Recipe: Pesto Pumpkin Bisque

An item exclusive to the Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes fall menu was their Pesto Pumpkin Bisque, a creamy soup packed with pumpkin flavors and spice notes that will have you thinking about autumn leaves and cozy sweater weather.

There’s also a bonus recipe for Basil Pesto Croutons below — a perfect topping to this soup.

The following is an official Souplantation-provided recipe originally posted on their blog.

Makes approximately 7 3/4 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 lb Roma tomatoes
• 1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 4 tbsp Butter
• 3/4 cups Chopped yellow onion
• 4 tsp Finely minced garlic clove
• 15 oz can Pumpkin puree
• 5 tbsp Tomato paste
• 3 cups Water
• 2 1/4 tbsp Vegetable bouillon
• 1 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/3 tsp Ground black pepper
• 1 cup Half and half

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F.
• Wash tomatoes and remove core. Cut in half lengthwise.
• In a medium size bowl, combine extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, ground black pepper, and tomatoes. Toss to evenly coat.
• Place tomatoes on a parchment paper lined sheet pan.
• Roast for 20 minutes or until a slight charred appearance. Set aside for later.
• In a 4 quart pot, melt the butter. Add onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat for 6 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
• Add pumpkin puree and tomato paste. Sauté for 4 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add water, vegetable bouillon, paprika, kosher salt, black pepper, and roasted Roma tomatoes. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth.
• Add half and half and cook on medium heat for 10 minutes.

Basil Pesto Croutons

Makes 4 cups.

Ingredients

• 4 cups Plain cut croutons
• 5 tablespoons Basil pesto sauce

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 325°F.
• In a medium bowl, combine croutons and pesto sauce and thoroughly mix to coat croutons.
• Transfer croutons to a baking pan. Bake for 5 minutes or until toasted.