Fall Harvest Bisque — Cozy Dairy-Free Autumn Soup
It’s the last week of October and time to start thinking about cool weather and the upcoming holiday season. Denver is finally cooling off, it’s been unseasonably warm but we have frost in the forecast for tonight. Fragrant rosemary, lemon scented geraniums and the fluorescent fuchsia pink blooms of my regular geranium line the windowsills. I’m bidding a sad goodbye to my basil, tomatoes and peppers.
Inside, pie pumpkin covered table and an overflowing box of winter squash await my attention. The farmer’s market here is almost over, in fact there’s only one more week left. Needless to say, I stocked up! Hubby and the neighbor have both been laughing at the state of our fridge. Kale, beets, roasted green chilies, carrots, leeks, parsnips and a few other goodies spill out when the door opens. And I haven’t even really started playing with apples and pears yet. So much to do, so little time to get it all done. I keep mentioning I need a clone but everyone seems to think the world wouldn’t be able to handle two of me.
I’m experimenting with seasonal fall dishes for impressing guests throughout the holiday season. Today is a fun one because it’s easy and uses so many yummy fall veggies. It’s also completely dairy and gluten-free, as well as vegan for my vegan and vegetarian friends. Of course for those who love dairy or are meat eaters, you can change it up by adding some Pecorino shavings or crumbled bacon for more depth.
Pumpkin, sweet potatoes, apples, leeks, parsnips, carrots and lots of flavor make up my Fall Harvest Bisque. You can also look at this bisque as a health booster for flu season because it’s LOADED with flu-fighting ingredients. Fresh ginger, shallots, garlic, thyme, sage and all those veggies are great for the immune system. And because this bisque is not like your traditional bisque, there’s no cream, so it’s low in fat. Another great point for holiday season where we get bombarded with all those wonderfully fat loaded dishes. You won’t miss the fat in this one since there’s plenty of flavor to keep the taste buds happy.
This dish is really easy to make, I marked it moderate because of the need for roasting and making a stock, but don’t let that scare you off from making it. Cut the pumpkin in half, rake out the seeds into a large stock pot and pop into the oven on a baking sheet to roast with the sweet potatoes for about an hour or until soft at 350 degrees F while you peel and cut up the rest of the veggies. Add all the scraps to the large stock pot, fill with water and cook on the stove for about 30 minutes to make your stock. By the time the pumpkin and potatoes roast, you’ll be ready to cook up the bisque.
Fall Harvest Bisque — Cozy Dairy-Free Autumn Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups roasted pumpkin purée
- 2 large sweet potatoes roasted and peeled
- 2 large heirloom carrots diced (about 1 cup) — yellow or orange preferred, avoid purple so it doesn’t muddy the bisque’s color
- 1 lb parsnips peeled and diced
- 1 cup sliced leeks cleaned well
- 1 small shallot chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 large apple chopped (about 1 cup) — Honeycrisp recommended
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh sage finely chopped
- ⅓ tsp white pepper
- ⅓ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp fresh ginger grated
- Pinch ground cinnamon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5-6 cups veggie stock
- 1 cup coconut milk or your favorite dairy-free milk
To finish:
- fried sage leaves · browned butter · Pecorino shavings · crispy bacon · toasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Don’t worry about chopping everything precisely — it all goes into a blender or food processor at the end.
- Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and cook until tender.
- Add the shallot, garlic, cumin, white pepper, crushed red pepper, and cinnamon. Cook until fragrant.
- Pour in the white wine and cook 3–4 minutes.
- Add the parsnips, carrots, apple, roasted pumpkin purée, and roasted sweet potato. Add the veggie stock and bring to a boil.
- Lower to medium heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until the stock reduces by almost half.
- Blend the bisque in batches or with an immersion blender until completely smooth — go a little longer than feels necessary for the creamiest texture.
- Return to the pot over medium heat. Stir in the fresh thyme, sage, ginger, and coconut milk. Heat through.
- Serve hot with crusty bread, garnished with fried sage, Pecorino shavings, crispy bacon, or toasted pumpkin seeds.