Pumpkin cheese soup with croutons is a true symbol of home comfort and an ideal everyday recipe that lets you whip up a delicious creamy puréed soup in just half an hour. Its velvety texture and cheerful orange color can instantly lift your mood, even on the gloomiest day. You'll need chicken or beef broth, though a high-quality bouillon cube works just fine. I usually throw leftover cheese into this soup—almost any kind will do, though the most delicious and tender result comes from the legendary "Druzhba" plavleniy syr (a classic Eastern European foil-wrapped processed cheese). The delicate creamy aroma paired with the natural sweetness of ripe pumpkin creates a unique flavor profile that both adults and children will love.
Tender and aromatic pumpkin cheese soup is the perfect dish for a cozy lunch. Serve hot with garlic croutons.
Ingredients:
- 1 L (4 cups) chicken broth
- 100 g (3.5 oz) carrots
- 100 g (3.5 oz) onions
- 200 g (7 oz) potatoes
- 200 g (7 oz) pumpkin
- 100 g (3.5 oz) processed cheese (plavleniy syr or similar creamy cheese)
- 1 clove of garlic
- A few slices of whole-wheat bread
- Salt, black pepper, fresh parsley
How to Make Pumpkin Cheese Soup With Croutons
Dice a small onion. Scrape and finely chop the carrots. Place the chopped onion and carrots into a pot. There’s no need to sauté the vegetables for this soup; simply place all the ingredients in the pot and pour in the broth.
Start by chopping the onion and carrots. No sautéing is required, which makes the soup much lighter.
Peel the potatoes, cut them into cubes, and toss them into the pot right after the carrots and onions.
Potatoes will give our pumpkin soup the right thickness and a perfectly velvety texture.
Peel a small pumpkin, cut it in half, and scoop out the seeds and stringy bits—keep only the flesh. Slice the pumpkin thinly and add it to the other ingredients. By the way, the flavor of the pumpkin matters: the sweeter and brighter it is, the richer the taste of your soup will be.
Choose a ripe and vibrant pumpkin—its quality directly determines the taste and beautiful color of your dish.
Pour chicken or beef broth over the vegetables. If you don’t have broth, pour in 1 L (4 cups) of boiling water and add a bouillon cube. Bring to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer until the vegetables are tender. This will take about 20 minutes; you want the carrots, pumpkin, and potatoes to be completely soft and cooked through.
Pour the broth or water over the vegetables. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes until all ingredients are soft.
About 5 minutes before the soup is done, add crumbled plavleniy syr (processed cheese) so it melts faster. Stir well to ensure the cheese pieces don’t stick to the bottom.
Processed cheese makes the soup taste wonderfully creamy. It's best to crumble it first so it melts quickly.
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove the pot from the heat and blend the soup to a creamy consistency using an immersion blender. Be careful when lowering the blender into the hot soup; protect your hands and face from hot splatters!
Use an immersion blender to bring the soup to a perfectly smooth, creamy consistency. Beware of hot splatters!
Rub slices of whole-wheat bread with garlic. Cut the bread into cubes. Grease a heavy-bottomed skillet with a drop of vegetable oil, and toast the croutons in the preheated pan until golden. Alternatively, you can dry the croutons in a well-preheated oven; in that case, no oil is needed.
Homemade garlic-scented croutons are the best addition to a delicate cream soup. Toast them until appetizingly crispy.
Ladle the pumpkin cheese soup into bowls, sprinkle with golden croutons, and garnish with finely chopped fresh parsley. Serve immediately. Bon appétit!
Ladle the soup into bowls and don't forget the final touch—a handful of crispy croutons and fresh parsley.
Processed cheese has long successfully replaced regular cheese and cream in budget-friendly cheese soup recipes, giving the dish that signature stretchy, rich texture. If for some reason processed cheese isn't to your liking, wait until the vegetables are cooked, then add grated hard cheese (like cheddar or parmesan) and bring the soup to a simmer. Next, pour in some heavy cream and warm it through for a few minutes without boiling. You will need about 80 g (2.8 oz) of cheese and 100 ml (3.4 fl oz) of heavy cream—the taste will remain excellent, even if the budget changes a bit. To make your pumpkin cheese soup look like a restaurant dish, serve it garnished not only with parsley but also with a few drops of pumpkin seed oil or toasted pumpkin seeds. If you plan to save the soup for the next day, store it in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container, but only add the croutons right before serving so they keep their crunch. For those who like a little kick, a pinch of smoked paprika or a bit of grated nutmeg can be added to the bowl—these spices perfectly highlight the natural sweetness of the pumpkin.
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