Smoky Pumpkin Bisque with Grilled Cheese Croutons.
I have our Halloween tradition!
Ever since I made these creamy tomato soup shooters with grilled cheese sticks, I’ve been obsessed with the idea of tomato soup and grilled cheese on Halloween. Like before trick-or-treating.
Enter pumpkin soup! The creamiest pumpkin soup every with some fontina grilled cheese croutons because golden, toasty bread and melty cheese are liiiife.
For being someone that grew up NEVER eating grilled cheese with tomato soup (like never, we never ate it even once, because my mom was scarred for life as a kid by canned Campbells tomato soup), it’s crazy to me that this has become one of my favorite meals. I’ve already decided that I’m making a version of this TONIGHT (and not tomorrow, because with being on #babywatch I might not be home tomorrow!) since I find myself intensely craving it once the weather cools down.
It was chilly and super rainy all weekend and the other comfort food dish that went down was my creamy chicken and dumplings (ah the best!) to deal with the gray weather.
But today! Grilled cheese croutons or sticks. I think I’m going to try a combo of tomato and pumpkin soup and might even add cheese into the soup with the grilled cheese croutons.
There is never enough cheese in the universe.
Of course the main reason that this soup is even better than I imagined is because it also starts and ends with bacon. Fry it for the flavor and top it off with the crispy bits. My favorite thing ever is texture on top of soup so I am all.over.that. Woohoo.
Also can we just talk about how adorable these pumpkin cocottes are?! I’ve had the white and orange up in my kitchen since September and love how they can be a piece of decor and last through Thanksgiving. I mentioned them in my favorites a few months ago and have used the orange for years, but just love the white one for cooking too.
I’m so in love with this soup combo that I’ve been inspired to turn it into some sort of dip too. Like a pumpkin fondue with crusty bread (okay, and veggies, whomp whomp) or even a pumpkin gruyere cheese sauce for something like a croque monsieur. How amazing would THAT be?!
Doing it.
Promise my pumpkin obsession will end soon.
And now I HAVE to know… do you have a pre-trick-or-trick meal tradition? Obviously ours may change over time and I think it would really change if it was the weekend and we were having more of a party on Halloween, but for now, I’m swimming in a bowl of soup with a grilled cheese raft.
Smoky Pumpkin Bisque with Grilled Cheese Croutons
Ingredients
pumpkin bisque
- 4 slices bacon chopped
- 1/2 sweet onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 3 1/2 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 tablespoons snipped chives for topping
grilled cheese croutons
- 4 slices bread
- softened brown butter for spreading
- 6 ounces fontina cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium-low heat and add the bacon. Cook until it is crispy and the fat is rendered. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel to drain any excess grease.
- With the pot still over medium heat, add in the onions and the garlic. Stir in the salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and nutmeg. Stir well to toss. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the onions become a bit caramely and golden, around 8 to 10 minutes.
- Add in the pumpkin puree and stock. Stir and combine the mixture as much as you can. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender or carefully transfer the soup to a blender to puree it until smooth. If you transfer it, put it back into the pot. Heat it over medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Let it simmer for 10 minutes or so.
- After 10 minutes, stir in the cream. Taste and season the soup additionally with salt and pepper. Heat the soup until warmed through, then serve it topped with the bacon, chives and grilled cheese croutons.
grilled cheese croutons
- Spread the outsides of the bread with the softened butter. Heat a large griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Fill the sandwiches with the cheese, topping the bread with a slice buttered-side up. Cook the sandwiches until golden on both sides, about 5 to 6 minutes per side, and the cheese is melted. Let them cool slightly, then slice into “croutons” with a serrated knife.
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
Juuuust look at that silky dream!
48 Comments on “Smoky Pumpkin Bisque with Grilled Cheese Croutons.”
Wow, I love the way this recipe looks and sounds! This time of year, I love pumpkin incorporated into savory dishes such as these; it gives it such a unique and seasonal flavor and flair!
thanks melissa!
This looks so incredible! I am such a lover of the grilled cheese soup combo! This sounds like the very best Halloween tradition!
thanks so much ashlyn!
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Looks delicious! Do you think I can substitute full fat coconut milk for the heavy cream? I can’t have dairy :(
for sure! i think it would be delicious!
Yep Yup. Bacon makes the world go round. Or at least my butt. This soup looks beyond scrumptious!!! Well done cook. Well done. I’m popping over….=)
thanks laura!
