My Smokey Pumpkin Chipotle Bisque is a simple but flavorful soup that can be a healthy fall lunch or a lovely starter for a holiday meal. Pack it in a thermos for chilly outdoor activities or for toting to the office.
Pumpkin chipotle bisque combines the sweetness of pumpkin with the heat of chili peppers for an updated classic fall soup
My guilty pleasure? It’s not the Real Housewives of Atlanta, it’s the hot bar of prepared foods at my supermarket. I have a bad habit of shopping hangry, and I can’t pass by that hot bar without checking it out. Yes it’s super expensive, no, it’s not homemade, but boy is it yummy, especially at the end of a long day. It was there that I discovered the joys of pumpkin chipotle soup. My little container of soup probably cost me 8 bucks, but it was worth it because it inspired me to make this soup, which is so much cheaper, and even better.
I can imagine serving this soup in a few different ways ~ one would be in small cups or bowls as a soup course for a fall meal, maybe even for Thanksgiving…the color is glorious and it’s not too heavy. But I also think it’s perfect for popping in the Instant Pot or slow cooker to keep warm on a game day grazing table…served with cornbread and salad, of course.
The mistake way too many pumpkin soup recipes make
Most pumpkin and winter squash soups are too thick, so the texture is more like pumpkin puree than soup, and I don’t think that’s at all appealing. And they don’t work with the natural pumpkin flavor enough. The worst sin is to sweeten the pumpkin, or (gasp) add a touch of pumpkin spice ~ that’s not what it needs! I’ve chosen to add smokey chipotle peppers to my soup, and it brings out a whole new side of pumpkin we rarely get to experience.
This soup is silky and creamy and is lovely all on its own. But sometimes when I want a little more oomph to the experience, I’ll top it with fried cornbread.
How to make fried cornbread croutons
- Cut fresh or day old cornbread into 2 inch chunks.
- Heat salted butter in a cast iron skillet and fry the cornbread, turning occasionally with tongs, until crisp and golden. Add more butter if necessary, and don’t worry if they crumble, that’s fine.
Smokey Pumpkin Chipotle Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (or 2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce Note: this will make the soup spicy…cut back if you don't want the heat.
- 2 Tbsp dry Sherry
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 15 ounce chicken broth or stock
- 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
- 1 stick cinnamon
Instructions
- Lightly coat the bottom of your pan with olive oil, or a combination of olive oil and butter, and saute the onions for about 8 minutes until soft and translucent, but not browned. Add the garlic and cook a minute or two more.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring up to a simmer, then lower the heat, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and puree the soup. Return to the pan and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Nutrition
More classic fall soups to try ~
White Bean Soup with Sausage Meatballs
Broccoli Parmesan Chicken Soup
As written, I did not think this had much flavor and did not highlight the pumpkin. I did double the recipe using 1 1/2 vidalia onions, 1 can of pumpkin puree, 4 C of chicken stock and 2 chipotle peppers (to start to gauge heat) with adobo sauce and all other ingredients doubled. I ended up adding and additional 2T of sherry, more sage and several shakes of pumpkin pie spice. After removing the whole peppers (it had enough heat) and cinnamon sticks, I partially pureed it and then finished it with 2 T of cinnamon infused local maple syrup (not overaly sweet). It melded in the refrigerator overnight and is perfect! Only giving it 4 stars because of the additions that I made but with those, its 5 stars!
It is called a bisque, but there is no cream/dairy in the ingredients. Is the recipe ingredient list complete?
Hey Vicky ~ bisques usually contain some for m of dairy, but not always. Bisque most basically means a soup with a smooth consistency. You could, if you like, add cream to this and it would be really good, I bet.
Hi Sue. This bisque is the perfect kick-off to the Autumn Equinox/Fall. I’m making it this weekend and was wondering if there are any veggies I could add to the pumpkin puree. Do you have any suggestions?
Will this freeze well? As a suggestion, it would be extremely helpful if recipes indicate if they freeze well-perhaps in the ‘course, cuisine, cook time, yield’ section. This is a question that is frequently asked, but I often have to scroll through a long list of comments before I find the answer. Thank you for your wonderful recipes!