Savory Southwest Pumpkin Soup

The best savory pumpkin soup recipe you’ll ever make.

This healthy pumpkin soup is cold weather comfort food at its finest. Not only is it bursting with comforting savory flavor, but it’s also completely gluten-free, low-calorie and packed with a gut-healing boost of collagen protein.

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I love rich, creamy soups as the weather begins to cool down. This pumpkin soup is warm, toasty and hits you with all the warm fuzzies of the fall and winter seasons.

There are way more things you can do with a pumpkin than packing it into a pie crust. Pumpkins have a delightful savory side that often goes untapped in the fall.

Savory pumpkin recipes can be amazing.

But I wasn’t thrilled with some of the existing pumpkin soup recipes I found online. Many of them were sweet (and I was craving something savory) or seemed higher in calorie with little to no protein content.

So I decided to create my own healthy pumpkin soup recipe and give it a little savory southwest kick.

What Makes This Pumpkin Soup Healthy

Pumpkins are actually an extremely nutrient-dense food. Just one cup of pumpkin contains 245% of your daily vitamin A needs! Vitamin A in particular plays an important role in your eyesight, skin and immune system health.

They’re also packed with others vitamins (like C and E), minerals (like iron and folate) and many disease-fighting antioxidants. The nutrients pumpkins provide is fabulous for your skin, immune system and digestive health.

I wanted a pumpkin soup recipe that not only tasted great, but also helped fuel my body with essential nutrients. This soup is low-fat, low-calorie only has 155 calories per bowl. But it’s filled with gut-healing collagen (not to mention great flavor) through its bone broth stock base.

Should I Use Fresh or Canned Pumpkin?

You can use either kind for this southwest pumpkin soup recipe. There’s sometimes a stigma about whether or not canned vegetables are as good for you as fresh vegetables.

But according to the Mayo Clinic, you can enjoy all the nutritional benefits pumpkin has to offer from either one. Fresh or canned, you can’t go wrong when it comes to pumpkin.

A NOTE ON SALT:

Our family made the switch to less processed salts after doing some research to learn that not all salt is made (or processed) equally. Many brands of refined salt are depleted of much of their mineral and nutritional value.

Furthermore, we learned that 90 percent of common table salts (including sea, lake and rock salts)  may contain microplastics (i.e. little bits of plastic). 

We’ve made the switch to salt brands known for higher purity with less processing to retain more of their nutritional value. They’re fantastic for all kinds of cooking!

Celtic Sea Salt

(Non-GMO Verified, Vegan, Kosher and Paleo-Friendly)

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Recipe for Savory Southwest Pumpkin Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Cups low-sodium bone broth
• 2 Cups pumpkin
• 2 Cups butternut squash
• 1 Large yellow onion
• 4 Cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 Teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne powder
• 1 Teaspoon Celtic sea salt (the only salt I cook with anymore)
• 1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil
• 3/4 Cup pepper jack cheese, shredded (optional)
• Coconut oil non-stick spray

Directions for Prepping the Pumpkin & Squash

Prepping the pumpkin and squash:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and clean out the seeds and cut the top off of you pie pumpkin and remove the seeds. From here you have two options for prepping your butternut squash to make into soup: Baking or microwaving.

Baking (if you have more time):

Lightly coat your butternut squash and inside of your pumpkin in coconut oil non-stick spray and bake at 375° for an hour. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Scoop squash flesh out of the shell and transfer into a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth puree forms (adding a small splash of water if needed to help blend smoothly).

Microwave (if you’re short on time):

Place your deseeded squash halves in a microwave-safe container with about half an inch of water. Cover and microwave for 10-12 minutes, or until squash is tender.

Scoop squash flesh out of the shell and transfer into a food processor or blender. Blend until a smooth puree forms (adding a small splash of water if needed to help blend smoothly).

If you’re super-duper short on time:

Plain canned pumpkin will do in a pinch in place of a fresh pie pumpkin. Follow the microwave steps for the butternut squash and you’re good to go in a fraction of the time.

Directions for making the soup:

In a stockpot, saute onion, one clove of garlic and a drizzle of coconut oil until onions have browned. Add squash, vegetable stock, chili powder, cayenne, smoked paprika and the rest of the garlic and bring to a simmer.

Add pumpkin, nutritional yeast and salt, and pepper to taste, stirring together and bringing to a gentle simmer for 5 or so minutes.

Carefully transfer soup to a blender and puree until smooth (careful, it’s hot stuff!). Taste test to make sure the seasoning it to your liking (feel free to add a little more salt to boost the flavor, or extra chili or cayenne powder if you like an extra spicy kick), then pour the mixture back into your stockpot or serving dish (or that baked pumpkin shell). Stir in your pepper jack cheese and serve hot. Makes about 6 heaping servings.

Soup Preparation Tips:

• I try to choose a butternut squash and pie pumpkin that are relatively close in size for this recipe. If you have more than 2 cups of each, you can adjust the recipe and just make a slightly larger pot of soup.
• Don’t be shy with the salt and pepper. It helps to kick up the overall flavor in the dish. I like to add it in doses and taste test until I get the right balance.
• This recipe freezes very well.

Ingredient & Dietary Substitutions

• Not a fan of dairy? No problem! Swap the cheese for a couple of extra tablespoons of nutritional yeast to bump up that cheesy/nutty flavor without the dairy. Or add one of your favorite vegan cheese substitutes!
• Don’t have bone broth on hand? Never fear, because chicken or beef stock will do the trick. Don’t consume animal byproducts? Try vegetable stock!
• If you are hesitant about the spiciness of your soup, you can cut back on the chili and cayenne powders (either add a little at a time and taste test as you go or even partially substitute in a little onion or garlic powder) and swap to a mozzarella cheese.
• When making substitutions, just keep in mind that your macro count may slightly vary from this specific recipe. If you’re counting macros, just make sure to adjust the recipe macros in a macro calculator based on the ingredients you use.

Nutrition & Macronutrient information

• Calories: 155
• Carbs: 15.3g
• Fat: 6.4g
• Protein: 12g

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Related Soup Recipe Articles

• French Kale and Onion Soup
• Savory Squash Soup

Related Pumpkin Recipes Articles:

• Roasted Pumpkin Salad Recipe
• Protein-Packed Pumpkin Kodiak Muffins
• Pumpkin Smoothie Recipe
• 4 Pumpkin Recipes for Holiday Meal Prepping

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All writing and images copyright © 2017 Rachel Elise Weems Woods

Originally published 11-07-2017. Updated 10-14-2020

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