Cozy up with this creamy Italian inspired pumpkin soup: you get the sweetness of roasted pumpkin, earthy fragrant rosemary, and a flurry of sharp Parmesan to make it fancy. Almost forgot: a few crispy bacon bits on top are optional, but who can resist them?
I have been dreaming about this very soup since July! No, I’m not sad, just totally obsessed with all things pumpkin 💌🎃. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the warm cozy aromas of my Moroccan pumpkin soup: you get gorgeously satisfying bites from those spiced chickpeas too!
But I wanted brighter, fresher and more familiar flavors, to balance the sweetness and smoothness of the pumpkin flesh. And a little saltiness of Parmesan plus crumbs of bacon to surprise and delight with every spoonful: meet my Italian pumpkin soup. This soup resembles a traditional zuppa di zucca (pumpkin soup) that is veluttata (velvety) without adding potatoes or cream.
What you’ll love about this recipe
- Easy to make: A little sauteing is all that’s needed, or depending on your soup maker, simply throw everything in and let it do the work.
- Seasonal: If you know me by now, you know I’m all about celebrating the produce in season, and this soup is just perfect for fall and winter. Just like an extra cozy layer or fuzzy blanket.
- Creamy and comforting: The smooth pumpkin topped with the porky goodness and salty sharp Parmesan cheese create such a satisfying textural soup.
- Mild flavors: Sometimes I want a subtle taste, it adds such elegance. This is guaranteed restaurant quality in your very own kitchen!
- Versatile: You can certainly put your own spin with different herbs and spices.
- No cream or potatoes: the pumpkin is so rich, that it really asks for no cream addition
Watch how to make this soup
Ingredients you’ll need
- Pumpkin – you need 2 small to medium pumpkins, although you will have some leftover roast pumpkin. You will want to get cooking or culinary pumpkin, also squash works equally well, although it is a little denser and makes a thicker puree. Pumpkin puree can be a little watery, so you will need to watch when you add your water.
- White or yellow onion
- Garlic – a few fresh cloves
- Lemon – juice only
- Olive oil
- Rosemary – I tried to use tender rosemary sprigs, but if yours is woody, just pick the needles (green spikes) to avoid any tough bits.
- Water – you can also use vegetable broth, but you will have to adjust the salt amount.
- Parmesan – it balances the sweetness of the pumpkin beautifully. You can in fact use other salty sharp hard cheese, like Grana Padano.
- Bacon (optional) – I used streaky bacon this time (from our local butcher), but I have tested with smoked pancetta cubes before and it was delicious!
How to make Italian pumpkin soup (step-by-step)
Time needed: 1 hour
Make this creamy Italian pumpkin soup in a soup maker or on the stove. Made even better by roasted pumpkin, earthy rosemary, lots of olive oil and Parmesan.
- Roast the pumpkin
Wash and cut the pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds and brush with a little olive oil on the inside. Place them cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast until nice and tender. This takes between 30 and 45 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly then easily remove the skin, it will peel easily.
- Saute the aromatics
While the pumpkin is roasting, dice a large onion or a few medium ones finely. Add to a medium frying pan and saute on gentle heat until soft. Do not brown it, as it changes the color of the soup. Add the minced garlic towards the end, so it doesn’t burn.
- Blend the soup
Add the pumpkin puree, the sauteed onions and most of the water or vegetable broth in your soup maker and blend until smooth. Add the rosemary, lemon juice and blend again. Give it a taste and add more salt if needed. If using an immersion blender, the same steps apply, you will just keep everything in a fairly large soup pot.
- Cook the soup
If using a soup maker, set it to cook the soup for 15-20 minutes, if you are making this on the stove top, it should cook in approximately 10 minutes. Make sure you cover the pot and stir from time to time. Be careful this soup splatters when thick.
- Serve and enjoy
Divide between bowls, top with the crispy bacon, grated Parmesan and serve with a slice of toast. Enjoy!
Pro Tips
- Roasting: Roasting the pumpkin brings out that cozy depth of flavor and enhances the sweetness.
- Extra pumpkins: I often roast a few extra pumpkins and store the sweet pumpkin flesh in the fridge to use up in many recipes throughout the week. It makes a fab sauce thickener too, so much healthier than butter and flour!
