Roasted Pumpkin Soup

What's Inside: Roasted pumpkin soup recipe without cream, made with simple yet flavorful ingredients, caramelized to perfection to amplify the fall flavors.

This roasted pumpkin soup is a perfect, dairy-free appetizer or side dish. You can even make it part of your next Thanksgiving dinner. 

In Panama, you can find pumpkins all year long. I understand you can find it mainly in the US in the fall. No worries, I'll share substitutions so you can make it all year round at home and pair ideas to transform it into a complete meal.

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click to read my policy and more about affiliate links. 

In Spanish, pumpkin is called zapallo or calabaza. You can find it in beef or chicken soups, not traditional sancocho.

It's also called "Crema de Calabaza or Zapallo" because of its creamy consistency. This is not a traditional Panamanian recipe, but you can get all these fall ingredients that complement each other all year round.

📋 Ingredients & Substitutions

To make this simple pumpkin soup recipe, you'll need the following:

• Fresh pumpkin: the main ingredient of the recipe. I find kabocha and calabaza pumpkin varieties in Panama, so you can substitute these or even butternut squash.

• Avoid using pumpkins used for carving. You can use canned pumpkin if you don't have enough time to roast the veggies.

• Onion: flavor amplifier and, when roasted, will have a sweeter flavor.

• Gala apple: adds a touch of sweetness that also balances the dish.

• Carrot: helps with color and adds additional flavor to the soup.

• Oil: You can use olive oil since it will be used for the roasting.

• Aromatics: fresh thyme, garlic powder. You can use fresh garlic cloves and roast them with the rest of the ingredients.

• Salt & black pepper for seasoning.

• Low sodium chicken broth: can substitute with vegetable broth or water for a vegan option. Chicken stock or beef will provide additional umami to this healthy soup.

• Optional ingredients: sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese used for garnish. Check out the toppings section for more ideas.

As for utensils, you'll need a chopping board, a knife, a baking sheet, a blender, and a medium saucepan.

Now that you have gathered your ingredients, let's go through the step-by-step process together.

📝 How To Make Pumpkin Soup Without Cream

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Place the cubes on a baking sheet, and add the olive oil, 2 sprigs of thyme, garlic powder, pepper, and a little salt.

3. Mix until all ingredients are covered in olive oil and the seasonings, and roast for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and dark orange.

💡 Tip: To verify that the pumpkin is soft, prick it with a knife, and if it goes in and out without resistance, it is ready!

4. Let cool for 5 minutes. Then, transfer all the roasted vegetables to a blender, add the chicken broth, and blend until smooth.

5. Pour the soup into a saucepan and let it simmer for 5 minutes over low heat. Rectify the salt and pepper.

6. Serve your delicious and colorful roasted pumpkin soup hot and garnish with thyme, sunflower seeds, and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

👩🏽‍🍳 Expert Tips

• When cutting the pumpkin, be careful and use a sharp knife. Cut in half and then on wedges. From there, cut in cubes. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler from the small cubes.

• The pumpkin tends to cook a little faster when it is smaller; for this reason, it's better to chop it into cubes.

• Chop the ingredients into a similar size so it cooks evenly.

• A way to tell if the pumpkin is ready is by simply pricking it with a fork, which should pass through easily.

• When blending hot ingredients, blend in batches so the blender doesn't overflow.

• You can also use an immersion blender to puree the soup, add all the veggies to the saucepan and the chicken broth, and blend away.

❓FAQ

🔖 Recipe Variations

• Want it spicy? Add some chili flakes when heating up in the saucepan.

• Curry Pumpkin Soup: Add 2 teaspoons curry powder when roasting, then add half coconut milk when blending.

• Add some butter before heating the soup, bringing out more flavors.

• Love cheese? Add about ¼ cup of feta cheese or cream cheese before blending.

• Add more flavor by making a sofrito with onion, garlic, and bell peppers, then add before blending the soup.

• Fall flavors: Add some cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves, just a little, to bring out the flavors in the soup.

• Vegan pumpkin soup: Substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock and omit the parmesan cheese.

• Love texture? Add some toasted pumpkin seeds on top.

🍽 What To Serve With Cream Pumpkin Soup

Add a few more carbohydrates and protein to make it a complete meal. You can serve it with some of the following:

• Garlic bread
• Grilled cheese sandwich
• Roasted chicken salad
• Rotisserie chicken and croutons you can add directly to the soup.
• Check out this article for other ideas on what to serve with pumpkin soup.

The serving size of this healthy pumpkin soup is about 1- 1½ cups per person. It can be served as an appetizer, side dish, or main dish if you make it a complete meal.

What to do with leftovers?

Transform this easy pumpkin soup into a pumpkin pasta sauce! Cook your pasta as regular.

Then, in a small saucepan, add butter, 1/2-3/4 cup of the soup, 1/4 cup cream cheese, and 1/4 parmesan cheese. Season with some nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

To thicken pumpkin sauce, let it cook over medium heat until it has reached your desired consistency. Add the cooked pasta and serve with your favorite protein.

Make it Fancy: Add it to a baking dish, top with mozzarella cheese, and broil until bubbly!

More Fall Recipes:

• Pumpkin Pasta
• Pan Fried Pork Chops
• Flan de Calabaza (Pumpkin Flan)
• Mushroom Cauliflower Rice
• Pumpkin French Toast

If you have tried this roasted pumpkin soup without a cream recipe or any other recipe on Nashi Food, remember to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! We love to hear about your cooking experience.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Print Recipe

5 from 35 votes

A roasted pumpkin soup without cream packed with flavor, perfect for a light dinner. Perfect as a side dish or appetizer during fall season.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time50 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 cups

Calories: 105kcal

Author: Nadja Belgrave

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 2 pounds Pumpkin, cubed
• 1 Medium yellow onion, chopped into quarters about 1 cup
• 1 Medium gala apple, cubed about 1 cup
• 1 Small carrot, chopped about 1/2 cup
• 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
• 3 sprigs Fresh thyme, 1 sprig will be used for decoration
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more if needed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2½ cups low sodium chicken broth
• optional: sunflower seeds and parmesan cheese, for garnish

Utensils

• Chopping board
• knife
• baking sheet
• blender
• medium saucepan

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Place the cubes on a baking sheet, and add the olive oil, 2 sprigs of thyme, garlic powder, pepper and a little salt.
• Mix until all ingredients are covered in olive oil and other seasonings and roast for 25 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft and becomes a dark orange color.
• Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer and blend all the roasted vegetables and the chicken broth in a blender
• Pour into a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat, rectify salt and pepper.
• Serve hot and garnish with thyme, sunflower seeds and Parmesan cheese.

Notes

When cutting the pumpkin, be careful and use a sharp knife. Cut in half and then on wedges. From there, cut in cubes. Remove the skin with a vegetable peeler from the small cubes.

The pumpkin tends to cook a little faster when it is smaller; for this reason, it's better to chop it into cubes.

Chop the ingredients into a similar size so it cooks evenly.

A way to tell if the pumpkin is ready is by simply pricking it with a fork, which should pass through easily.

When blending hot ingredients, blend in batches so the blender doesn't overflow.

For a vegan option, Substitute chicken stock with vegetable stock and omit the parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Amount Per Serving

Calories 105 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Sodium 233mg10%

Potassium 699mg20%

Carbohydrates 18g6%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 9g10%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 14611IU292%

Vitamin C 18mg22%

Calcium 48mg5%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Share it on Instagram mention @nashifood or tag it #nashifood!