This Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup is the perfect way to celebrate one of autumn’s most unique squash varieties. As easy as roasting, blending, and topping with crispy bacon! 

Two small white bowls filled with sweet dumpling squash soup garnished with chopped bacon and sage leaves, with a green napkin, two spoons and a whole dumpling squash nearby.

If there’s one thing in my kitchen that I kind of, sort of regret buying, it’s my very expensive, very fancy blender.

To be fair, I didn’t really buy it out of pocket, but used Williams-Sonoma gift cards that I had received for many birthdays and Christmases to purchase it. But still, it was a big purchase, and I’m not sure I use it enough for it to have been worth it.

Aside from the occasional lemon smoothie or blended lemon margarita, my fancy blender sadly doesn’t get a lot of love most of the year.

With one exception. Every fall, without fail, I make some sort of blended squash soup. While I like butternut squash noodles, roasted acorn squash slices for my famous Thanksgiving salad, and roasted delicata squash, for soup, I love sweet dumpling squash.

If you’re not familiar with this variety, this post will explain what sweet dumpling squash is, how to cook it, and why Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup is the best kind of squash soup.

Two dumpling squashes on a dark surface, one whole and one cut in half exposing the flesh and seeds.

What is sweet dumpling squash?

Sweet dumpling squash is a small winter squash that weighs about about one to two pounds (it’s about the size of a grapefruit). It’s available during the fall and winter, at farmer’s markets and some grocery stores.

Dumpling squash has hard, speckled green and white skin, and ridges like a pumpkin.

It has pale orangish-yellow flesh and stringy pulp. Just like pumpkins, the seeds of sweet dumpling squash can be roasted and snacked on (use any recipe for roasted pumpkin seeds for squash seeds, too). I also like the roasted seeds sprinkled over a cottage cheese breakfast bowl.

What does sweet dumpling squash taste like?

The orange flesh of a dumpling squash is very sweet, as the name implies. It also has a nutty flavor that makes it ideal for savory cooking (just like pumpkin can be used for pies AND savory pumpkin dip).

The flesh is on the drier side, which means it caramelizes very well when roasted (and gets even sweeter), and becomes smooth and creamy when pureed.

The taste is comparable to a mild pumpkin flavor, with a little bit of sweet potato also.

A small white bowl filled with a bright orange pureed soup, topped with crispy bacon pieces and fresh sage leaves.

What you’ll need for this sweet dumpling squash recipe:

  • dumpling squash – you’ll need 2-1/2 pounds of dumpling squash for this recipe, which is about 2 medium dumpling squashes, usually. A little bit more or less is just fine.
  • garlic – you’ll need 2 cloves of garlic, and you can leave their skins on!
  • onion – I like the sweetness of a yellow onion for this recipe, but white onion works, too.
  • olive oil – for roasting the squash, garlic and onion.
  • salt and pepper – savory seasonings to balance the sweetness of the squash.
  • sage – fresh sage leaves provide the best flavor, but a pinch of dried sage works in well, a pinch. Dried sage is the key ingredient in Jeff’s grandma’s classic stuffing recipe, also.
  • broth – I like the flavor that chicken broth adds to this sweet dumpling squash soup, but vegetable broth is great, too!
  • spices – a combination of cumin, paprika and turmeric enhances the sweet and savory notes of the squash and provides deep depth of flavor. Turmeric also enhances my slow cooker carrot soup, and cumin is one of my favorite spices for Lebanese kafta.
  • half and half – finish the soup with a dash of half and half or cream to make it extra delicious.
  • bacon – I like to cook a few slices of bacon in the oven and crumble them over the soup. If turkey bacon is more your speed, check out my tutorials on how to cook turkey bacon in the oven and turkey bacon air fryer! Save your bacon grease for a batch of my bacon gravy recipe if you’re inclined.

How to cook sweet dumpling squash:

Sweet dumpling squash can be steamed or microwaved, but the best way to cook it is to roast it (I feel the same way about cauliflower, ala pizza with garlic).

First, you’ll want to cut each squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place the halves on a baking pan, drizzle them with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper.

Transfer the squash to a 375 degree F oven and roast one hour or until the squash is very tender.

A small bowl of bright orange soup garnished with bacon and a sage leaf, on a dark table next to a whole dumpling squash.

How to make the soup:

You’ll start this sweet dumpling squash recipe by roasting the squash, garlic and onion, which will take about an hour in total.

Once the squash is tender, let it cool slightly and then scoop out the flesh and discard the skins. Put the squash flesh into a blender or food processor, along with the onion and garlic cloves (remove and discard the garlic skins).

Add the sage, broth, a bit of water and the spices and blend until everything is nice and smooth. Then, you’ll be transferring the mixture to a pot on the stove and cooking it for a few minutes until it’s warmed through.

Stir in the half and half, and adjust the consistency of the soup by adding additional water or broth if needed. Taste the soup and season with additional salt if it needs it.

Garnish with bacon and serve this sweet dumpling squash soup hot!

Can you eat the skin of a sweet dumpling squash?

That’s one of the unique things about this variety of squash – you can eat the skin! Unlike other varieties of autumn squash where the skin is thick and too tough to chew, the skin of dumpling squash is very thin and entirely edible.

For this sweet dumpling squash recipe, I chose to use just the flesh of the squash so my soup had a brilliant orange color, but if you’d like to also puree the skin into the soup, you’re welcome to do that.

Two small white bowls filled with sweet dumpling squash soup garnished with chopped bacon and sage leaves, with a green napkin, two spoons and a whole dumpling squash nearby.

Can you freeze squash soup?

Yes, just like my best gravy recipe and lamb bolognese, this sweet dumpling squash soup freezes very well. Simply thaw and reheat before serving. Give it a good stir, as it might separate a little bit, but will come back together with stirring.

What to serve with sweet dumpling squash soup:

If you’d like to serve this soup (or my old fashioned ham and bean soup) with a salad, I’d recommend a simple green salad dressed with citrus salad dressing or creamy feta dressing.

If soup and a sandwich is your ideal combo, the best prosciutto sandwich or salmon BLT would pair well with this dumpling squash soup.

And easy yeast rolls are a perfect pairing for any soup.

A small white bowl filled with sweet dumpling squash soup garnished with chopped bacon and sage leaves, on a dark surface.

Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Additional Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

This Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup is the perfect way to celebrate one of autumn's most unique squash varieties. As easy as roasting, blending, and topping with crispy bacon! 

Ingredients

  • 2 medium dumpling squashes (2-1/2 pounds total)
  • 2 garlic cloves (in their skins)
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup water, plus additional if needed
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 4 slices oven bacon, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Halve squashes and scoop out seeds. Place squash halves, cut sides up on one rimmed baking pan, and garlic and onion on another rimmed baking pan. Drizzle everything with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  2. Transfer both pans to oven. Roast garlic and onion 30 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Remove garlic and onion from oven.
  3. Turn squash over and roast 30 minutes longer or until very tender. Let squash cool 10 minutes.
  4. Scoop squash flesh out of skins and transfer flesh to blender. Remove garlic from skins and add garlic to blender. Add sage, broth, water, cumin, paprika, turmeric and roasted onion to blender. Blend until smooth.
  5. Transfer squash mixture to large pot on stove and cook over medium heat 4 to 6 minutes or until warmed through, stirring occasionally.
  6. Stir in half-and-half. If thinner consistency is desired, add additional water or broth in 2 tablespoon increments until desired consistency is achieved. Taste soup and season with additional salt if needed.
  7. Serve soup garnished with bacon.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 291Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 768mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 10gSugar: 2gProtein: 8g

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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