We’ve all been there – you’re at the mall, shopping for presents or doing errands, and suddenly you’re hungry. You don’t have time for a sit-down meal, and the thought of eating something greasy from the food court is often far from appetizing, or healthy.

Au Bon Pain is a beacon of the food court in these situations, so I was thrilled to try a couple of their soups with my husband on a recent trip to the North Shore Mall in Peabody, MA. After several hours of shopping, we stopped for a late weeknight dinner before the mall closed.

Au Bon Pain had about four soup options on the evening that we visited, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and low-fat options. All of the soup options sounded great, but we ultimately decided on the Chicken Noodle and the Harvest Pumpkin Soup.

The Chicken Noodle was a low-fat and tasty option. It was well-seasoned and my husband was pleased that it wasn’t overly salted (his typical complaint with chicken noodle soups). The soup was full of carrots, celery, noodles, parsley and large pieces of shredded white-meat chicken. All in all, it was a very satisfying chicken noodle soup.

I was especially excited to try the Harvest Pumpkin Soup since butternut squash and pumpkin soups are some of my favorite soups, and they’re not available year-round. When I uncovered the lid of the soup, a nearby diner – a Peabody police officer – looked up, excited, and asked, “Is that pumpkin soup!?” Perhaps he got a whiff of one of fall’s greatest scents. When I told him it was, he leaped up to go buy his own bowl – clearly I’m not the only fan of fall soups!

Au Bon Pain’s pumpkin soup will warm you up on a cold day! It was delicious and I particulalry loved how it was both sweet and spicy. It was pureed and creamy with small bits of carrots and onions that lended it a nice bit of texture. The soup tasted of black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg, and perhaps some red chili pepper – something gave it a pleasing bit of heat. The color of the soup reminded me of curries that use turmeric, it was the same brilliant yellowish-orange, though it didn’t taste of curry. I’m not sure of the exact spice mix, but it worked! I’m so glad fall soups are on, what a great beginning to many more!