Easily make Roasted Pumpkin Soup (Creamy and Healthy)

• Food: Roasted Pumpkin Soup
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Here’s how to make my favorite pumpkin soup.

It’s rich and velvety (due to the pumpkin, with a little help from coconut milk or cream), but it’s also nutritious. It’s lightly spicy, but I made sure the pumpkin taste took center stage.

This dairy-free pumpkin soup would be a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving feast. From autumn through winter, it would be equally at home with a soup or a sandwich.

It’s simple to prepare, and leftovers are even better the next day. So, yes, you may make the soup a day ahead of time. Don’t be put off by the lengthy ingredient list; this soup simply requires cupboard staples.

My recent vacation to Portland inspired this soup. I had lunch with my baby brother and our friend Bill while I was there.

Bill fought leukemia with the help of my stem cells, as I’ve written about him throughout the years. He’s the toughest person I’ve ever met.

We spent the afternoon and lunch at Multnomah Falls. It was a classic October day in the Pacific Northwest, damp and dreary.

For lunch, Bill chose The Picnic House. You must visit the next time you are in Portland. “Unique” is an understatement—the restaurant is made up inside like an old-school theater, with distinct sceneries set up in every corner and great food all around.

I was tempted to eat everything on the menu, but after a lot of thought, I decided on a small soup, salad, and sandwich.

I’m thinking I’ll have to make all three for the blog (they’re all so amazing), but homemade pumpkin soup seems most appropriate.

My version isn’t exactly the same, but it’s just as rewarding and exciting. It’s completely delectable on its own.

Pumpkin Options

For optimum pumpkin flavor, this pumpkin soup recipe includes instructions on how to roast fresh pumpkin. If you’re in a hurry, canned pumpkin purée will suffice. Details can be found in the recipe notes.

Creamy Roasted Pumpkin Soup

This pumpkin soup is both creamy and nutritious! For optimal flavor, it asks for roasted pumpkin.

This roasted pumpkin soup recipe will look gorgeous on your Thanksgiving dinner table, and leftovers would be delicious in sandwiches or salads the next day.

This recipe makes enough soup for 4 bowls or 6 cups.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• One 4-pound sugar pie pumpkin
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 large or 6 medium garlic cloves, pressed or minced
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• A tiny dash of cayenne pepper (optional, if you like spice)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups (32 ounces) of vegetable broth
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper to make cleanup easier. Carefully cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds (you can roast the seeds—see note—but they aren’t necessary for this recipe).
2. To form quarters, cut each pumpkin half in half. 1 tablespoon olive oil should be brushed or rubbed over the pumpkin flesh before placing the quarters cut sides down on the baking pan. Roast for an additional 35 minutes or until the orange flesh is readily penetrated with a fork. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving.
3. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and salt to the skillet once the oil is shimmering. To blend, stir everything together. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until onion is transparent. Meanwhile, remove the pumpkin skins from the pumpkins and discard them.
4. Combine the pumpkin flesh, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne pepper (if using), and a couple of twists of freshly ground black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Break up the pumpkin with your stirring spoon. Pour the broth in. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to low heat and allow the flavors to mingle for about 15 minutes.
5. While the soup cooks, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, tossing often until aromatic, golden, and popping. They should be nice and toasted, but not burnt. Allow pepitas to cool in a basin.
6. Stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup after the pumpkin mixture has finished simmering. Remove the soup from the heat and set it aside to cool. This soup can be blended in the pot with an immersion blender. Working in batches, transfer the contents of the pan to a blender (do not fill your blender over the maximum fill line!). I love to use my stand blender, which produces the creamiest results. As you purée the mixture until smooth, secure the lid and use a kitchen towel to cover your hand from steam escaping from the top of the blender.
7. Repeat with the remaining batches, transferring the puréed soup to a serving bowl.
   Taste and modify as needed (I felt the soup was perfect as is, but you could add additional coconut milk for added creaminess/milder flavor, or maple syrup to make it sweeter).
8. Into individual dishes, ladle the soup. Serve the soup with pepitas on top. Allow leftover soup to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (leftovers are even better the next day!). This soup can also be frozen for up to 3 months.

Notes

• ELIMINATE THE DAIRY: Instead of heavy cream, use coconut milk.
• CHANGE IT TO VEGAN BY ADDING COCONUT MILK AND MAPLE SYRUP.
• CHANGE IT UP: Kabocha squash is a good substitute for pumpkin, and I’m sure butternut squash would taste delicious as well.
• IF YOU PREFER TO USE CANNED PUMPKIN, you can use two to three cans of pumpkin purée instead of roasting the pumpkin (15 ounces each) after that skip steps 1 and 2 and proceed to step 4 to add two cans of pumpkin purée and you’ll still want to combine the soup for the greatest texture; if you want a thicker soup, add extra pumpkin purée at that stage.
• PUMPKIN SEEDS ROASTING INSTRUCTIONS: Remove all of the fleshy pieces from the seeds and throw them away. This is something I like to do in a colander with running water. Using a tea towel or paper towels, pat the seeds dry. Toss the seeds with a little olive oil, a pinch of salt, and any other seasonings that seem good (I used 1 teaspoon brown sugar and 12 teaspoons curry powder to season my pumpkin seeds). Toss to evenly coat. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a small, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper then Roast the seeds for 13 to 16 minutes, or until fragrant and toasted.