A hearty pumpkin soup perfect for chilly fall days. Throw the ingredients in the slow cooker & come back later for a tasty meal! Vegetarian & gluten-free.
There is something about pumpkin that makes people go crazy…I can’t quite put my finger on it, but as soon at the summer temperatures even start to drop a little bit people start putting pumpkin into everything! I confess, I am a pumpkin lover myself. We wait all year for pumpkin season and it never disappoints! As I was thinking about a new recipe to make and share with you all, I thought about all the sweet ways to share pumpkin…in breads, muffins, pancakes, oatmeal, with chocolate, etc. Then I thought, “well, what about the savory side of pumpkin?” I’m sure the pumpkin wants to be known for more than just sweet pumpkin spiced treats and being made into jack-o-lanterns! Hence I decided to make Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup.
This soup was an experiment of mine and I am glad to say it turned out quite tasty! Even my husband and brother-in-law liked it, which = success! They loved the veggie-full soup and I loved that they loved it. In fact, my brother-in-law told me he was day dreaming about it the next day. 🙂
Another plus: Pumpkins boast quite a bit of nutrition. Did you know one cup of cooked pumpkin (fresh or canned) contains: 2 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, just 49 calories, over 550 mg of potassium, and 22,650 IU (international units) of vitamin A! Talk about getting some bang for your buck!
This is a recipe anyone can make because you simply throw all the ingredients into the slow cooker on high and walk away. Come back 6 hours later and it should be just about done. I chose to thicken mine up a little bit by adding some cornstarch for the last 30 minutes of cooking, but if you don’t mind a thinner liquid then you can skip that step.
EASY Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup. Perfect for a chilly day! Share on XThe hardest part (which actually isn’t that hard) is preparing the pumpkin. I have to be honest with you all, this is only the second time I have actually cooked with a real pumpkin before. I usually bake the seeds from a my jack-o-lantern each year, but don’t usually cook with the actual pumpkin itself. (The only other time I have used a real pumpkin for “cooking” is when I made pumpkin juice for a Harry Potter inspired Halloween dinner…let’s just say it didn’t turn out as well as they say it tastes in the books). I have cooked many a squash in my day, but this was a new thing for me. So I’m going to be nice and give you some step by step instructions on how I cut and peeled my pumpkin:
Start out by washing your pumpkin, removing any dirt or debris from the surface. Next, using a good kitchen knife, cut 1/2 – 1 inch off the top and bottom of your pumpkin.
Scoop out the inside of the pumpkin (seeds and membranes), reserving the seeds to bake later, if desired.
Next, peel the sides with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler.
Cube into 1-inch chunks and it’s ready for the slow cooker! See…easier than you thought! You will probably have some left over pumpkin. I chose to bake mine, then puree it with my food processor to use in a yummy treat later!
Note: I know there are some methods that use partially cooking/steaming to help make the peeling easier, but I chose not to because I didn’t want the pumpkin to be totally mushy after cooking it beforehand plus in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours.
The rest of the recipe is a cinch! Just toss all the ingredients into the slow cooker, stir, set it and forget it. So stop reading this and get slow cookin’ with this fall inspired recipe!
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Slow Cooker Pumpkin Soup
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Description
This hearty pumpkin soup is perfect for chilly fall days. Throw the ingredients in the slow cooker & come back later for a tasty meal! Vegetarian & gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cubed pumpkin
- 3 red potatoes, cubed
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can diced tomatoes, no salt added
- 2 1/2 cups reduced sodium vegetable broth (or water)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (depending on how spicy you want it)
Optional:
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 Tablespoons corn starch
Instructions
- To cube your pumpkin, start by cutting 1/2-1 inch off the top and bottom of your pumpkin. Scoop out the inside of the pumpkin (seeds and membranes), reserving the seeds to bake later, if desired. Then peel the sides with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler. Alternatively, after cleaning out the inside, quarter the pumpkin and then peel the outside. (Use whichever method is easier for you). Cube into 1-inch pieces and place in the slow cooker.