- Rosemary: Pick tender rosemary leaves and not woody, you want a subtle flavor, not to overpower the pumpkin.
- Lemon Juice: A squeeze of lemon juice balances the sweetness and brings all the flavors together.
- Heavy cream: I am really not a fan of adding heavy cream in this soup, it doesn’t need it, but if you must (no judging, honestly), just keep it to a drizzle only 😜!
Nutritional benefits
Of course, pumpkin is a great vitamin A source and a source of fiber, which makes this dish such a wholesome nourishing option. Feed those friendly gut bacteria happy!
Servings
This recipe yields 3 portions, enough for a small family.
What to serve with my Italian pumpkin soup
- The first thing that springs to mind, is toasted sourdough. And I have a few options for you to try if you want to bake your own: for example my same day sourdough bread or if you have any stale sourdough sandwich bread, cut it up into cubes, toss with a little olive oil to make some delightful croutons.
- As much as you can just grate Parmesan on top, you can make this soup even more fancy, by making Parmesan crisps instead.
- I mean, you can just go wild here, why not make a tortilla sandwich or grilled cheese to dunk in that creamy soup.
variations and substitutions
- VEGETARIAN: If you want this recipe vegetarian or VEGAN: skip the Parmesan and bacon.
- Any squash actually works too, even butternut squash or acorn squash. Just watch out the consistency, some squashes are more watery than others.
- You can certainly add sour cream if you want, but it really is not necessary, it is so creamy it’s unreal 🤩!
Whenever I see the abundance of harvest that fall puts on display, I get such a strong desire to make this gorgeous and delicate Italian pumpkin soup. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do and make this recipe one of your favorite cozy soups.
- If you make my recipe, take a snapshot for your Instagram
- Post and tag me @candyflosie😉🤗!
- Don’t forget to rate my recipe! It will make my day!
recipe FAQ
It’s not so popular in the UK, I think they import it from the US, but certainly you can use canned pumpkin puree as a shortcut.
Any squashes are a good choice, in fact I made this with “culinary squash” and even though was slightly thicker, you can just add a little more water (or broth).
If you roast the pumpkin the day before, all you have to do is blend everything and simmer, you will save so much time!
Yes, this soup can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Italian Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Chopping board
- 1 frying pan
- 1 knife
- 1 Soup maker
- 1 large pot (or immersion blender)
- 1 spatula
Ingredients
- 2 small or medium cooking pumpkins or 500 g pumpkin flesh
- 1 large onion or two medium ones
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1.25 liter water or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- juice from 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2- 3 sprigs of rosemary
- 75 g Parmesan cheese grated
- 4 rashers of streaky bacon or 100 g of pancetta cubes
Instructions
Roast the pumpkin
- Wash and cut the pumpkins in half, scoop out the seeds and brush with a little olive oil on the inside. Place them cut side down on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the oven at 200 °C (400 °F)until nice and tender. This takes between 30 and 45 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly then easily remove the skin, it will peel easily.
Saute the aromatics
- While the pumpkin is roasting, dice a large onion or a few medium ones finely. Add to a medium frying pan and saute on gentle heat until soft. Do not brown it, as it changes the color of the soup. Add the minced garlic towards the end, so it doesn’t burn.
- While the pumpkin is roasting, crisp up the bacon if using either on the grill or in the pan. Once it has cooled down, crumble it or chop it ready to be added to the finished soup.
Blend the soup
- When the pumpkin has cooled down slightly, simply peel the skin off.
- Add the pumpkin puree, the sauteed onions and most of the water or vegetable broth in your soup maker and blend until smooth. Add the rosemary, lemon juice and blend again. Give it a taste and add more salt if needed. If using an immersion blender, the same steps apply, you will just keep everything in a fairly large soup pot.
Cook the soup
- If using a soup maker, set it to cook the soup for 15-20 minutes, if you are making this on the stove top, it should cook in approximately 10 minutes. Make sure you cover the pot and stir from time to time. Be careful this soup splatters when thick.
Serve and enjoy
- Divide between bowls, top with the crispy bacon, grated Parmesan and serve with a slice of toast. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
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