This soup is beautiful and looks oh so creamy! Love the Halloween style croquette!
thanks so much chelsea!
Making this ASAP! Looks so creamy and delish!! Every year our tradition before trick or treating was to have this creamy carrot and potato soup my mom makes. And we still do it to this day! I’m actually sharing that recipe on my site tomorrow!
that sounds amazing!
Our Halloween meal tradition is your autumn mac and cheese! I’ve made it every year since 2011 for Halloween. So good!
i love that!!! xo
Are these the 1/2 quart size?
the black ones are the 1/2 quart! the larger white pot is the 3 1/2 i believe!
The recipe looks delicious but I’m obsessed with those Staub pumpkin bowls!!
What a comforting tradition! I love setting up annual traditions that are outside of the norm, and a nice warm soup with grilled cheese combo sounds like the perfect way to start off a night of trick or treating!
Hello Jessica, I made it, was wonderful. But I changed something: instead of croutons, I made strips with the grilled cheese, so we can dip. I put it aside, instead of in the soup, so it doesn’t get mushy. Thank you again for your creativity and hoping the best for upcoming poochy.
Pumpkin soup is delicious, add in bacon and cheese to the recipe and I’m in heaven! Love it!
It’s not the first time I try this recipe and I can say it’s one of my favorite foods! I recommend everyone to try it!
I may be missing it…but how many servings is this?
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What a great idea! I love this… going to have to try really soon!
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I made this soup tonight and OH MY! This is delicious. I did not have heavy cream, so I used half-and-half. Soup was still creamy and silky. This is a fall staple now. Just delightful.
this was delicious and incredibly easy to make! i did make modifications because i am a brat, but your flavors all came through—your recipes never disappoint! to keep it on the healthy side i sadly skipped the croutons, boo :( – i also roasted my own pumpkin (used 15oz) just because i wanted extra roasted pumpkin for my week – and last alteration was a slight increase in chicken stock to use up my entire 32oz carton and i upped the cream to balance out the ratio to be more in line with yours to about 2/3c. next time i make this (oh yes, there will definitely be a next time!) i will try it with coconut milk. yummy!!
An impressive soup. I did add two tbsp of cornstarch to thicken. Am looking forward to impressing friends.
I wonder if you added a small shredded potato, would it have made your bisque more heartier rather than using the cornstarch for added thickness?
Such a warm and satisfying recipe! Everyone loved it and I will definitely make it again.
I made a list of pumpkin recipes this fall and this soup was on it. Thus I made it over the weekend. I often find these soups a little thin on texture and flavor, but this was neither. Not a hard soup recipe to make. The flavors get better with time so feel free to make the day ahead. It reheats nicely.
So darn good and very easy to make. Great weekday meal idea!
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Does this freeze well?
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I’m definitely going to spin this recipe for my women’s social next week! Being vegetarian, I will make some minor substitutions with coconut cream instead of heavy cream and maybe adding a carrot and potato for more body. Will make grilled cheese triangles for dipping with zesty cheeses for variety. All that’s missing is a Snuggie and a pair of fluffy socks!
My family loves this, even my non-pumpkin lover
I made it. I think I’ll tweak the seasonings next time. More paprika, a smidge less cumin, some thyme. I’m in love with the grilled cheese croutons. I made garlic parm mayo instead of butter to fry them up, and i used mozz. Fabulous!
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Am I missing something? I don’t read in the recipe when to add the brown sugar. Is it just me?
I made this for lunch today. Delicious!! Even my kiddos liked it!! Definitely adding this one to our regular rotation!
It just have quite the amount of flavor i wanted… and it was also super runny – I even added some sweet potato to help thicken, and it didn’t make any difference. I also added maple syrup. I think if I make it again, I’ll lesson the amount of stock, double to spices.
Very delish! I used my Vitamix to blend and it came out so creamy I could have skipped the cream, but I didn’t:). I like to sip soup from a cup and this recipe consistency is perfect for that.
This was amazing! In South Africa canned pumpkin puree isn’t a thing, so I upped the liquid and cooked fresh pumpkin in all the yummy goodness of the other ingredients.
For a healthier option I substituted the cream for plain yogurt and omitted the cheesy croutons.
The crispy bacon added enough texture for me.
I finished half the batch in one sitting. 😊It was fabulous and will be made again with us approaching autumn.
So delicious, thank you just made this tonight! Would be the perfect appetizer for Thanksgiving too!!