Jump to RecipeComforting, hearty roasted pumpkin soup. Perfect for a cold, winters evening, served with extra crunchy, toasted sourdough.
Goodness, it is getting cold. My work from home “uniform” currently consists of fluffy slippers and oversized hoodies most days, I find myself reaching for multiple mugs of tea to warm up my hands in the mornings, and in the evenings I’m finding that warm, hearty meals like soups are all I want to reach for.
Luckily for us, my mum sent me home with homegrown zucchini, lemons and the most beautiful jap pumpkin (also called a kent pumpkin) a couple of weeks ago when we visited. The pumpkin was glorious and I knew I had to make something worthy with it.
I know pumpkin soup doesn’t sound all that exciting, but when you get it just right, god it just hits the spot, you know?
This recipe is currently my go-to one, and even though it requires a bit more patience and time due to roasting everything beforehand… trust me, it’s worth it. The soup has so much more flavour when you roast first, versus just boiling pumpkin in stock.
Things that are great about this recipe:
- You don’t need to peel the pumpkin before cooking, ain’t nobody got time for that.
- Everything is roasted, which brings out the natural sweetness of the pumpkin, carrots, onion and garlic.
- The recipe uses two whole heads of garlic, because you can’t go wrong with garlic. You also don’t need to peel all those cloves. Just squeeze out the sweet, soft cloves once they’re done roasting.
- The added oomph from the Thai red curry paste. I often have half empty curry jars in the fridge and decided to throw some in one time in lieu of fresh chilli, and it ended up being so tasty that it’s the only way I’ll make pumpkin soup now.
Variations:
- Different pumpkin types: Previously I’ve used just butternut pumpkin, just jap/kent pumpkin and I’ve also done half and half. It all works, and it’s all delicious. Just use the same 1.5kg measurement, cook them the same way with the skin on, and then simply scoop out once cooked.
- Make it vegan: You can easily make this vegan by subbing the chicken stock for vegetable stock and using vegan-friendly Thai red curry paste (i.e no fish sauce).
- Don’t like spice? Reduce or omit the Thai red curry paste altogether.
- Topping ideas: Oh, the list is endless! Want something simple? Serve with toasted, buttered bread for dipping. Want some crunch on top? Add bacon bits and croutons. Want something moreish? Add a drizzle of cream, a scoop of sour cream or some crumbled feta. Want some freshness? Chopped chives or spring onion are both delicious. However, my favourite at the moment? A bit of everything, of course. Sautéed broccolini, crumbled soft goats chèvre, chopped smoked almonds and bacon bits. So. Damn. Good.
Enjoy whichever way you want to, but I highly recommend at least adding some warm, buttery bread to the mix. Comfort in a bowl!
Laura x
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 Kg jap pumpkin
- 4 carrots medium
- 1 onion brown
- 1 onion Spanish
- 2 heads garlic
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees
- Cut the jap pumpkin in half down the middle, then cut each half in 3-4 large wedges. Remove any seeds with a spoon, and trim off the stem. Add the pumpkin to a large roasting tray.
- Cut the tops and ends of the carrots off, and cut each into inch sized discs. Add carrot to the roasting tray.
- Peel onions and cut each into 4 wedges. Place in the roasting tray.
- Trim just the tops of the heads of garlic (so the head of garlic still stays intact), and add to the roasting tray.
- Drizzle the olive oil over everything in the roasting tray, add some salt and pepper and using your hands, toss it all altogether and ensure even coating of oil.
- Add tray to oven and cook for approx. 60min, taking it out at the halfway mark to flip everything for even cooking. Vegetables are ready when when a fork is easily inserted into the pumpkin.
- Using a spoon, scoop pumpkin flesh off the skin and place in a large soup pot.
- Squeeze garlic cloves out of their skin and add to the pot, along with the carrot, onion, stock and red curry paste.
- Bring pot to a boil then gently simmer for 10mins.
- Use a handheld blender, blender or food processor to blend the soup to your desired texture. (If it’s too thick, add a little water).
- Taste, and if needed add some more salt and/or pepper.
- Serve as is, or with your desired toppings (eg. toasted bread, croutons, cream, sour cream, goats chèvre, bacon bits, fresh herbs or sautéed vegetables are all wonderful with this soup).