Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe With Leftover Halloween Pumpkin

If you still have a few pumpkins sitting on the porch? You're not alone. Here at Cedar Planters, it's our favourite late fall problem to solve. The good ones can become this delicious pumpkin soup recipe, and the carved ones can optionally be composted to feed next spring's soil.

The short version: Uncarved, firm pumpkins are safe to cook. Carved ones are not, so compost them. Roast the good ones at 200°C (400°F), blend them into soup, and bury the rest in your compost.

Can You Eat Your Halloween Pumpkin?

Big carving pumpkins are edible but a little watery. Roasting helps, and mixing in one small pie pumpkin makes the soup even better. Skip the jack-o'-lantern though. It's been sitting open on the porch for weeks.

Easy Roasted Pumpkin Soup Recipe 

About 1 hour 15 minutes, and the oven does most of the work.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3 lb) pumpkin
• 2 tbsp olive oil or butter
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 L (4 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg
• 1 tbsp maple syrup (it's a Canadian soup, after all)
• 125 ml (½ cup) 35% cream or coconut milk
• Salt, pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds and parsley to garnish

Method

1. Roast. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Halve the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and cut it into wedges. Toss with 1 tbsp oil and salt, then roast skin side down for 40 to 50 minutes until fork tender.
2. Sauté. Warm the rest of the oil in a big pot and cook the onion for 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, apple and spices for 2 minutes more.
3. Simmer. Scoop the pumpkin off the skins into the pot. Add the stock and maple syrup and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Blend and finish. Blend until smooth, stir in the cream, and season to taste. Top with toasted seeds.

Quick tips: For a vegan version, use veggie stock and coconut milk. Freezing it? Add the cream when you reheat so it stays smooth. If you used a big carving pumpkin and the soup is thin, use a little less stock next time.

Compost the Rest of Your Pumpkins

Carved pumpkins still have one job left: feeding next year's garden. Remove any candles, wax or paint, smash them into chunks, and bury them in your compost. If the soil is already frozen, pile them on top and cover with leaves. Canadian freeze and thaw cycles do the rest, and by spring they're mostly gone.

Want to grow your own soup pumpkins next year? Small varieties like Baby Bear do well in a raised bed with 12" planting depth. Our 30" standing beds keep the fruit off cold, wet ground, and they're built from WRCLA-certified Western Red Cedar that's naturally rot-resistant with no chemical treatment.

Winter is a great time to plan your spring garden. Take a look at our Raised Garden collection and have your bed ready the moment the snow melts. Lengths run from 24" to 72", and assembly takes just five minutes.

Quick Questions

How long does pumpkin soup keep? Four to five days in the fridge, or about three months in the freezer.

Can I use canned pumpkin? Yes. Two 398 ml cans of pure pumpkin purée work great. Just skip the roasting step, and make sure it's not pie filling.

Can you compost pumpkins in a Canadian winter? Absolutely. They break down a little more with every thaw, and buried pieces are usually gone by spring from your compost pile.