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Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

October 12, 2021

Give your chicken noodle soup a flavor upgrade using roasted pumpkin to create a creamy and sweet kid friendly broth!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

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Autumn changes and family transitions!

There are just “barely there” hints of the leaves changing colors around these parts in the last few weeks, and as we watch the autumn transition in Michigan, our family is moving into new transitions as well! We aren’t leaving our sweet little beachy town that we love so dearly, but we are moving into a new home, and while the build finishes in the next couple of months we will be making all of the transitions that come along with moving a family of five, while trying to keep a sense of normalcy for the kids.

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

Comfort food

It is absolutely a thing, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with easing the stress of temporary life happenings with a bowl of something familiar and comforting. One of my kiddos was having a particularly hard time with the thought of leaving her bedroom for someone else, and after we talked it through, and worked through all the life skills one little 10 year old can muster, we talked about what we could possibly move on with that evening and have for dinner. Her choice was chicken noodle soup, and that just made my real food momma heart burst. I want my kids to think of the food from home when they think of comfort, and this just hits that mark for me!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

Classic chicken noodle with a comforting, creamy fall twist!

I just happened to notice the little pie pumpkin still sitting on my counter that needed to be used up, and decided to give it a quick roast to stir into the broth of my chicken noodle soup. Sure, a can of pumpkin would do the trick, but filling the house with that roasted pumpkin flavor after a day of hard emotions was exactly what my family needed. There is also nothing like the depth, sweetness, and creamy texture that you get from putting a roasted pumpkin puree into a soup broth. It is one of my tricks to incredible soup broth in 3 soups here on the blog – the Beef & Kale Soup, Smokey Sweet Pumpkin Corn Chowder, and also the Autumn Harvest Chicken Stew, and I just knew it would take this chicken noodle soup to the next level!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

The Method :: Roasting the pumpkin

There is really nothing easier. And pumpkins are easier to cut than a thick butternut squash – promise! Just cut the pumpkin in half, and butter the flesh. Sprinkle the pumpkin flesh with salt and pepper and also a bit of cinnamon. YES, cinnamon in a chicken noodle soup! There is just the slightest hint of warm sweetness that will knock your socks off when it simmers with the sage once it’s in the broth. It’s truly everything about fall that we love!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

The Method :: The pumpkin puree

While your pumpkin roasts, you’ll make the base of the soup. It is a very classic chicken noodle soup base with a slight twist because the sage brings the comfort level up about 10 notches! After you pour the pasta into the broth to cook, you’ll scoop your pumpkin flesh into a blender and to puree until smooth. Give the kids a taste if they have never tasted roasted pumpkin before – be warned you may not end up with much left for the soup though! It is one of my girls very favorite side dishes all fall and winter long!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

Finishing the soup off

Once you’ve blended your cinnamon roasted pumpkin, you’ll add the puree to the soup broth while the pasta finishes cooking. The squash will melt right in, giving a sweet creaminess to the broth. But we’re not done there! Once the pasta is cooked, and the heat is off, a generous splash of creamy coconut milk adds to the decadency of this soup, and you can also wilt in some finely chopped spinach. The spinach leaves zero flavor, but adds pretty color and a pop of nutrients too!

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

A few tips for prepping ahead for faster soup making

From start to finish, this soup may not be the most weeknight friendly in prep considering the roasting time for the pumpkin, BUT you CAN do a couple of things to prep ahead before the week so that you CAN make this soup on a weeknight. Firstly, the pumpkin can be roasted and pureed days in advance. Pop it into the oven on the weekend when you are at home, and stash it away in the fridge for later in the week. The chicken can also be a prep ahead item. If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can brown up chicken breast cubes right in the soup pot before you make the soup, or make it days ahead of time. There are multiple ways to cook a whole chicken every week in order to have leftover chicken for weekly meals! If you aren’t in to a Sunday dinner roasted chicken, you can cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker, or cook your whole chicken in your Instant Pot!

