Fall is maybe my favorite season of the year. When the leaves start to change and you wake up to frost on the ground, leaves rustling, and the smell of a fireplace lingering in the morning air, it's a wonderful time of the year. Time for making apple butter, fruitcakes, hearty stews, and belly-warming soups.
You can use pumpkin for this soup but any good winter squash will work just fine like butternut, acorn, and cushaw. I especially like cushaw, a striped crookneck winter squash, which is very hearty and will keep in a cool pantry all winter and sometimes until the next harvest if it is stored right.
So one bright and sunny, crisp fall day put a pot of this on the stove and enjoy this delicious soup for dinner with a nice salad of bitter greens topped with Parmesan Seeded Bread Croutons and a great glass of wine. You will be glad you did. Enjoy!
Makes 20 servings
Bisque Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 leeks, sliced and rinsed
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 large onion, diced
- 8 cups cubed fresh pumpkin or other winter squash
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream or half and half
Method
- In a large soup pot melt butter and sauté garlic, leeks, celery, and onions until soft.
- Add pumpkin, bay leaves, thyme, sage, chicken stock, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Cook until veggies are soft, up to 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and puree the soup.
- Adjust seasonings as needed and serve at once.
This soup is great with a dollop of crème fraîche and a few snipped chives.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 10 oz (283g) Servings Per Recipe: 20
Calories: 150 Calories from Fat: 80
Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value* |
Total Fat 9g | 14% |
Saturated Fat 6g | 30% |
Trans Fat 0g | |
Cholesterol 35mg | 12% |
Sodium 760mg | 32% |
Total Carbohydrate 14g | 5% |
Dietary Fiber 1g | 4% |
Sugars 9g | |
Protein 2g | |
Vitamin A | 90% |
Vitamin C | 15% |
Calcium | 4% |
Iron | 6% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Contains: Milk
Parmesan Seeded Bread Croutons Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 slices Seeded bread cut into cubes
Method
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix butter, Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and salt together in a large, flat-bottomed bowl; add bread cubes and turn with a spatula to coat. Spread coated bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm on Bisque.
Note: Cool croutons completely before storing in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 serving (41g) Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories: 25 Calories from Fat: 10
Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value* |
Total Fat 1.5g | 2% |
Saturated Fat 0g | 0% |
Trans Fat 0g | |
Cholesterol <5mg | 1% |
Sodium 30mg | 1% |
Total Carbohydrate 2g | 1% |
Dietary Fiber 0g | 0% |
Sugars 0g | |
Protein 0g | |
Vitamin A | 0% |
Vitamin C | 0% |
Calcium | 0% |
Iron | 0% |
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Contains: Milk, Egg