A delicious spin on the classic "Zuppa Toscana" with pumpkin instead of potatoes. This pumpkin sausage soup is creamy, warm, comforting, and so delicious! It's very easy to make and it's perfect for winter night dinners.
When it's cold, grey, and rainy outside, there is nothing better than staying in our warm home and eat a delicious hot soup. I don't make soup very often, but when I do, I LOVE it!
I prefer chunky soups to creamy velvety soups because I like to taste the different ingredients individually. It makes every bite a different flavorful experience. Even when I make soups that are supposed to be fully blended, I like to leave a few chunks in there for texture.
So this pumpkin sausage soup it's perfect for my taste. It has a creamy flavorful broth and it's full of chunky ingredients that complement each other perfectly. I'm certainly going to make this soup more often, at least until I can find pumpkins at the market!
What is the difference with "Zuppa Toscana"?
"Zuppa Toscana" is a very famous soup in the US made with potatoes, sausage, kale, and bacon. It's very creamy and delicious-looking and it's what inspired me for this recipe. Although I've never tried Zuppa Toscana before. Because it doesn't exist in Tuscany or anywhere else in Italy. Like many American-Italian recipes, it's more American than Italian. 🙂
The obvious difference with this Pumpkin Sausage Soup is that I used pumpkin instead of potatoes. But I also omitted the bacon and replaced the kale with spinach. Still, it looks very similar and if you are a Zuppa Toscana lover, you're going to absolutely love this version, too!
Below I also recommend a variety of ingredient substitutions you can try to make your own version according to your preferences. Let me know in a comment if you tried it!
Ingredients Substitutions
Most of the ingredients in this soup can be substituted according to your preferences or availability. The end result may differ from the original recipe though.
- Pumpkin: You can use any kind of pumpkin or squash you have available. I used a small Hokkaido pumpkin, but even a small butternut squash would work fine. The cooking time for different types of pumpkins should not be different. You can also use sweet potatoes or normal potatoes.
- Sausage: Sausage is one of the ingredients that gives most of the flavor to the soup. I used a normal pork sausage but you can also use Italian sausages or flavored sausages like chorizo, andouille, or fennel sausage.
- Spinach: You can use fresh or frozen spinach, but you can also use the more classic kale or even cavolo nero.
- Cream: I used a normal cooking cream for this recipe, but feel free to use the cream you prefer. You can try with vegetable creams or even with milk and nut milk.
FAQ & Tips
Yes, you can freeze the soup in plastic or glass containers for up to 3 months. Then thaw overnight in the fridge or using the thawing function on your microwave. Reheat in a small pot for a few minutes or in the microwave.
Yes, you can of course make this recipe in the slow cooker. First cook the sausage, onions, and garlic in a skillet, then add them to the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
To reduce the number of calories and fat in this recipe, you can omit the cream or use a low-fat cream. You can also substitute the sausage with a low-fat sausage or half the quantity of sausage in the recipe.
The Recipe
If you like this recipe, try also these other soups:
Pumpkin Sausage Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1 small Onion
- 2 Sausages
- 1-2 tablespoon Flour
- 2 cups Chicken or Vegetable Stock
- 7 oz Pumpkin, about ¼ of a medium/small pumpkin
- ½ cup frozen Spinach, about 5 cups fresh
- ⅔ cup Cream
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chili Pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add the finely minced garlic and onion. Also add the sausages and break them with a wooden spoon. Cook for a few minutes continuing breaking up the sausage, until it starts to brown.
- Add the flour, mix a bit to remove clumps, then add the chicken or vegetable stock.
- Peel and chop the pumpkin into small cubes and add it to the soup. Add also the thawed or fresh spinach to the pot.
- Turn the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and chili pepper flakes to taste.
- As last step, add the cream to the soup and mix well. Serve immediately as it is or with some grated Parmesan on top.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
If you like this recipe, you can leave a comment and a star rating to support me. ★★★★★
Thank you so much!
Recipe calls for "7oz pumpkin, about 1/4". 1/4 of what? A can? A pie pumpkin?
Hi Lisa, thank you for your question, I will adjust the instructions to make it more clear.
7oz should equal about 1/4 of a medium/small pumpkin (I used a Hokkaido variety).