Pumpkin Orange Soup

This creamy pumpkin orange soup topped with feta and thyme is a hearty yet light fall soup. It can also be made with butternut squash.

Our creamy pumpkin orange soup offers pure comfort in a bowl. Ideal for chilly days, it's a delicious taste of autumn.

This squash orange soup combines the earthy goodness of pumpkins with the zesty freshness of oranges, creating a unique and delightful taste experience. And as a bonus, you have that fantastic marinated feta on top.

Check out more orange-colored dishes: Sweet Potato Carrot and Ginger Soup, Blood Orange Jam, or Orange Polenta Cake.

Recipe ingredients

• Pumpkin or squash: I use Hokkaido pumpkin (red Kuri squash) or butternut squash. Other sorts of flavorful pumpkin or squash are also fine; ensure it is tasty.
• Feta: You will need about 3.5 oz/ 100 g of feta cheese. The best sort is feta in brine.
• Freshly squeezed orange juice. In my case, it was the juice of exactly one large orange.
• Other ingredients: Thyme (preferably fresh, but dried is fine), onion, green onions, garlic, vegetable broth, and olive oil.

How to make orange pumpkin soup?

• Feta: Marinate the feta cubes with the green onion rings and thyme. Leave to marinate until the soup is ready (1).

• Prepare the pumpkin: If using Hokkaido (red Kuri squash), there is no need to peel it. All other pumpkin or squash sorts need to be peeled.
  • Halve the pumpkin or squash, remove the seeds, and cut the halves into 2 or 3 larger pieces. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel. Cut into cubes.
• Chop the onion and the garlic. Keep them separated as they have different cooking times.
• Sauté pumpkin and onions on medium-low heat; the onions should be softer but not turn brown. Add garlic and sauté it shortly (2).
• Simmer: Add broth, orange juice, and two thyme sprigs (3). Bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes or until pumpkin pieces are soft (4).
• Blend the soup and adjust the taste with salt and pepper (5).
• Serve the pumpkin orange soup with marinated feta on top.

Expert Tips

• Hokkaido is the best sort of pumpkin, as it has the most intense flavor.
• Balance the sweet and tangy: Adjust the amount of orange juice to your taste. More juice will make the soup tangier, while less will keep it sweeter. Finding the right balance is key.
• Experiment with spices: Don't hesitate to experiment with spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, or a pinch of cayenne pepper to add a unique twist to your orange pumpkin soup.

• Blend the soup using an immersion blender; it’s the best for blending soups and other hot liquids.
• A regular blender works, too, but safety first. Hot soup can be risky; a blender explosion might scald you or wreck the kitchen. Cool it a bit, blend in batches, and keep the blender half full.
  • Cover the blender with a towel, hold it down, and increase speed slowly. Transfer the blended soup to another pot and repeat with the remaining batch.

How to store and reheat?

• Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
• Freeze for three months, defrost in the fridge, and reheat before serving.
• Warm it on the stove or in the microwave. If it thickens, a dash of broth helps. Stir while reheating.

What to serve with it?

• Bread: A simple slice always hits the spot. Try my quick spelt bread, perfect solo or with butter. Our overnight rolls, crackers, or crispbread also pair beautifully.
• Sandwiches are a delightful match.
• Rice: You can serve the soup over leftover rice should you have any.
• Salads: To make a complete meal, serve a salad on the side. Couscous salad, roasted buckwheat salad, or bulgur salad are all great!

More pumpkin soups

Recipe

Pumpkin Orange Soup

Creamy and aromatic pumpkin orange soup made with orange juice and topped with marinated feta cubes.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Large soup pot
• ▢
  Immersion blender Note 1

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 small pumpkin about 1.5 lb/ 700 g, Note 2
• ▢ 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
• ▢ 1 medium onion
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves
• ▢ 2 ½ cups vegetable broth 600 ml, Note 3
• ▢ ½ cup orange juice freshly squeezed, 120 ml Note 4
• ▢ 3.5 oz feta 100 g
• ▢ 5 thyme sprigs divided
• ▢ 2 thin green onions
• ▢ fine sea salt
• ▢ freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Prepare ingredients: If using Hokkaido (red Kuri squash), there is no need to peel it. All other pumpkin or squash sorts need to be peeled. Halve the pumpkin or squash, remove the seeds, and cut the halves into 2 or 3 larger pieces. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the peel. Cut into cubes.

  Chop the onion and the garlic cloves, but keep them separated.

  1 small pumpkin / 1.5 lbs/ 700 g + 1 medium onion +2 garlic cloves
• Saute: Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook the pumpkin and onions on medium-low heat for about 4 minutes; the onions should be softer but not turn brown. Add the garlic and continue cooking for another two minutes.
• Simmer: Add vegetable broth, freshly squeezed orange juice, and 2 of the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook on low heat for about 30 minutes or until pumpkin or squash cubes are soft.

  2 ½ cups vegetable broth + ½ cup orange juice
• Feta: In the meantime, cut the feta cheese into smallish cubes and the scallions into fine rings. Place both in a bowl and add the remaining olive oil and the finely chopped leaves of the remaining thyme. Mix very carefully and add some pepper. Leave to marinate until the soup is ready.

  3.5 oz feta + 5 thyme sprigs + 2 thin green onions
• Blend the soup: Remove the thyme sprigs and blend the soup. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Serve with marinated feta on top.

  fine sea salt + freshly ground black pepper

Notes

1. An immersion blender is best for blending soup. A regular blender works, too, but safety first. Hot soup can be risky; a blender explosion might scald you or wreck the kitchen. Cool it a bit, blend in batches, and keep the blender half full. Cover the blender with a towel, hold it down, and increase speed slowly. Transfer the blended soup to another pot and repeat with the remaining batch.
2. Pumpkin: The 1.5 lbs/ 750 g needed are weighed after peeling and removing the seeds. I use Hokkaido pumpkin or butternut squash most of the time. Another sort of flavorful pumpkin can be used instead.
3. Consistency of the soup: For a slightly thinner soup, add ½ to 1 cup extra vegetable broth.
4. Orange: ½ cup was the juice of 1 large orange.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 of the soup | Calories: 249kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 763mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g

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