You've got to try this super creamy roasted pumpkin soup. It is gently spiced, but making sure that the pumpkin flavor shines above the rest. The ingredients and method is simple to follow and its freezable for up to 3 months. Now go and make yourself a big batch!
INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons olive oil
One 4-pound pumpkin peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (32 ounces) of water or vegetable broth
½ cup full fat coconut milk or (heavy cream) if you don't want it vegan
¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
Slice each pumpkin halve in half to make quarters. Brush or drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle sea salt and black pepper over the flesh of the pumpkin. Place the quarters onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes or longer, until the orange flesh is easily pierced through with a fork. Set it aside to cool for a few minutes.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add onion, garlic and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the roasted pumpkin to the pot and stir. Add in the nutmeg and the cayenne and a bit more sea salt and black pepper. Use your stirring spoon to break up the pumpkin a bit. Pour in the water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, to give the flavors time to meld.
While the soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, golden and making little popping noises. You want them to be nice and toasty, but not burnt. Transfer pepitas to a bowl to cool.
Once the pumpkin mixture is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk. Remove the soup from heat and let it cool slightly. You can use an immersion blender to blend this soup in the pot. I prefer to use my stand blender, which yields the creamiest results—working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender past the maximum fill line!).
Taste and adjust if necessary (I thought the soup was just right as is, but you might want to add more coconut milk for extra creaminess/milder flavor).
Serve the soup onto individual bowls and sprinkle pepitas over the soup and serve. (I added some kale chips to mine for that extra crunch).
Let leftover soup cool completely before transferring it to a proper storage container and refrigerating it for up to 4 days (leftovers taste even better the next day!). Or, freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Enjoy!
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