- Dice the potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and onion. Add to the slow cooker.
- Drain and rinse the beans and add to the diced veggies. Add the canned diced tomatoes (do not drain) and water. Stir to mix everything together.
- Stir in the seasonings (garlic, pepper, cumin and chili powder).
- Turn the slow cooker on high and leave for 6 hours.
- Optional: For a thicker soup, during the last 30 minutes of cooking, take a cup and combine 1/4 cup water and 3 Tablespoons cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Add to the soup, stirring until combined. Continue cooking on high for the remaining 30 minutes, or until the liquid is thickened. Adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve with crackers and enjoy!
Freezer Meal Tip: This meal can easily be used as a freezer meal by combining all the ingredients except the broth/water into a freezer storage bag or container. To cook, thaw in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight. In the morning, place the all the contents of the bag or container to the slow cooker and add in the water. Cook as directed above.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6th of recipe
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
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mmm I’m loving all the savory pumpkin recipe like this one! yum!
This looks like a great dinner idea for this cool rainy weather! Love all the vegetables & spices you used! Sounds very delicious! Pinning.
I love that you use a real pumpkin and not canned. I need to try doing that. This soup sounds perfect for the cold fall weather!
Using a real pumpkin really is not that hard! I was a bit nervous about it beforehand, but it’s the same of using any other type gourd. And, depending on the size of your pumpkin, makes a ton! Cheaper than buying a bunch of cans!
This looks so, so good! I’ve never cooked with a pumpkin-pumpkin before, but you’ve made it look completely do-able! Also love when a recipe like this can be so easy to make! Thanks!
I’ve never cooked with an actual pumpkin before either! Thanks for the step-by-step! 🙂
You’re welcome! It is actually pretty easy and, depending on the size of your pumpkin, makes a lot! With the remaining pumpkin, I cut it in half, placed it in a baking dish and put it in the oven on 350 degrees for 45 minutes, then stuck it in my food processor and pureed it. Simple as that! 🙂
Pumpkin is such a great flavor for this time of year! And I love any excuse I get to use my slow cooker!
Me too! Slow cookers are the best!
Mmm! I bet that pumpkin is super tender and amazing!
I love using my slow cooker, and this recipe is definitely one I need to try and soon! Your pictures of the stew are great!
Thanks, Melanie! We love using the slow cooker at our house!
I made this with just a few minor revisions. I used 3/4 cup dry beans (soaked) instead of canned, red pepper instead of green, and I added quite a bit more of the seasonings. I did not use the cornstarch, which probably made this dish have more of a soup consistency.
This was a very healthy soup with just a mild pumpkin taste. Basically, it tasted similar to other vegetable soups I’ve made. I would make it again if I had pumpkin I wanted to use up.
As far as the estimated 20 minutes prep time goes, that was way off for me. Maybe I am slow, but it took me a lot longer than that to prepare the fresh pumpkin and cut up all the veggies. Maybe an experienced chef could do the prep in 20 minutes, but I doubt the average cook could whip it out that quickly.
Thank-you for sharing your recipe with us! It is a hearty soup that is perfect for those chilly evenings.
Your adjustments sound great. I’m glad you liked it – and thanks for the info about the prep time!
Can you substitute the pumpkin for butternut squash?
I’m sure you could! It would taste pretty good, I bet!
I doubled the recipe and ran out of room in the crockpot so only used 1 can of beans, no potatoes, chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, had some celery in the fridge so diced that up, and used Tony’s Cajun Seasoning instead of Chili powder. I used precut butternut squash instead of pumpkin and added 2 pkgs Apple Chicken sausage cut into coins. I chose not to thicken it w/cornstarch either. I cooked on LOW for 10 1/2 hrs.
The most time spent was chopping/dicing vegies so I did that the nite before and dumped everything into the crockpot the next morning. It was delicious! I highly recommend, especially when it’s cold outside…nothing like a hot hearty soup!
I’m glad you enjoyed it and made it your own, Kathy! Thanks for sharing!