If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can brown up chicken breast cubes right in the soup pot before you make the soup. Remove the browned chicken and start the soup from there. There are multiple ways to cook a whole chicken every week in order to have leftover chicken for weekly meals! If you aren't in to a Sunday dinner roasted chicken, you can cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker, or cook your whole chicken in your Instant Pot!

A note about our favorite fall squashes!

Dear momma, squashes are not just “baby food!” If you have veggie hesitant kids, greens are not the easiest place to start in my humble opinion! Squash not only tastes amazing, they are absolutely loaded with minerals. These kids need real, and substantial fuel. Squash will replenish electrolytes, fill them up with slow burning carbohydrate fiber, and open their palates to the idea of veggies tasting good. Give the kids a spoonful of that roasted squash before you add it to the soup – I really think you are going to see how a buttery cinnamon roasted pumpkin can quickly become a veggie favorite for your crew.

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp butter divided (you can use ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, or avocado oil if you are dairy free)
  • 1 small/medium pie pumpkin halved and seeds scooped out
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large carrot diced
  • 1 large celery stalk diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • ½ tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp ground sage
  • 2 cups cubed cooked chicken I use leftovers from our weekly roasted chicken
  • 2 quarts bone broth
  • 2 cups dry pasta of choice I use the GF Jovial Rice Spirals
  • ½ cup full fat coconut milk
  • 1 big handful of baby spinach finely chopped
  • Sea salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Place your halved pumpkin flesh side up in a baking dish. Rub 1 tablespoon of butter over the flesh and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and some cinnamon. Roast the pumpkin at 425 degrees for 50 minutes, until the flesh is fork tender and fragrant. While the pumpkin roasts, you can prepare the rest of the soup.
  • Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large soup pot over medium high heat, and add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of sea salt. Cook the veggies over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until the veggies are soft and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, thyme, and sage to the soup pot, stir to combine, and cook for a minute or two.
  • Add the cubed chicken and bone broth, and bring to a boil. Add the pasta, and reduce to a simmer to cook the pasta until al dente. While the pasta starts cooking, you can prepare the pumpkin to add to the broth.
  • Scoop the pumpkin flesh out of the shell and into your food processor or blender. Blend the pumpkin until smooth. Add the pumpkin puree to the soup pot where the pasta is cooking and stir to combine.
  • When the pasta is cooked to al dente, turn the heat off, add the coconut milk and chopped spinach, stir to combine, and season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Notes

  • If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can brown up chicken breast cubes right in the soup pot before you make the soup. Remove the browned chicken and start the soup from there.
  • There are multiple ways to cook a whole chicken every week in order to have leftover chicken for weekly meals! If you aren’t in to a Sunday dinner roasted chicken, you can cook a whole chicken in your slow cooker, or cook your whole chicken in your Instant Pot!
  • You can use regular milk or cream in place of the coconut milk if you are not dairy free.
  • You can use canned pumpkin if you wish – about 1 cup of puree. The roasted flavor from cooking a pumpkin is super worth it in the flavor though just fyi!
  • Save your pumpkin seeds to roast! I like to soak them in sea salt and water, toss with avocado oil, sea salt, and cinnamon on a sheet tray, and then cook at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes.
Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Noodle Soup

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Roasted Pumpkin Soup

September 19, 2014

Turn a couple of sweet little pie pumpkins into the creamiest, kid friendly savory soup this fall!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Product links in this post are affiliate links. It does not cost you anything, and helps maintain the free information on this site, as well as answer the questions of “what brand do you use?” Please know I never personally recommend any product I wouldn’t use on my own family.

14 years of little pie pumpkins…

I will be the first to admit I am completely in love with pumpkin. Come the end of September I will do everything I can to get my hands on those sweet little pie pumpkins to somehow fit in our meal plan for the week! It all started when my oldest (now 14 years old!) was a toddler. I remember making her little purees of pumpkin when she was a baby, and then little chunks of roasted pumpkin as a toddler. When she was old enough to stand in a little helper stander, scooping seeds from a little pumpkin was one of those blissful quiet toddler moments that made me figure out ways to put some sort of squash on the menu every week!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
She was SO little! This is my now 14 year old as a toddler!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup staples!

