Is there anything better than hot and slightly spicy pumpkin soup on a cold night?
No, I didn’t think so!
As the Southern Hemisphere moves into spring-time, the Northern Hemisphere has started to cool down. With the glorious season of fall looming, I wanted to share one of my favourite recipes featuring delicious fresh pumpkin / squash. This is the kind of recipe that comes together in no time at all, and is packed full of goodness. I call this recipe my clean-out-the-fridge soup because it is super adaptable and you can add so many different vegetables in it.
What does an adaptable soup mean?
The basic base recipe here features pumpkin, cred capsicum, onion, garlic, ginger, and carrots. In the version I am sharing today I have added sweet potato, and you can absolutely add in ingredients like fennel (which I absolutely LOVE!), celery, tomatoes, and cauliflower – just to name a few adaptations. My recipe is designed for a quick dinner, so I cook all the vegetables down in a large pot however if you have the time, you can absolutely roast the vegetables before hand (barring the ginger and celery if you are using) and use these in the soup. You will have a delicious and caramelised flavour throughout the soup by roasting everything beforehand – this method is also a great make-ahead way of preparing this soup for a dinner party!
Why make it in a pot?
I have to be honest with you – as much as I love roasted soups, sometimes I just don’t have the time to prepare the vegetables for the oven, and then make the soup. You can develop almost the same flavour profile as the oven roasted vegetables, by strategically cooking the ingredients in the pot, mainly to enable the vegetables to develop strong color.
How to make your soup go from great to amazing?
Honestly, I believe the trick in serving a phenomenal soup is in the garnishes and topping. A plain bowl of this soup is made 1000 times better with a slice of toasted bread with some melted cheese. I would opt for a little blend of cheese and parmesan to add some delicious saltiness to the rich soup. Additionally, add toppings such as fried onions (works on everything!), chopped almonds, chopped pistachios, scallions, chives, a drizzle of cream, chilli flakes, slices of chilli, chilli oil, parsley, coriander, lemon zest or even some orange. Try these combinations
chilli oil, fried onions, cream drizzle and scallions
fresh chilli slices, cream drizzle, toasted peanuts
lemon zest swirls, parsley, freshly cracked pepper
chopped pistachios, orange zest swirls, dukkah, freshly cracked pepper
chopped almonds, fresh coriander leaves, drizzle of cream and fried onions
Not only will you enhance the aesthetic of your soup, but you will really elevate the flavour and texture profile of the soup. There will be hints of crunch, hints of freshness and a really delicious combination to end each bite.
Watch me make this delicious soup right here
Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Equipment
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 500-600 g cubed pumpkin
- 2 small onions, chopped fine
- 150 g red capsicum chopped fine
- 100 g sweet potato, cubed
- 2 cups vegetable stock chicken stock or mushroom stock also work
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped fine
- 3 tbsp. chopped spring onions
- 1 tbsp. fresh rosemary or ½ tbsp. dried rosemary
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large sauce pot
- Add the onions and let these sweat with a pinch of salt
- Once onions turn translucent, add the pumpkin and sweet potato
- After 2 minutes of cooking, push the potato and pumpkin aside and let the oil seep through. Add the chopped garlic and let this fry for 30 seconds
- Mix the garlic through, and let everything cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Mix continuously to prevent burning.
- Add the capsicum, rosemary, half of the spring onions, and ⅓ of the chili (depending on your taste)
- Mix the ingredients, and let this cook for 5-10 minutes
- Add the vegetable stock followed by the bay leaf and bring to the boil. Add additional water if you feel necessary
- Cover the pot with a lid and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes or until the pumpkin is completely cooked through and breaks easily
- Remove the bay leaf and discard
- Add some cool water (roughly ½ a cup) and then blend the soup using a stick blender or transfer to a blender until you get your desired texture
- Bring the soup back to a boil for about 5 minutes
- Serve the soup with your choice of garnishes
As always, let me know how you go with this recipe. It’s one of my favourites, and one that the entire family enjoys. Share your photos with me on Instagram @theminiaturelife – remember to always send me a screenshot if you do tag me!
