: 3gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 17201IUVitamin C: 41mgCalcium: 327mgIron: 5mg

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About the author

Echo Blickenstaff

Echo lives in Spanish Fork, Utah with her husband, Todd, who works in advertising. She has four kids: two girls and two boys. She deploys her accounting degree as the blog’s resident problem solver. In her time outside the kitchen, Echo loves to get away from the phones and busy schedules and spend quality time with the family. Anywhere’s great – but getting out into nature in the mountains or on the beach – is the best kind of getaway.

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4.97 from 27 votes (16 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I love cooking in a pumpkin. I usually make custard pumpkins, so trying a savory soup was new and fun!

    My picky kiddo loved the flavors! We forgot to add the cheese but was happy enough without. I also added carraway and it really helped round out the flavors.

  2. Confused by the reviews. I fixed this recipe exactly as written and the taste results were not good. The soup had a bitter taste and never thicken up. I went to a pumpkin market to get the right pumpkin too. I have had great results from other recipes from favfamily but this was not one.

    1. The pumpkin was bitter? That definitely doesn’t sound right. I wonder if the pumpkin you got wasn’t ripe or could have just been a bad pumpkin? We haven’t ever experienced the soup with a bitter taste. Sorry it didn’t turn out for you!

  3. 4 stars
    The kale I got was quite bitter, so the soup had a strong bitter flavor. In the future, I will use broccoli or spinach in place of the kale. Also, I baked the pumpkin for 1 1/2 hours as directed. It burned on the outside, and caved in after I took it out of the oven. So, next time I would bake it only 1 hour.

    I am excited to try it again!

  4. 5 stars
    Soup came out good and was a big hit! I had to improvise a bit. I would say that it’s meant for a pretty big sugar pumpkin since I had a hard time fitting all the ingredients in. The one I used was medium. So I ended up making a second pot of extra soup to save as leftovers for the next night, which worked out great. The pumpkin survived for 2 nights in a row and I was able to serve this soup to different dinner guests each night.
    Also it was done baking in only 45 minutes. If I were to have cooked it any longer it probably would have fallen apart. Another important tip- be careful when scraping out the pulp of the pumpkin. Try to avoid scooping too close to the top or on the lid, otherwise it will affect the integrity of the pumpkin and it will start to cave in.

    1. Do you remember how you reheated everything for night two? Did you just warm up the soup and place it back into the pumpkin – or did you re-heat the pumpkin + soup in the oven?

      Trying to plan for an upcoming dinner party. Thank you!

  5. Made this for Halloween, i skipped the Sausage and used Broccoli instead of Kale. It turned out absolutely delicous wow! This will become a staple for me for a long time 🙂

  6. 5 stars
    This was so yummy! I’ve never considered cooking in a pumpkin before but now I want to do it with all my soups!

  7. 5 stars
    This recipe is a keeper! I had made chicken sausage and peppers the other night and still had enough left over for this recipe. I even threw in the sweet peppers with it. It was delicious!

        1. Uh, so I tried this and my pumpkin completely collapsed in the oven, sent soup everywhere. What did I do wrong??

          1. What kind of pumpkin did you use? Pumpkin pie pumpkins work best for this recipe. Another thought I had was if you scraped too much of the skin out before you added the soup it might have weakened the walls. I am so sorry it didn’t work for you!

        2. So it says any pumpkin can work. I’ve always heard carving pumpkins aren’t good for cooking. Can anyone attest to the worthiness of a carving pumpkin in this recipe? Other pumpkins hard to find in my area.

    1. Yes, you do cook the sausage before adding it to the pumpkin. Thanks for asking! Happy Halloween!

  8. Do I have to add the pumpkin? The rest cooks so nice but my husband is allergic to pumpkin plus it’s hard to find this time of year

    1. No, you can make the soup without doing it in a pumpkin if he is allergic. It just won’t have that pumpkin-infused flavor but it sounds like he would probably be ok with that 🙂

  9. I have not tried your soup in a pumpkin recipe and would like to do it. Is the 1 c. of flour the correct amount plus the l 1/2 c. Italian bread crumbs?