This hardy sausage and potato soup is served in a large pumpkin, picked right off the vine and baked with a slather of cream cheese. It’s the most autumnal dinner imaginable, and one of our favorite fall traditions here at the farm. Don’t forget to scrape tender pieces of roasted pumpkin off the sides while serving.
Yields: 8 to 10 servings | Prep Time: 40 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 medium pumpkin
- 1 to 2 pounds Ballerina Farm breakfast sausage
- 1 teaspoon Ballerina Farm Salt & Spice Seasoning, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 large yellow onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 8 cups (64 ounces) chicken broth
- 6 red potatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups (16 ounces) whole milk
- 12 tablespoons (6 ounces) cream cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon Ballerina Farm Coarse Grey French Salt
- 3 cups spinach, kale, or collard greens
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Carve the lid off of the pumpkin and set aside, then clean out the pumpkin. Discard the guts and reserve the seeds for another use.
- Use a spoon or spatula to spread 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) of cream cheese around the interior of the pumpkin, and on the underside of the pumpkin lid. Close the pumpkin and place it on a sheet pan.
- Transfer the pumpkin to the oven and bake for about 1 hour, or until the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork.
- While the pumpkin is baking, prepare the soup. Dice the onion and mince the garlic, then chop the potatoes into 1-inch pieces. (If using kale or collard greens, roughly chop them and set aside.)
- Place a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add the sausage. Use a spatula to break up the sausage and add the pepper flakes, paprika, chopped onion, and minced garlic. Sauté until the sausage is fully cooked, about 5 to 6 minutes.
- Add the Italian seasoning, potatoes, and broth. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, then cook until the potatoes are tender—about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the cream sauce. Add the milk, remaining 6 tablespoons (3 ounces) cream cheese, flour, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the blended cream mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture is very thick.
- Add the thickened cream mixture to the soup, along with the spinach (or collard greens). Stir to combine and cook just until the greens are wilted.
- Transfer the soup to the baked pumpkin. Scrape the sides of the baked pumpkin as you serve ladles of soup. Enjoy with homemade sourdough bread and garnish each bowl with seasonal fresh herbs.
