Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup
Most pumpkin soup recipes are loaded with cream, but this Spicy Pumpkin Soup is a healthy soup recipe, bold and rich with southwest flavor. It’s gluten free, vegan, and a comfort to the soul.
Life has many high points, but here and there we stumble into dark valleys, filled with trials and defeat.
It’s human nature to not want to think about hard times. When they come, we feel alone, believing that everyone has it easy. Everyone except for us.
Learning to walk through the hard times with grace, is like planting a seed of maturity and true joy in your life. Weathering the hard times well, builds a deeper appreciation for the little blessings along the way.
The most valuable life lessons aren’t learned while we are winning, but as we fall on our faces.
To walk through trials with grace and confidence, trains us to be grateful, to bounce back faster, and to not repeat previous mistakes.
What does this have to do with soup?
Soup, my friends, is healing. It quiets your soul and relaxes your body.
A good bowl of soup can be as comforting as a silent prayer.
A warm blanket.
A letter from a friend.
Often, it’s the little things, that help us get through the big things. I’ve had moments when it felt like a hearty bowl of soup, was the only thing I had going for me.
Yet learning to appreciate small comforts in the humble moments of life, makes the high points so much more memorable.
I love this particular pumpkin soup recipe because it’s rich and zesty with deep earthy undertones. Strong southwest flavors of onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, and oregano mingle with the savory-sweet pumpkin, to create a rustic soup, hearty enough to be a stand-alone meal.
Plus it happens to be a healthy soup recipe. This spicy pumpkin soup is gluten free and vegan, without lacking any flavor. Adding pureed white beans, creates a creamy texture and thickness in this pumpkin soup recipe, without the addition of cream.
Each bowl of spicy pumpkin soup is sprinkled with crunchy toasted pepitas and french fried onions, for contrast in texture.
A hearty bowl of soup will certainly lift your spirits.
For more healthy Gluten Free Recipes, visit Udi’s Gluten Free Community. They have loads of resources for those starting a gluten free diet.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Spicy Pumpkin Soup Recipe
Ingredients:
For the Spicy Pumpkin Soup:
1 Tb. oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 Tb. ground cumin
1 1/2 Tb. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp. salt
8 cups vegetable stock
29 oz. can pure pumpkin puree
15 oz. can white beans, drained
2 Tb. red wine vinegar
2 Tb. honey
For the Toasted Pepita Topping:
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 cup french fried onions (like French's)
Cayenne
Salt
Directions:
Place a large sauce pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onion, garlic and jalapenos. Saute for 3-5 minutes until soft. Stir in the cumin, oregano and salt. Saute another 2 minutes.
Add the stock, pumpkin puree and beans to the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes, uncovered. Then add the vinegar and honey and simmer another 3-5 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth. *You can also use a regular blender, but be careful! Open the vent in the lid and place a towel over it to protect from hot splashing liquid.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the pepitas and onions out on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with a dash or two of cayenne pepper and a little salt. Toast for 3-4 minutes.
Serve the soup warm, sprinkled with toasted pepitas and onions.
For more inspiring soup recipes visit my Simmering Soups Pinterest Board.
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57 Responses to “Spicy Southwest Pumpkin Soup”
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What a gorgeous soup! I love the kick!
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Beautifully written Sommer – I so agree. Growth only comes through trials and tough times, but when we come out the other end, it’s all so good. This soup looks incredible – the perfect bowl of comfort to get anyone through a tough time.
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As if this pumpkin soup recipe wasn’t good enough, you went and topped it with French fried onions. Which pretty much means that I have to make this immediately.
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I’ve never had pumpkin soup but I’d sure like to start with this one!
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This is my kinda soup, kid. Honestly, love the southwest flavours. I have to make this. and I am sharing on my FB page!
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sounds great to mix southwestern and pumpkin! Love that
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I am SO ready for soup season! Bring it on!
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I love the addition of beans to it for proteins. What a good idea. It just needs some good crusty bread to make dinner. Well what a perfect way to use the little Sunshine Pumpkin I got at the market the other day and the jalapenos the neighbor gave us. Thanks Summer! You just made this week’s dinner planning easier
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So true. The women (and men!) I look up to the most are those that have faced difficulty with extraordinary grace, faith, and perseverance. They are those that have continued to pursue joy in the midst of pain and suffering. I hope when faced with the same struggles I can have half the faith and trust these women had. And I hope when it comes down to it, I’ll have soup too…soup always helps.
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Oh Sommer, this is amazing! I love the flavors and those crunchy onions…they remind me of my mom!
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I love love love that you made this spicy!!
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VEGAN!! Yay, Sommer!! Thank you!! Can’t wait to try this one!