Souping those little pie pumpkins became a lunchtime staple way back then, and to this day my 14 year old still asks for it to bring to school in a thermos. Back then, it was super convenient because I also had a baby at this time, so those little pumpkin soup purees were easy to both feed to my toddler, as well as my baby who was starting solids!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

What does Roasted Pumpkin Soup taste like?

Imagine the creamiest, kid friendly texture, with a mildly sweet cinnamon pumpkin and savory, comforting broth. The cinnamon is mild, but warms the soup up, making it feel like the biggest hug in the most autumn chill day ways!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The Method :: Roasting the pumpkin

Let the kids have at it to scoop out those pie pumpkin seeds! My method on those days with little ones was to start the soup super early in the day – scooping seeds makes a great “after breakfast activity!” You can roast those seeds later too – don’t throw them away! Once the kids have scooped the seeds out, slice the pumpkin into wedges, toss them in some olive oil, cinnamon, and salt, and then roast until soft.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The Method :: Making the Soup

Once your pumpkin has roasted, set it aside to cool so that you can peel the skin off easily. The skin really does just peel right off! While the pumpkin cools, get your soup started with an onion and carrot base cooking in some butter. These sweet veggies make the best start to any soup. Once your veggies cook in the butter until soft, add your peeled roasted pumpkin and broth, and simmer the soup for 5 minutes or so.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin Soup

The Method :: Finishing the Soup

After simmering the veggies in the broth for a few minutes, you can add some coconut milk or cream, and then puree with an immersion blender or in your regular blender until the soup is smooth. Garnish your soup with a dollop of sour cream or coconut yogurt and we also like our roasted pumpkin seeds on top!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Let’s talk about the texture

You can really tailor the soup puree texture to your families preferences. Make it as thin or as thick as you like. When the girls were babies and toddlers, and wanted to “do it myself” to feed, making the soup a little thicker helped with less mess. But if your kids like it thinner, go ahead and thin it out with more broth or milk, and then maybe give them a straw to slurp it up with. My kids liked bringing a straw to school for their thermos soup when they were little – my 4th grader still prefers this. One of my older girls prefers the soup thick, while the other likes it with more milk to thin it out. You can make it thick, and then let your kids that like it thinner add some milk or broth to their bowls.

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

How to store and freeze roasted pumpkin soup

The beauty of this kind of soup is that it really freezes well! Store your soup in the refrigerator up to 5 days, or in a freezer safe soup container for months! Pop that container of soup out for quick thermos lunch additions, or on Halloween night for a comforting, easy dinner!

Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Prep Time50 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: roasted pumpkin soup, roasted pumpkin soup recipe
Author: Renee – www.raisinggenerationnourished.com

Ingredients

  • 2 pie pumpkins seeds scooped out & cut into wedges
  • 2 tbsp olive oil to roast the pumpkins
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp butter too cook the soup in
  • 2 small onions or 1 large onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 large carrots coarsely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic coarsely chopped
  • 3 cups bone broth Depending on how thick you want the soup – you can thin it out even further than the 2 quarts if you wish too stretch it.
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk or whole milk
  • Sea salt/pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees and toss the pumpkin wedges on a large sheet tray with the olive oil, sea salt, and cinnamon. Roast the pumpkin wedges at 425 degrees for 40-45 minutes, until a fork pokes in the flesh easily.
  • When the pumpkins are done roasting, let them cool while you get the rest of the soup started. Melt some butter in the bottom of your soup pot and add the onion & carrots. Put a big pinch of sea salt in there to bring out their juices and sweeten. Cook on medium heat for a good 10 minutes until the veggies soften and sweeten.
  • Add the garlic and cook for a minute.
  • Peel the skin off the roasted pumpkin, and add it to the soup pot along with the bone broth. Bring the soup to a simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Turn the heat off, add the coconut milk, and then puree the soup with an immersion blender or blender. Sea salt and pepper to taste. You can garnish with sour cream or coconut yogurt. We like the soup with roasted pumpkin seeds too!
Roasted Pumpkin Soup

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