Pumpkin Sausage Soup (Brothy, with Mini Meatballs)
This is no ordinary pumpkin squash soup. It’s a brothy, lush, flavorful cross between a traditional Italian wedding soup and a classic Greek Avgolemono, but made with diced sugar pumpkin, mini meatballs, pearl couscous and a lemon-spiked broth. This pumpkin sausage soup is a must-make at least once or twice this season.
Another pumpkin soup recipe?
I’ve got several pumpkin and squash soup recipes on the blog, like this curried pumpkin soup, this creamy butternut squash soup, this Thai-style pumpkin squash soup, and this apple butternut bisque.
They’re all delicious with little ingredient swaps and tweaks that take the flavors in different directions. The one thing they all have in common is that they’re creamy, pureed soups. Like a bisque.
That’s not a bad thing, but I was in the mood for a fall-inspired, brothy soup. One with identifiable pieces of pumpkin squash and other tasty add-ins nestled in a rich stock.
That’s how this pumpkin sausage soup came to be… And it’s SO FREAKIN’ GOOD I need you to pinky swear RIGHT NOW that you’ll make it. Soon!
There’s sausage in this pumpkin soup and lots of other things…
Of course, there’s pumpkin in the soup… 3 cups of diced sugar pumpkin that you can actually see. But that’s really where the similarities end. As I said before, this soup is a hybrid of Italian Wedding Soup and Greek Avgolemono. It’s the autumn-birthed love child of their union.
This homestyle soup is loaded with meatballs and pearl couscous like a traditional Italian wedding soup. Instead of fresh spinach, I sub lacinato kale (a.k.a. dinosaur kale). These ribbons of tender greens hold up better than spinach in the soup.
Stolen from the classic Greek avgolemono is the swirl of whisked egg and the tangy, citrusy lemon juice finish.
I can’t describe how wonderful it smells while it’s cooking or how completely irresistible the flavor is. The taste will literally compel your spoon back to the bowl for another bite. Seriously.
Ingredients you’ll need for pumpkin sausage soup
- Spicy Italian Sausage
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Sugar Pumpkin
- Chicken Stock
- Bay Leaf
- Israeli Couscous
- Lacinato Kale
- Egg
- Parmesan Cheese
- Lemon Juice
You wouldn’t think this humble list of ingredients could produce such a wow-worthy dish, but it does. Let’s make it.
The secret ingredient:
Spicy Italian pork sausage is one of my secret weapons for adding depth of flavor to everything from casseroles to soups.
I love it because it’s so richly seasoned with fennel and crushed red pepper that the flavors are impossible to ignore. Plus, porky sausage renders enough fat as you brown it to be a flavorful way to keep the party going as you sauté the pumpkin and mirepoix.
Tips for making Italian sausage polpettes for the pumpkin soup
I’m always looking for shortcuts and methods that make cooking easier, and I’ve found that using a melon baller to scoop out the bulk sausage gives me perfectly uniform and bite-sized balls that are ideal for this sausage pumpkin soup.
Scoop a bit of the pork into the melon baller, then scrape it flat across your work surface to ensure an even amount. Then roll it into balls and set aside.
I recommend rolling out all the sausage meatballs at once before cooking. You may have to brown them in batches.
Note: You don’t need to cook the meatballs completely through, just brown the outsides. The inside will cook as they simmer in the hot soup.
How to make pumpkin sausage soup:
- Brown the sausage meatballs in a little olive oil and transfer to another dish.
- Add the pumpkin and mirepoix to the pot and sauté until tender.
- Add the meatballs back to the pot.
- Stir in the broth and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer, cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the pearl couscous and cook for 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped kale and simmer for 1-2 minutes or until wilted.
- Remove the pumpkin sausage soup from the heat.
- Whisk together the egg and Parmesan cheese. Add a few tablespoons of hot broth from the pot to the egg and whisk.
- Pour the egg mixture into the pot, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the lemon juice and taste, then season as needed.
Pro-Tips:
- If you have homemade chicken or turkey stock, use it; it will make the soup even better. If you’re using store-bought, look for a good quality, low-sodium variety. Even though the soup doesn’t simmer for a long, the Italian sausage adds plenty of saltiness.
- A good visual cue for knowing “when the vegetables are tender” is when the onions start to look a little translucent.
Why I added lemon
When I made this soup for the first time, I kept thinking it needed a little acidity. The broth’s richness and the sausage meatballs’ intense perkiness gave the pumpkin soup a great umami flavor, but it needed something to balance it out.