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Soup is probably my favorite thing in the world to eat. Even during summer! I love that fall is bringing all sorts of great produce to put into warm, comforting soup. I’ve never had pumpkin soup and LOVE that this is a savory pumpkin recipe! Thick soups with great flavor are lots of fun and pairing it with a thick slice of bread (and some crispy yums on top) sounds perfect. Lookin great!
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Love the southwestern flavours, very fresh!
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This sounds incredible! I love that you gave it a little extra kick!
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Absolutely stunning! Give me some crusty bread (I’m not gluten free) and a huge bowl of this soup and I’ll be happy!
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I’m a big fan of pumpkin; so, this soup is definitely something I would eat.
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Yummy!!!!!!!!!!!! In case my exclamation mark didn’t adequately explain how I feel about this recipe, yum! Loving this.
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Love the kick in this! You know it’s fall when it’s pumpkin soup time!
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one of the photos i swear (keep in mind it was at a glance) looked to me like a stream of white and i thought, “gasp! a healthy soup was claimed! vegan, even! what white substance could be going into this soup?” …. then i realized it is an immersion blender. hee! lovely recipe, through and through.
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Yep…Soup is like a blanket!!!! Love it!
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I love this recipe because it is so healthy. Must try soon!
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A beautiful post and a scrumptious soup, Sommer! You’re so right – soup is soul food.
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Even though it’s 90+ degrees out here, I totally want to dive in this soup right now!
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Such a warming and lovely soup, perfect for autumn!
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LOVE the Southwest twist in your pumpkin soup!
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This looks awesome but I just wanted to point out that French fried onions have gluten in them so be sure to leave those off if serving to any celiac guests
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You’re making me wish I had this pumpkin soup for lunch today instead of the pasta salad I’ve got packed.
Love the southwest flavors!
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I’m loving this whole post, have a spare bowl friend?
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Soup is indeed so healing…and just about any soup that has a white bean puree in it is a massive success. Couple that with fall, heavy sweaters, big red wines, and a cute pair of boots and I might just be ready to say goodbye to summer.
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I first had pumpkin soup in Jamaica, and I fell in love with it. Can’t wait to try your version!
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Love the twist of using beans to add creaminess! Yum
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Very true, Sommer that ‘learning to appreciate small comforts in the humble moments of life, makes the high points so much more memorable’. I love how much filling, healthy and colorful this pumpkin soup look. I am sure this could be a wholemeal in itself.
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what a great combo of ingredients!!
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This looks kinda HEAVENLY!!!!!!!!!!
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I love that you added white beans to pumpkin soup giving it even more nutrition…and the color is so pretty!
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Oooooo, I’d love a pot of this on my stove today. It’s 23 degrees right now, I’m not ready for winter!!! Love the fried onion garnish.
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This looks delish, but honey is not vegan. And I am pretty sure that French’s Fried Onions are not gluten free, considering their third ingredient is wheat flour.
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I usually like my pumpkin sweetened with sugar and cinnamon but I like this take on a savory pumpkin soup!
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Great soup. The new Food on Friday is all about soup. It would be wonderful if you linked this in. Here’s the link . Have a souper duper week!
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it isnt vegan if it has honey…. Just sayin
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Sommer — October 22nd, 2012 @ 2:26 pm
Ahhhhh, You are right! I forget about honey not being a vegan food. You could definitely sub maple syrup there.
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OMG! This looks so amazing. Can’t wait to try it. Still have so much roasted pumpkin in my fridge even though we’ve made bread, muffins, smoothies, and pumpkin quinoa kale salads.
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Great recipe. Just remember to leave off the French’s onions if you need gluten free.
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I tried this recipe and it looks nothing like the pictures. It also tastes terrible. There is no way there should be that much vegetable stock with the pumpkin ratio. I used over 5 cups of pumpkin and 8 cups of vegetable stock and could not tell that there was any pumpkin in the soup at all. Very disappointed.
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Awesome Recipe
I love soup… Here is another one you might like.
http://www.wascene.com/food-drink/healthy-butternut-pumpkin-soup/
Thanks for sharing,
Jen
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What beautiful words to go along with a lovely recipe. Love it. Touched my heart and I’m sure will go on to touch my tummy when I attempt to cook it. Thank you!
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I could eat soup for every meal. IT really is a comfort food for me. I love the spices in this pumpkin soup, along with the white beans! yum
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Found the soup a little bland, I guess spicy is a relative term. I would add more beans to bulk it up and more jalapeño, possibly some chipotle or smoky spices as well. I guess I am still searching for a spicy pumpkin soup recipe, but thank you for sharing this one.
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