Hot Honey

Parmesan Pumpkin Soup with Hot Honey is the perfect fall soup to warm you up on a chilly autumn night. Start by peeling and cubing fresh pumpkin and simmering it in a stockpot with chicken broth and seasonings until the pumpkin is tender. Once the pumpkin has cooked, add some freshly grated parmesan, half and half, and heavy whipping cream. Purée the soup until smooth and creamy, then ladle it into bowls. Top each bowl with a drizzle of honey infused with chiles for a hint of heat, and then sprinkle on some freshly grated parmesan cheese for a salty, nutty flavor.

Pumpkin soup is one of those soups I don’t eat nearly often enough, especially considering canned pumpkin can be purchased year-round and I pretty much always seem to have four or five cans of it in my pantry at all times. This year though, I’m switching things up and using real pumpkin. That’s right. I’m braving knife wounds, pumpkin guts, and basically the most frustrating squash variety on the face of the planet. But, is it worth it?

Sadly, the answer is yes. And I say sadly because that means that I’ll be stuck having to cut, deseed, peel, and dice a lot more pumpkins in the future. Something I certainly don’t look forward to. However, real pumpkin tastes so much different than canned pumpkin, definitely making it worth the effort. Basically, it tastes more squashy. That’s right, more squashy. Its other major difference is that it has a totally different color. Fresh pumpkin is definitely nowhere near as orange as the canned version.

So, considering you can purchase a small 3 to 5-pound sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin for sometimes less than one single can of pumpkin, I say go for it, especially when fresh pumpkin is available. However, if you want to use the canned version, I totally understand that as well. After all, pumpkin guts are pretty nasty, and canned pumpkin is so much easier to work with. No matter which type of pumpkin you use, lots of parmesan and hot honey will make it absolutely delicious.

Ingredients:

8 Cups of Peeled & Cubed Pumpkin
1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 to 2 Teaspoons Ground Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
2-Inch Piece of Parmesan Rind
2-oz. Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese (Additional for Serving)
3/4 Cup Half and Half
3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Hot Honey or Honey Infused with Chiles
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Place the cubed pumpkin, chicken broth, salt, pepper, onion powder, thyme, and parmesan rind in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat.
When the soup comes to a boil, decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the grated cheese, half and half, and heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine and allow to cook for 5 minutes uncovered.
Remove and discard the parmesan rind.
In several small batches, blend the soup until smooth in a traditional blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the soup inside the Dutch oven or stockpot.
If needed, add more salt.
Drizzle each bowl of soup with hot honey before serving and garnish with freshly ground black pepper and grated parmesan.

Suggestions:

One 3 to 5-pound sugar pumpkin or pie pumpkin should yield enough pumpkin to make this recipe. The larger the pumpkin, the more squash flavor and thicker the soup. I used a 5-pound pumpkin for this recipe.
If you prefer to use canned pumpkin, I would use two 15-oz. cans of pure canned pumpkin. Since you won’t have to wait for the pumpkin to soften, it will not need the full 45 minutes of cooking time. I would allow the soup to come to a boil, lower the heat, cover it with a lid, and allow it to cook for 15 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients.
The amount of salt you will need in this soup will depend on the salt content of your broth and parmesan cheese. I suggest starting with less. You can always add more later.
The color of this soup may vary depending on the pumpkin you use. Fresh pumpkin is not as vibrant as canned pumpkin. It’s quite pale in comparison.
Make sure to blend the soup in small batches or the steam from the soup may cause the lid on the blender to blow off. I suggest two to three batches, depending on the size of your blender.
Hot Honey is infused with chiles and available in most markets. If you don’t like spice, replace the hot honey with traditional honey.
If you buy an 8-oz. triangle of parmesan cheese, you will use about 1/4 of it in this soup. You can use as much as you want to garnish the soup. Measure with your heart. The parmesan rind adds flavor and is a great way to use something that you would normally throw away.

Improvements:

Use the pumpkin seeds to make these Buttery Chili Roasted Pumpkin Seeds to garnish the soup with.
Add browned sausage or turkey meatballs to the soup after blending.
Garnish with fresh thyme.
Replace the hot honey in this recipe with 2 tablespoons of chili powder and 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar.
CLICK HERE to see all of our other amazing soup, chili, stew, and chowder recipes.

Yum

Parmesan Pumpkin Soup with Hot Honey

Ingredients:

8 Cups of Peeled & Cubed Pumpkin
1 (32-oz.) Carton Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1 1/2 to 2 Teaspoons Ground Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
2-Inch Piece of Parmesan Rind
2-oz. Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese (Additional for Serving)
3/4 Cup Half and Half
3/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Hot Honey or Honey Infused with Chiles
Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Place the cubed pumpkin, chicken broth, salt, pepper, onion powder, thyme, and parmesan rind in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over high heat.
When the soup comes to a boil, decrease the heat to low, cover, and cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the grated cheese, half and half, and heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine and allow to cook for 5 minutes uncovered.
Remove and discard the parmesan rind.
In several small batches, blend the soup until smooth in a traditional blender, or use an immersion blender to blend the soup inside of the Dutch oven or stockpot.
If needed, add more salt.
Drizzle each bowl of soup with hot honey before serving and garnish with freshly ground black pepper and grated parmesan.

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