Easy pumpkin soup with millet served in pumpkin bowls is nourishing and comforting while being gluten-free and vegan! This recipe doesn’t require a blender!
The idea of this soup came from my husband. He said, what if we combine three different kinds of pumpkin in a soup? Their textures will complete each other, so the soup will be chunky, creamy and crunchy at the same time! Just what you need for the perfect balance of textures.
I like this idea, so I decided to combine chunks of butternut squash, pureed sweet dumpling and spaghetti squash. This easy pumpkin soup couldn’t come out to be better! The addition of turmeric, sage and millet gave it extra boosts of flavor, color and texture. Serve this soup in pumpkin bowls for a festive Thanksgiving meal and believe me, your guests will be more than impressed!
I prepared the entire vegan Thanksgiving menu for you, from appetizers, soups and salads to main dishes, sides and desserts.
Besides, you don’t need to use a blender for this soup! It’s vegan, gluten-free, and very nutritious too!
If you love pumpkin and easy recipes, this easy pumpkin soup is for you. I have nothing against creamy pumpkin soups, like my roasted butternut squash soup, or roasted spaghetti squash for dinner. In fact, these two recipes are some of the most popular ones on my site at the moment!
But, as my mom says, perfection has no limit! I like to experiment with familiar foods, finding innovative solutions for the things that have been out there for ages. That is how I make traditional recipes more nutritious and healthy and give a creative spin to it.
I also like to create brand new recipes that no one has ever made before. If you want to know how I do it (and how YOU can do it), using a really simple formula, download my free e-book ‘How to Cook Without a Recipe’. Last week I received an email from a reader about how helpful the book was for her and it totally made my day!
I wrote this book to help you to find your way in the kitchen without relying on step-by-step recipes and constant measuring. Get creative and become the chief of your own kitchen! I’d love to know what you think about it, so feel free to comment or email me your feedback. I’m always happy to connect with my readers!
How to Make Easy Pumpkin Soup with Millet in Pumpkin Bowls
So, back to my easy pumpkin soup with millet. What you’ll have to do is to roast your pumpkins first. If you plan to use sweet dumpling pumpkins (or any other medium-sized pumpkins) as serving bowls, you’ll need one pumpkin per serving plus one extra for the pumpkin puree. Besides, I used 1/2 of a spaghetti squash and 1/2 of a butternut squash.
If you are not a big fan of peeling and chopping raw butternut squash (it’s quite tough, so the soup wouldn’t be called ‘easy’ then), roast it together with others. Our goal is to soften it, but not too much, which would allow to peel and chop it much easier and faster.
First thing to do is to cut your pumpkins in halves and scrap out the seeds with a measuring spoon. If you use pumpkins as bowls, cut their tops off and scrap the seeds. Arrange your pumpkin bowls, 1/2 of a spaghetti squash, 1/2 of a butternut squash and a sweet dumpling (or Hokkaido) halves on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Take the butternut squash out of the oven after 20 minutes, let it cool a bit, then peel and chop it.
Heat a lug of olive oil in a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot and sauté finely chopped shallot, minced garlic, chopped sage and butternut squash chunks for a few minutes. Add turmeric, ground paprika and water and bring to a boil. Add the millet, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. Once the other pumpkins are ready, scrape the flesh of the spaghetti squash into strands using a fork. Scrap the sweet dumpling or whatever pumpkin you are using for the puree with a spoon and mash it with a fork. Add to the soup. Now it’s ready! No blender needed!
Serve this easy pumpkin soup in pumpkin bowls for the extra ‘wow’ effect! Season with salt and black pepper to taste and garnish with pumpkin oil, fresh sage and pumpkin seeds. See the recipe below for more details:
Easy Pumpkin Soup with Millet in Pumpkin Bowls
Ingredients
- 4 small baking pumpkins (such as sweet dumpling) to use as bowls optional
- 1 medium-sized sweet dumpling or small Hokkaido pumpkin
- 1/2 spaghetti squash
- 1/2 butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoons fresh sage chopped
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- 1,5 l or 6 cups water or vegetable broth
- 5-6 tablespoons millet
- pumpkin oil, fresh sage, pumpkin seeds to garnish
Instructions
- If you plan to use sweet dumpling pumpkins (or any other medium-sized pumpkins) as serving bowls, you'll need one pumpkin per serving. Cut the tops off and scrap the seeds with a measuring spoon. Skip this step if you don’t plan to use pumpkins as bowls.
- Preheat the oven to 200 C or 400 F. Cut the medium-sized sweet dumpling (or small Hokkaido pumpkin), spaghetti squash and butternut squash in halves and scrap out the seeds with a measuring spoon.
- Arrange your pumpkin bowls (if using), 1/2 of a spaghetti squash, 1/2 of a butternut squash and a sweet dumpling (or Hokkaido) halves on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little salt and black pepper, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil and roast for about 30 minutes.
- Take the butternut squash out of the oven after 20 minutes, let it cool a bit, then peel and chop it.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-large heavy-bottomed pot and sauté finely chopped shallot, minced garlic, chopped sage and butternut squash chunks for a few minutes. Add turmeric, ground paprika and water and bring to a boil. Add the millet, reduce the heat, cover and cook for 12-15 minutes.
- Once the other pumpkins are ready, scrape the flesh of the spaghetti squash into strands using a fork. Scrap the sweet dumpling or whatever pumpkin you are using for the puree with a spoon and mash it with a fork. Add to the soup.
- Serve the soup in roasted pumpkin bowls (optional). Season with salt and black pepper to taste and garnish with pumpkin oil, fresh sage and pumpkin seeds.
Have a great week!
Elena
Keith @ How's it Lookin?
Sunday 27th of November 2016
I gotta try this. Sounds amazing for a cold night, thanks for sharing
Elena Szeliga
Monday 28th of November 2016
Thank you, Keith! That's true, pumpkin soup is really comforting and just perfect for the season. Let me know if you make it ;)
Amanda Mason
Sunday 20th of November 2016
Yum! I love pumpkin soups!! LOVE LOVE LOVE! And millet - I'm going to have to try this recipe!
Elena Szeliga
Monday 21st of November 2016
Thank you, Amanda! Ever since I tried to add millet in the corn chowder, I'm tempted to put it in every soup :) It just makes the consistency so nice and creamy!
Erin
Saturday 19th of November 2016
Sounds so good and I love the presentation.
Elena Szeliga
Saturday 19th of November 2016
Thank you, Erin! :)
MyCookingSecrets.com | Krystallia Giamouridou
Friday 18th of November 2016
How lovely is to serve this soup into a pumpkin!!!! Love it!
Elena Szeliga
Friday 18th of November 2016
Thank you so much!! :)
Kimberly
Wednesday 16th of November 2016
This is a beautiful post! I love that your husband gives you recipe ideas. Mine does the same. :)
Elena Szeliga
Wednesday 16th of November 2016
Thank you, Kimberly! That's true, it's nice to get cooking ideas from your husband! :)