Rustic Bacon and Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin puree, chicken broth, crispy bacon, onion, and nutmeg makes a flavorful Rustic Bacon and Pumpkin Soup (or use any winter squash). This is one of those recipes where you can also do most of the steps in advance. Then the soup only takes about 15 minutes to prepare. You can use fresh pie pumpkins or a good quality canned pumpkin if you wanted to make this super easy. Four small cans would be the equivalent of two pie pumpkins (it’s about 6-7 cups mashed). If pie pumpkins aren’t available, this recipe would work really well with just about any winter squash. Using Long-Simmered Chicken Bone Broth brings even more health benefits to this soup.

Featured Ingredients

Pumpkin is the most nutrient-dense variety of winter squash and is a top food source of vitamin A and carotenoids.  Canned pumpkin is equally nutrient-dense, available year-round, and convenient to use.

Onions possess potent antimicrobial activity, protecting against various bacteria, fungi, molds and yeast.  The antibacterial activity of red varieties is higher than that of yellow and white varieties!

Bacon delivers lots of flavor even when used in small amounts, which is a good thing since processed meats are best consumed in moderation. Keep in mind, getting up to 20% of calories from ultra-processed foods is unlikely to cause harm as long as you’re meeting your body’s nutritional needs from the remaining 80% of your diet of whole and minimally-processed foods.

Pumpkin Nutrients

Onion Nutrients

Bacon Nutrients

Rustic Bacon and Pumpkin Soup

Nutrivore Score: 123

Servings 6

Calories 440kcal

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Ingredients

• 7 cups pumpkin puree 4 small cans or 2 pie pumpkins
• 1 pound bacon
• 2 cups chicken bone broth preferably homemade
• 2 medium onions (yellow) diced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

• Cook bacon until crispy.  My preferred method is to lay out the bacon strips on a rimmed cookie sheet (I used 2 cookie sheets for this recipe).  Place in a cold oven and turn the oven on the 400F.  Around the time the oven is done preheating, the bacon is ready.  Remove the bacon from the cookie sheet(s) and reserve the bacon grease. Once bacon has cooled, cut or crumble into large bacon bits.
• Preheat oven to 375F (if you do this step immediately after cooking the bacon, it’s fine if your oven starts a little hot).
• Cut your pumpkins in half. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Place pumpkin halves on a cookie sheet cut side up. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until soft.  Remove from oven and let cool. Or, use 4 small cans of pumpkin puree and skip this step and the next.
• Spoon pumpkin meat out of the peel.  Mash with a fork or potato masher (this gives a more uneven texture which is part of the rustic nature of this soup; you could also use a potato ricer or immersion blender for a finer-textured soup).
• Heat 2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease in a medium stock pot over medium-high heat.  Add diced onions and garlic and saute until onions are fully cooked and caramelized.
• Add broth to deglaze the pot. Add mashed pumpkin, nutmeg and 2-3 additional tablespoons of bacon grease (you want 4-5 tablespoons total; it’s a good idea to add a little less and then taste your soup and decide if you want it to be more.
• Turn the heat down to medium-low and bring to a simmer.
• Serve the soup by ladling into a bowl and generously topping with bacon crumbles. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Rustic Bacon and Pumpkin Soup

Amount per Serving

Calories

440

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

31

g

48

%

Saturated Fat

 

11

g

69

%

Trans Fat

 

0.1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

13

g

Cholesterol

 

50

mg

17

%

Sodium

 

546

mg

24

%

Potassium

 

796

mg

23

%

Carbohydrates

 

28

g

9

%

Fiber

 

9

g

38

%

Sugar

 

11

g

12

%

Protein

 

16

g

32

%

Vitamin A

 

44513

IU

890

%

Vitamin C

 

15

mg

18

%

Calcium

 

88

mg

9

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.