I thought about using a can of diced tomatoes, but I didn’t want to mar the soup’s beautiful golden color with red. I debated using some dry sherry or white wine, but I didn’t think it would be enough.
Then I thought about avgolemono and how a little lemon juice added just the right tang to that soup. It did the trick here too, hitting all parts of your palate at once. It’s simultaneously rich and hearty, tangy and light, with enough heat to tickle your nose.
Variations and swaps:
- You don’t need to use pumpkin for this recipe. Feel free to use cubes of butternut, acorn, delicata (no need to peel delicata) or other squash.
- For a lighter soup, swap chicken or turkey Italian sausage for the pork. (Note: it’s less fatty, so you may need to add a little more olive oil to sauté the veggies.
- Pearl couscous, otherwise known as Israeli couscous, is really just a ball-shaped pasta. Other small pasta will work here too. Try: pastina, stars, alphabets (fun for the kids), orzo or ditalini.
- If you can’t find lacinato kale, use regular curly kale or spinach (though if you use spinach, it wilts much faster, so no need to simmer)
- Want to make it gluten-free? Use diced red potato instead of the couscous or pasta.
- Make it dairy-free by leaving out the parmesan cheese.
- Want to make it vegetarian? Dice vegetarian sausage and sauté in olive oil. Swap chicken broth for vegetable broth.
FAQs
Yes. Make the soup up to the point where you add the broth. Finish it just before serving by adding the pearl couscous, kale, egg, parmesan and lemon. That will keep the pasta tender but not overcooked, and the kale will stay bright green with a bit of chew.
In my experience… not long. But that’s because it gets eaten up very quickly. If you and your brood can show more restraint, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Yes. Freeze it in individual-sized storage containers for up to 3 months.
What goes with soup?
I highly recommend serving this with hot, homemade popovers (that’s what I made), but here are some other great options.
- Homemade Crescent Rolls
- Parker House Rolls
- Parmesan Dinner Rolls
- Seasoned Fried Oyster Crackers
- 3 Ingredient Drop Biscuits
- Parmesan Black Pepper Buttermilk Biscuits
- Cheese Crackers
- Anadama Rolls
More sausage soups you’ll love:
- Seafood Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Red Bean and Sausage Soup
- Italian Sausage Soup
- Black Bean and Sausage Soup
- Sausage Escarole and White Bean Soup
- Crazy Good Italian Meatball Soup
- Instant Pot Hoppin’ John Soup
- Italian Pasta Fagioli Recipe
Pumpkin Sausage Soup
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
- 8 quart dutch oven
- melon baller (optional)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1¼ pounds bulk spicy Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion chopped into 1/2" dice
- 1 large stalk celery chopped into 1/2" dice
- 2 large carrots peeled and chopped into 1/2" dice
- 3 cups peeled, seeded and diced sugar pumpkin about 1/2 of a 3 pound pumpkin.
- 8 cups chicken stock preferably low sodium
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup Israeli couscous a.k.a. pearl couscous or other small pasta
- ½ bunch lacinato kale a.k.a. dinosaur kale, chopped
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 lemon juiced
DIRECTIONS:
- Use the melon baller to portion out equal scoops of 1¼ pounds bulk spicy Italian sausage. Roll the sausage into balls and set aside.
- Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and cook, turning occasionally to brown the outside of the meatballs. (Doesn't have to be cooked completely through as they will finish cooking in the soup.) Transfer the sausage meatballs to a dish and set aside.
- Add 1 medium onion, 2 large carrots, 1 large stalk celery and 3 cups peeled, seeded and diced sugar pumpkin to the pot. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender.
- Add the sausage back to the pot along with 8 cups chicken stock and 1 bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add 1 cup Israeli couscous and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the pasta starts to soften but isn't quite done. Stir the pot occasionally.
- Stir in ½ bunch lacinato kale and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- While the kale simmers, In a small bowl, combine 1 large egg and ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese. Whisk together until well combined. Whisk 2-3 tablespoons of the hot soup broth into the egg mixture to temper the yolks slightly. Pour the egg mixture into the soup while stirring.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the juice of 1 lemon. Taste for seasoning, adding more lemon if desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with a slice of fresh lemon.
NUTRITION:
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy. Values are calculated automatically based on the ingredients and quantities in each recipe and may vary depending on specific brands, exact measurements, and substitutions made. For precise nutritional guidance, especially if you have a medical condition or dietary restriction, please consult a registered dietitian or run the ingredients through your own nutrition calculator.“Pin It For Later!”
What a great idea. Nice combination of flavors. Hearty seasonal treat.
So glad you like it!