This creamy pumpkin gnocchi soup is warming, nourishing, and is a delicious way to give your body some love! This soups base is creamy pumpkin with a hint of spice, then it is swirled with spinach, and soft gnocchi dumplings and topped with smoked paprika.
How to Make Pumpkin Soup Using Fresh Pumpkin
There are many varieties of pumpkin and squash you can pick from to make a delightful pumpkin soup. Every fall I go all out and buy tons of pumpkins and squash as edible decorations for Halloween- and I’m able to roast everything throughout the winter. The other benefit of using a fresh pumpkin is that you can reuse the insides for homemade vegetable broth and save the seeds to roast as a snack. Or you can grind up those roasted pumpkin seeds to create a delicious flour that is amazing in cracker form.
The first step to making this soup is to roast your pumpkin or squash. I’ve made this soup with many varieties of pumpkin and squash, my favorite being with the Kabocha Squash. It has a great sweetness that is very flavorful- especially in comparison to a carving pumpkin. You can make this soup with a carving pumpkin- but you’ll want to increase the amount of garlic, sage, and spice. Otherwise the soup can taste a bit bland since carving pumpkins are mild in flavor. It’s also fabulous with buttercup, butternut, red kuri, really any winter squash.
I have not made this soup with canned pumpkin, however I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t. If you wanted to use a canned pumpkin aim for about 4 cups worth of pumpkin filling or 2 cans worth.
While you roast the pumpkin, you’ll start sauteing the aromatics. You’ll cook the onions, celery, garlic, and chili flakes until the onions are golden like in the picture below.
Once everything is cooked you add it to a blender to get it nice and smooth.
How to Substitute Milk in Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup
This recipe calls for soy milk. This is to help make this soup a more balanced meal as soy milk adds protein to the vegetable soup. That being said, this soup is phenomenal with coconut milk! Coconut milk adds a richness to the soup that tastes lovely. It is higher in fat and is more calorie dense, so be sure to keep that in mind when meal planning!
If you don’t have soy or coconut milk, give it a try with your milk of choice!
The Best Broth for Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup
While your veggies are blending up its time to heat up your vegetable broth on the stove.
Mushroom broth also works great with this recipe as well. In a pinch you could use vegetarian chicken broth if you don’t have either vegetable or mushroom broth made up! I encourage you to make your own vegetable broth since it will have less salt and be more nutrient dense compared to store bought broth.
The gnocchi I used for this recipe was premade from Trader Joes. If you want to make your own gnocchi, try this recipe for purple potato gnocchi! After the veggies are blended you’ll heat up your vegetable broth and cook your gnocchi in it. Once those gnocchi’s start to float, you’ll pour in the blended veggies, and add in the spinach.
Add in the last of the spices, do a quick taste test to see if it needs more salt- and it’s ready!
Looking for more Vegan Soups?
- This Lobster Mushroom Bisque is pure delight! This wild mushroom soup tastes like a cross between lobster and truffle with garlicy notes.
- This Chicken of the Woods Wild Rice Soup is a Minnesotan Classic! Made with wild chicken of the woods mushrooms in a creamy base- this warming soup is a veganized family recipe.
- This vegan pho is perfect for any cold weather, sick day! This delicious soup is so healing!
- Another delightful soup is Oyster Mushroom Ramen! The meaty oyster mushroom is hearty and slurp worthy! This recipe is for the ramen addict, the true ramen lover.
Pumpkin Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Pumpkin or Kabocha Squash about 5lbs
- 1 large Onion Yellow or White variety
- 3 Cloves Garlic Depending on size of garlic go up to 6 cloves
- 1 Rib Celery
- 1 tsp Calabrian Chili or to taste depending on desired spice level
- 2 Cups Soy Milk or 1 can coconut milk for a richer soup
- 4 Leaves Sage
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tbs Dark Maple Syrup Optional- enhances the sweetness of the pumpkin
- 4 Cups Vegetable broth or Mushroom Broth
- 16 oz Gnocchi
- 2 cups Fresh Spinach
- Salt To taste, the amount depends on saltiness of your vegetable broth.
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika to garnish each bowl of soup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Slice your pumpkin or squash in half, scoop out the seeds and gutsRub the inside of the squash with olive oil Add about 1/4 cup of water onto a baking sheet and set the oiled squash in it, cut side down.
- Roast in the oven for 35-45 minutes or until it is soft through (leaves an indentation on the surface when you press it)
- Crush and mince your garlic, finely chop your onion
- Add a tsp of oil to a frying pan and bring to medium heat. Add your onions and garlic to the pan along with the 1 tsp of chili flakesSauté the onions and garlic until the onions are translucent
- Scoop out the flesh from the cooked pumpkin and add it to a blender with the cooked onions and garlic. Add in the 2 cups of soy milk and 1 tbs of dark maple syrup, and blend until smooth
- In a large pot on the stove add your vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they float
- Pour in the blended vegetables and stir, add in the 1 tsp of cinnamon, and minced sage into the pot with the gnocchi and brothStir and taste to see if any salt is needed.Then add in the 2 cups of spinach and remove from heat and stir again.Serve immediately and garnish each bowl with smoked paprika
