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I almost forgot about this Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

Well, not really I just realized that I better get this posted.

Time is running out. I mean jeez (or geez?? I never know), Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday! Yikes.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

Do you guys have your menus all planned out yet?

I’m hoping not, since I have a few more Thanksgiving recipes coming your way. I feel so late to the game, especially since my family has somehow completely skipped over Thanksgiving and moved on to Christmas. I think it’s the weather.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

But today were are talking soup. And Thanksgiving!

I have always wanted to make soup and serve it in roasted pumpkins. It’s kind of the cutest Thanksgiving recipe ever, if you ask me. I mean really, pumpkins were made for serving soup out of them, right?

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

I realize this soup has a lot going on, but it is all good stuff.

There is sage pesto, which is maybe one of the tastiest pestos ever. Sage + roasted garlic + pistachios + blue cheese = one darn good pesto. I was a little worried the sage would be too strong in the pesto, so I also added parsley. I think it was the perfect ratio. and it’s so festive. It would be perfect for crackers and cheese or even over pasta for Christmas.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

And then there are the pumpkin seeds, which you should add as a topper to almost everything.

Seriously, these salty seeds are so good… and addicting. You will not be able to stop after just one handful, which is kind of ok since they are pretty healthy. Don’t fret about the word fried because they are not fried at all. Really, they’re just toasted in a skillet. It’s a little faster than roasting, but just as good.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

Now, I know that if you are having like twenty people for Thanksgiving that giving each person their own pumpkin bowl is not really realistic. Unless of course you are Super Thanksgiving woman and rule the kitchen. In this case, I totally envy you.

Obviously, you can serve the soup in regular old bowls and it will still taste just as good, but if you’re doing a smaller Thanksgiving, do the pumpkin bowls. People will be SO impressed, and trust me, impressing people at Thanksgiving is a good thing. Not easy to do with my crowd!

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

But really, what are you guys making?

I have not planned a single thing yet.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

Do you guys do traditional or something new every year?

I am kind of for tradition believe it or not. When it comes to the holidays, traditions rule for me.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

But I do like putting a twist on things, which my family hates.

One year I tried to make roasted garlic mashed potatoes. That was that a giant mistake. Let’s just say I will never again mess with any of the boy’s “Thanksgiving Foods”.

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

I still hear about those roasted garlic potatoes, which by the way were awesome in my opinion.

Anyway, this soup is Thanksgiving in a bowl, and so festive and cute. Plus, it’s cute food that’s actually delicious, score!

These could be served as the perfect first course (wow them right off the bat!) Or as an appetizer served in shot glasses. Or just let them shine in all their orange glory as a full-fledged side dish.

Lastly, if you make this Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Rest 5 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 636 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Sage Pesto

Fried Pumpkin Seeds

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400° F.
  • Cut your pumpkin in half or into fourths and reserve the pumpkin seeds for later. Place the pumpkin on a baking sheet and rub the pumpkin with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Chop off the top portion of the garlic head to reveal the cloves. Peel any excess paper/skin off from the bulb of garlic. Pour about a teaspoon of olive oil on top of the garlic cloves and cover with foil. Roast both the pumpkin and garlic together on the same baking sheet for 45 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fork tender and the garlic golden brown and soft. Remove from the oven and allow everything to cool five minutes. Squeeze the garlic out of the paper skin into a small bowl and mash well with a fork, set aside.
  • Grab the pumpkin and add it to a food processor (or mash extremely well) and puree with 1 cup of the chicken broth, puree until completely smooth.
  • Heat a large pot over medium heat and add the butter and shallots. Saute the shallots until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the thyme and cook another 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree, remaining chicken, coconut milk, water, cayenne, nutmeg, maple syrup, and crushed red pepper. Bring the soup to a low simmer and simmer 15-20 minutes.
  • While the soup cooks make the pesto. Add the roasted garlic, parsley, sage, and pistachios to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped and then stream in the olive oil. Add the cheese and pulse a few more times until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  • To fry the pumpkin seeds. Add the reserved pumpkin seeds to a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon coconut milk and 1 tablespoon flour. In a small bowl combine the chipotle chili powder, pepper, and brown sugar. Place a skillet on the stovetop and set to medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the pumpkin seeds into the pan, but be careful! Stir the pumpkin seeds around in the skillet with a spoon or spatula continuously until they expand and start to brown. Once the seeds are browned remove them from the skillet and place them onto a paper towel to drain. Toss with the chili powder and a good pinch of salt. Taste and season accordingly.
  • To assemble the soup, ladle the soup into bowls (or your roasted pumpkins) and top each bowl with a dollop of pesto, a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds, and if desired drizzle with coconut milk. Start slurpin!
  • To make the roasted pumpkin soup bowls. Remove the tops of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Rub the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes or just until soft to touch but not falling in.
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Roasted Garlic Sage Pesto Pumpkin Soup with Spicy Fried Pumpkin Seeds | halfbakedharvest.com

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Comments

  1. Stupid question because I’ve never cooked with pumpkin before. Are you scraping out the pumpkin flesh after you roast it or do you use it with the skin?

