Pumpkin Soup with Buttery Sage Croutons

My pumpkin soup is a deliciously warming recipe featuring many colorful and flavorful additions such as butternut squash, sweet potato, apples, and a touch of sage. Pureed to a smooth and silky texture and topped with buttery sage croutons, this comforting and velvety soup is a cozy autumn meal!

Pumpkin Soup Goes Gourmet with Buttery Sage Croutons

For me, the cool, crisp season wouldn't be nearly as cozy without comforting foods such as bowls of hot, homemade soup to be gently warmed by.

As the evenings begin to lose sunlight earlier and earlier, becoming much chillier, a delicious soup is something that I truly love to ladle up and serve by the generous bowlful with either some crusty bread on the side, or even homemade buttery croutons crumbled over top.

This season just so happens to be the perfect time of year for pumpkin soup with a slightly gourmet flair, prepared with vibrant orange pumpkin, cubed butternut squash, sweet potato, fresh apple, and leeks, all lightly kissed with some herby savoriness by way of a sprinkle of sage and thyme.

And when it comes to this particular creamy soup, I really do prefer those crisp, flavorful and buttery croutons, the kind simply tossed with a touch of melted butter and some garlic, then quickly toasted in a hot oven until golden-brown before being finished with a wisp of chopped sage and thyme.

In my book, this pumpkin soup is what a simple-yet-delicious-treat-that-warms-the-heart is all about, one that not only wonderfully nourishes with healthy ingredients, but also soothes the soul on a chilly evening.

How to Make Pumpkin Soup with Layers of Flavor

To make a pumpkin soup that's brimming with lots of flavor, I like to use a variety of seasonal ingredients that offer up a nice pop of color and help create that thick, velvety texture.

For my recipe I choose organic, canned pure pumpkin, some pre-cut butternut squash (great short-cut!), a sweet potato, an apple, plus some leeks and garlic.

The earthy flavor comes in from the dried herbs, and also from some fresh sage and thyme.

All of these delicious ingredients simmer and soften up with some chicken stock or broth (you can even sub veggie broth to make this a vegetarian pumpkin soup), before being given a whirl with a immersion blender (or even a regular blender) until silky smooth.

Of course, prepping some savory homemade croutons boosts the flavor of this meal as well, and those simply get seasoned and toasted up until golden and crisp while the soup simmers.

And, the fact that this pumpkin soup is pureed makes the prep for it that much more streamlined. I actually just toss in the ingredients without worrying about them being “perfectly” cut. As long as things are roughly the same size, they can cook and soften at the same time before everything gets blended nice and creamy!

Here's a glance at my pumpkin soup recipe: (or just jump to the full recipe...)

1. To my large soup pot I add in my aromatics and my dried herbs, and saute those for a few moments until softened.
2. I add my cubed butternut squash, apple, and sweet potato to the pot and allow those to soften for a moment.
3. Next, I add my canned, pure pumpkin and stir things together, followed by the chicken stock or broth.
4. While the soup simmers (about an hour), I toss my cubed rustic bread with my butter and seasonings, and bake for a few moments until golden-brown and crisp, then toss with a hint of chopped fresh sage and thyme.
5. To finish, I puree the soup, then stir in a little sprinkle of chopped, fresh sage and thyme, and ladle into bowls and top with the buttery sage croutons.

Recipe

Pumpkin Soup with Buttery Sage Croutons

by Ingrid Beer

Print Recipe

This pumpkin soup is creamy and flavorful, filled with lots of seasonal ingredients and topped with homemade buttery sage croutons!

Category: Soup
Cuisine: American

Yield: Serves 8

Nutrition Info: 292 calories

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Pumpkin Soup Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 leeks (white part only), sliced
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ¾ teaspoon white pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• 1 ½ pounds cubed butternut squash
• 1 medium sweet potato (about ½ pound), peeled and diced into small cubes
• 1 medium-large Honeycrisp apple (about ½ pound), peeled and diced into cubes
• 2 (15 ounces) cans organic, canned pure pumpkin (roughly 3 ½ cups)
• 8 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Buttery Sage Croutons Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
• Pinch of Salt
• Pinch of Black pepper
• 8 ounces sourdough bread, sliced and cubed into crouton size pieces
• ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves
• ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Preparation:

1. Place a large soup pot over medium-high heat, and drizzle in the oil and add the butter; once melted, add in the leeks, along with a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, plus the Italian seasoning and white pepper, and saute for a couple of minutes to soften.
2. Next, add in the garlic and stir, and once aromatic, add in the cubed butternut squash, sweet potato and apple, and stir to incorporate; add in the canned pure pumpkin and stir to coat the ingredients, then pour in the chicken stock or broth, and bring to a vigorous simmer.
3. Cover the soup pot, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low, and allow the soup to simmer gently for roughly an hour, stirring occasionally, until the squash and sweet potatoes are tender.
4. While the soup simmers, prepare the buttery sage croutons: preheat the oven to 425°, and line a baking sheet with foil.
5. Melt the butter in a small sauce pan in or in the microwave, then add to it the garlic; pour the garlic butter over the cubed sourdough bread and toss to evenly coat, then sprinkle over some salt and pepper, plus the Italian seasoning, and turn out onto your prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
6. Bake for 12-13 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp; sprinkle over the sage and the thyme leaves, and allow the croutons to completely cool on the baking sheet; then, spoon into a bowl for serving.
7. To finish the soup, remove it from the heat and puree it using either a hand-held immersion blender or a regular blender (if you use this, very carefully puree in batches as to not spatter yourself or your kitchen with hot soup), then stir in the finely chopped sage and the thyme leaves.
8. Check the seasoning to see if any additional salt or pepper is needed, then serve with some buttery sage croutons and perhaps a couple of fried sage leaves.

Tips & Tidbits for my Pumpkin Soup with Buttery Sage Croutons:

• Pure, canned pumpkin: While you can certainly peel and cube a fresh pumpkin for this soup, I take a little shortcut and use organic, canned pure pumpkin. I love the bright orange color as well as how convenient and “mess-free” it is. Make sure that you're not using “pumpkin pie filling”—it would be much too sweet!
• Sweet-tart apples: I use a medium-large, peeled Honeycrisp apple for this soup, but you can use Granny Smith or Gala as good alternatives.
• In a pinch, sub onions for the leeks: The more subtle flavor of the leeks is nice in this slightly sweet and savory soup, but you can for sure sub a regular onion for the leeks if that's what you have on hand.
• Homemade croutons, or store-bought: The flavor of these buttery, homemade croutons is super tasty, and their quite quick and easy to prep. But if you prefer to take a short-cut, simply use your favorite store-bought croutons or even serve with rustic bread on the side.

Hungry for more soup recipes? Check out this Cream of Mushroom Soup, this Beef Barley Soup, this Vegetable Soup, or this Tomato Basil Soup!