🎃 Florida Roots Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Baked and served right inside the pumpkin

A cozy harvest meal made with vegetables from your Florida Roots Medium Farm Share, plus tender chicken thighs. Enjoy it straight from the pumpkin, scraping soft roasted pumpkin flesh into each spoonful—or blend the vegetable base for a creamy version! 🌿

Serves: Approximately 4–6 Prep: About 20 minutes Baking time: Approximately 1½–2 hours or longer as needed; begin checking after 75 minutes Oven: 375°F

🥕 From Your Farm Share

• 1 Seminole pumpkin, approximately 3–4 pounds, with room for the filling

• 2 medium Kennebec potatoes, cut into ½-inch cubes

• 2 small tomatoes, chopped

• ½ medium zucchini, diced

• 3 scallions, chopped, whites and greens separated

• 1 packed cup kale, stems removed and leaves finely chopped

🧄 Additional Ingredients

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken thigh—or 2 if they fit comfortably—fully thawed

• 3 garlic cloves, peeled

• 1 tablespoon softened butter or lard, for coating the pumpkin

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

• 1–3 cups chicken or vegetable broth, added after baking, as needed

• Optional: ¼–½ cup coconut milk or cream

• Chicken and pantry ingredients are purchased separately.

🍂 How to Make It

1. Prepare and coat the pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Wash and dry the pumpkin. Carefully cut a wide lid around the stem and scoop out the seeds and stringy center, and cut rim. Place upright in a deep baking dish.

2. Season your filling

Toss the potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini, scallion whites, and garlic with most of the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Use the remainder to season the chicken.

3. Fill the pumpkin

Spoon a shallow layer of vegetables into the pumpkin. Nestle one chicken thigh—or two if there’s room—inside, without folding or stacking them tightly. Loosely arrange the remaining vegetables around the chicken.

Leave about an inch of space at the top. Roast any extra vegetables in a separate covered dish. Replace the pumpkin lid, or loosely cover the opening with foil if needed.Rub 1 tablespoon softened butter or lard over the pumpkin’s outer skin

✨ No broth or water goes in before baking—the ingredients release their own juices!

4. Bake until fully cooked

Begin checking after 75 minutes. Use tongs to carefully remove the pumpkin lid, lifting it away from your face to let the hot steam escape.

Continue baking until the pumpkin flesh and potatoes are fork-tender. Each chicken thigh must reach 165°F in its thickest part. The vegetables and juices surrounding the chicken must also reach 165°F, because they have been in contact with raw poultry.

Replace the lid with tongs if more cooking time is needed. Use temperature and tenderness to determine doneness.

5. Shred the chicken and prepare the broth

Remove from oven. Keep the pumpkin supported in its baking dish. Use tongs to transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate, stir in the kale, then shred the chicken with two forks, & return to soup and enjoy!

6. Enjoy it your way

🍲 Serve straight from the pumpkin

As you eat, gently scrape the soft roasted pumpkin flesh from the inside walls into your soup!

Keep the pumpkin in its baking dish for support. If sharing, ladle soup and scraped pumpkin flesh into individual bowls.

🥣 Make a creamy version

Before returning the chicken, transfer the roasted vegetables and cooking juices to a saucepan. Scoop in some pumpkin flesh, leaving enough to keep the shell sturdy.

Add broth gradually and blend with an immersion blender until smooth.

Blend before adding the chicken.

Stir in the shredded chicken, cooked kale, and optional coconut milk or cream. Gently heat through and adjust the seasoning.

If the pumpkin shell is sturdy and intact, carefully ladle the soup back inside to serve. Otherwise, serve in bowls.

Finish with scallion greens and enjoy with crusty bread! 💚

The Farm Route • Local Harvest. Shared Abundance.