    1. Hey Christine,
      You are just using the flesh, not skin in this recipe:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xT

  2. 5 stars
    Oh. My. Goodness. This soup is flavorful and cozy and delicious. It reminds me of a soup I could get at my favorite upscale farm-to-table restaurant in the city.

    I used a small-medium pie pumpkin and so my soup was a more brothy consistency which I really liked. I spread the pesto on French bread and dipped it into the soup, and used more pistachios as a garnish on the soup. YUM!

    Would this recipe work if we peel and cube the raw pumpkin, cook in the broth, and use an immersion blender at the end? Thank you!

    1. Hey Caitlin,
      Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for trying it out! Sure, I don’t see why that wouldn’t work for you! xT🍂

  3. I want to try this soup. Could I make the soup and pesto the day before and then roast the pumpkin bowls and fry the seeds the day I serve it?

  4. 5 stars
    I made this last night. I made this vegan by subbing veggie broth and vegan feta and vegan blue cheese dressing in the pesto. It was amazing!

  5. 3 stars
    I really wanted to love this recipe but unfortunately it fell a little short for me. I’d say a safer estimate of time is at least 2 hours for all steps included. I would suggest a different method or cooking for the seeds, I’ve found they took a bit of a long time to get anywhere close to cooked. I would also suggest putting the step for cooking the pumpkin bowls above step 8, especially since it adds 30+ min to the cooking time.

    In the end, the soup was pretty good, no big complaints. I took more issue with the recipe structure and realistic time expectations. If I make it again, I’ll probably roast the seeds in the oven and roast garlic to emulsify in the purée and also for the pesto (that step seemed a little unclear as well).

    Not trying to be rude, just offering some suggestions for clarity.

    1. Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for sharing this feedback with me. I hope the recipe was still enjoyed and my apologies for not being clear about timing. Have a great day! xTieghan

      1. 5 stars
        This is a 5 star recipe!!
        The soup is delicious and all the toppings make it look Michelin ready.

        I’ve made it twice and the first time took hours. The next time was sooo much faster. I’m glad I made it again.. I could plan and stay a lot more organized. Very worth it to pre-measure. It cut the time in half.

        I did scale the broth down to 2/3 since my family prefers more of a bisque than soup. Other than that, we stayed on point with the recipe and it is amazing!

        The pumpkin bowls are a super nice touch!

        Thanks for sharing this recipe… makes me feel like a rockstar in the kitchen.

        1. Hi Krystal,
          Thank you so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx

  6. Couldn’t you use roasted shelled pumpkin seeds in the pesto instead of pistachios? Pistachios wouldn’t make very long in this house. The family thinks that they needs to be consumed as snacks upon arrival here.

    1. Hey Kathleen,
      Sure, use any nut you like here. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan

  7. 5 stars
    I loved this soup. I never follow recipes completely but almost did on this one! I had coconut cream already open so used that instead of coconut milk and also did not puree the pumpkin before putting in soup. Instead used immersion blender after insta pot. Used fresh stock. The pesto was the best. Loved it. It does take some time to put it all together. Thank you for this recipe!

  8. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and to try and simplify I did a packaged basil pesto. It was not as think and kinda got lost in the flavor. But this dish was still so yummy. Topped it with fried salami and gorgonzola. Thank you for sharing your dish.

  9. Following your recipe, I made the soup last night and I must say my family enjoyed it. Thanks for the recipe.

  10. 5 stars
    I made this with pumpkin in the fall and it was to die for!!! Wondering if I could make w butternut instead since I have TOO much on hand from winter farm share…

      1. I think I’ll make this for Thanksgiving. I’ll do it the day before and just reheat. If I roast the pumpkins the day before would they be OK just kept in the refrigerator?

  11. 5 stars
    Made this soup for a few friends and it was a big hit. Used canned pumpkin. I don’t think the pumpkin seeds added much to the soup and will delete the next time. Parsley/sage pesto was fabulous and added a deeper dimension to the soup. Pumpkin soup bowls – adorable! Thank you for the recipe!

    1. Hey Sarah! I leave the flesh in the bowls and do not scoop any out. You can spoon some of the flesh out as you eat the soup. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??