A savory and earthy soup melding pumpkin, sausage, herbs, and spices.
Originally Posted: Dec. 20, 2021
Total Time: about 45 minutes total
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A Soup for Beginner Cooks
This Pumpkin and Sausage Soup is one of my all-time favorite soup recipes. The pumpkin and pork sausage blend together for the perfect autumnal combination, and the herbs and the cream add complexity and, well, creaminess! I’ve been making, modifying, and improving this soup since 2012 and it has a lot of memories attached to it by now.
This soup was originally based on a recipe for “Harvest Soup” from The Soup Bible (page 42). There seem to be several unrelated cookbooks of that name, but this is the one by “Publications International, Ltd” (there are no actual authors listed). This was one of several cookbooks I bought in 2012 when I first started learning to cook.
All-in-all it’s a great cookbook with a wide variety of soup recipes; I buy new copies of this book regularly to give as a housewarming gift! The book can be found here if you’re interested.
Modifying to Suit my Own Tastes
In the years since I started making this soup, I’ve gotten in the habit of adding or substituting ingredients from the base recipe, or playing with amounts. For example, the original recipe calls for ½ lb. of sausage, but since sausage is usually sold by the pound, I started throwing the entire package in the pot. Tastier that way too.
The original recipe also calls for 2 cups of canned pumpkin, but rather than measure out two cups and have some leftover pumpkin in the can, I just scoop two whole cans in there. I’ve also subbed out the original “two cups hot milk” for two cups of cream, which makes the soup much more decadent.
Adding Homebrewed Mead
One last optional ingredient that I’ve used in the past: homebrewed Pumpkin Spice Mead. I often look for ways to use homebrew in cooking, and one time while making this soup I decided to deglaze the sausage and onion mixture with some pumpkin mead that I brewed a couple of years ago. The mead performs the same function as a cooking wine or cider would, allowing you to deglaze the bottom of the pot and add richness to the dish.
I understand that not everyone has the setup to brew their own pumpkin mead, though, so as an alternative I would suggest using store bought pumpkin cider. If you can’t find pumpkin cider, regular cider or white wine can be substituted; you could even mull the cider or wine over the stove with a dash of pumpkin spices if you really want to go for that flavor profile.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground Pork Sausage of your choice (I like to use Jimmy Dean sausage)
- 1 large Yellow or White Onion
- 4 cups Chicken Broth (I like to keep Better Than Bouillon on hand)
- 2 (15oz.) cans of Canned Pumpkin
- 2 cups Cream
- 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
- A couple of sprigs of Sage, Rosemary, Thyme, finely chopped
- I think I used about 10 leaves of sage, two sprigs of rosemary, and 4ish sprigs of thyme the last time I cooked this, if you want more specific amounts than “a couple”
- Dash of ground Cinnamon
- Dash of ground Nutmeg
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional Ingredient
- ½ – 1 cup Pumpkin Spice Mead (or pumpkin cider, which is easier to find; or mulled cider or wine if you have the time)
Equipment
- Large stock pot or Dutch oven. The advantage of a cast iron Dutch oven is that it maintains and distributes heat evenly, which is great for melding the flavors in a soup.
- Extra, smaller pot for mulling cider or wine (if you decided to go that route)
Written Instructions
Total Time: about 45 minutes
Prep and Beginning
Start by chopping the onion and fresh herbs. Then preheat your stock pot or Dutch oven over the stove. Open your package of sausage (I like to use Jimmy Dean’s sage sausage) and toss the whole thing in the pot. Break up the sausage with a spatula and periodically stir/flip to brown the sausage. Once the sausage has released some juices, add the onion and stir.
Adding Liquid Ingedients
Once the sausage is adequately browned, add the chopped herbs. If adding the optional mead or wine, add that now as well and allow the ingredients to meld flavors for a few minutes. Then add 4 cups of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Scoop in the 2 cans of pureed pumpkins, stir, and reduce heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Finishing Touches
At the end of simmering, add 2 cups of cream, a small amount of lemon juice, a dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir and let the mixture simmer for about 5 – 10 more minutes for the flavors to meld together.
Ladle into bowls and serve. For a fancier presentation, add a drizzle of olive oil and a sprig of rosemary. Enjoy with a slice of bread!
Pumpkin Sausage Soup
Equipment
- Stock Pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 lb. Pork Sausage
- 1 large Yellow or White Onion
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cans Canned Pumpkin Puree
- 2 cups Cream
- 1 tsp. Lemon Juice
- A couple sprigs Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme (I think I used about 10 leaves of sage, two sprigs of rosemary, and 4ish sprigs of thyme the last time I cooked this, if you want more specific amounts than “a couple”)
- 1 dash Ground Cinnamon
- 1 dash Ground Nutmeg
- Salt & Pepper (to taste)
Optional Ingredients
- 1 cup Pumpkin Spice Mead (can substitute pumpkin spice cider, regular cider or white wine, or mulled cider or white wine)
Instructions
- Chop onion and fresh herbs.
- Preheat stock pot or Dutch oven, then add 1 lb. of sausage. Stir to brown.
- Once the sausage has begun to release some juices, add the onion. Continue stirring and browning.
- When the sausage is adequately browned, add the chopped herbs and stir (If using the optional mead/cider/wine, add that now as well and allow the flavors to blend for a few minutes),
- Add 4 cups of chicken stock, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer.
- Scoop in 2 cans of pureed pumpkin and stir. Continue simmering for 15 – 20 minutes.
- At the end of simmering time, add 2 cups cream, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg, and salt and pepper.
- Allow to simmer for 5 – 10 more minutes for the flavors to meld together.
- Serve and enjoy!
