Name: Instant Pot Rosemary Sage Pumpkin Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 Tablespoon grass-fed butter; 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion, peeled & chopped (about 1 heaping cup); 2 – 3 cloves garlic, peeled & chopped; 2 carrots, peeled & chopped (about 1/2 cup); 2 stalks of celery, chopped (about 3/4 cup); 3 cups chicken or vegetable broth; 1 bay leaf; 1 1/2 lb. of cooked pumpkin flesh (or canned pumpkin); 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary; 4 – 5 fresh sage leaves or 1/2 teaspoon ground sage; 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning; 4 oz. Greek cream cheese (or Neufchatel … or vegan cream cheese); Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Instant Pot Rosemary Sage Pumpkin Soup ~ on the table in 30 minutes!

A velvety smooth and savory pumpkin soup with fresh rosemary and sage that’s SUPER easy to make … using your Instant Pot, you can have it on the table in 30 minutes, with only a few minutes of prep time. Take a trip to the savory side of pumpkin–you might find you like this side of our beloved autumn fruit, maybe even better than the sweet side.

My parents have been growing pumpkins for years and it seems like the pumpkin patch gets bigger every year. Here’s the first load we picked of pumpkins and squash this year. There were two more loads about the same size! The whole family was there to help pick and it still took hours to pick them all. The kids got tired and bored. The moms and dads and teenagers kept working …

I filled up my car with pumpkins and shared them with all of my friends, but still my garage is overflowing with pumpkins and squash. The squash isn’t quite ripe yet, but I have LOTS of ripe pumpkins.

I cooked up a pumpkin the other day and started wondering what to do with it. I had visions of maybe a pumpkin salad or a pumpkin frittata in my head, but the reality of cooked pumpkin is it gets mushy. Even though the pumpkin I cooked was SUPER firm when I started (so much so that I had trouble cutting into it) and I tried to stop cooking while it was still a little firm, but well, it’s still pumpkin and parts of it were definitely mushy. Not so great for what I had in mind … especially the salad. I have been down this path before, I realized. Butternut or delicata squash are definitely better for salads and frittatas. I stashed away the pumpkin in a container in the fridge and decided I’ll figure out what to make with it later.

And then I was feeling a little under the weather this afternoon. After taking my son to his appointment, I was quite chilled (because the heater seems to have died in my car and it’s THAT time of year when the temperatures are dropping) and I was really hungry. I thought of the pumpkin in my fridge and remembered a soup I’d made ages ago that still brought back fond memories (although I couldn’t quite fully recall the real taste and texture of it). It felt like it was time to make that soup again. This time, though, I decided to use my Instant Pot because I was tired and hungry and I wanted some lovely hot creamy SOUP to will help me feel better. And pumpkins are perfect for soup, especially when you’re craving a soft, creamy yet healthy soup that will help chase away “the crud” (as one of my favorite doctors used to call it).

Instant Pot Rosemary Sage Pumpkin Soup ~ on the table in 30 minutes!

How to cook a pumpkin?

If you want to cook up a pumpkin yourself, it’s quite easy.

First, choose your pumpkin. Pretty much all pumpkins are edible, but the smaller “pie pumpkins” will be sweeter and usually have a better texture (not so stringy) as the large ones. (The large pumpkins people use for jack o lanterns are also edible, but not as sweet.)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or spray with cooking spray. Cut the pumpkin in half lengthwise (pull off the stem and cut downwards from there) and scoop out the seeds using a grapefruit spoon. I like to save the seeds for roasting.
Set the two halves cut side down on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours, until the pumpkin flesh is nice and tender.
Let cool, then scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin with a clean spoon. Discard the skin.

What if I have trouble cutting the pumpkin?

Some people talk about peeling pumpkin and chopping it into chunks like this is an easy task. I don’t know what kind of pumpkins THEY’RE working with, but I’ve never met a pumpkin that was easy to peel and chop and I don’t have all day to fight with a pumpkin to get it to comply with my wishes.

Here’s a trick I learned from my sister to make it easier. Cut a small hole in the pumpkin with a sharp knife (this is to release steam so the pumpkin doesn’t explode in the oven). I usually cut a small triangle in the top. Set the WHOLE pumpkin in the oven for about 30 minutes or until it has softened enough that you’ll be able to cut it easily. Cool slightly (until cool enough to handle), then cut in half and proceed with instructions above.

Can I use canned pumpkin?

I haven’t tried this recipe with canned pumpkin, but it should yield very similar results! Give it a try.

How can I make this recipe dairy free (or vegan)?

If you’re sensitive to dairy or want to make the recipe vegan, simply use vegan cream cheese in place of the Greek cream cheese. For a vegan version of the soup, use vegetable broth (not chicken broth).

(To make your own vegan cream cheese, here’s a 5-minute recipe from Nora Cooks that looks good. For the goat cheese topping, I also found this recipe for vegan goat cheese from Spabettie that sounds wonderful!)