roasted pumpkin soup
I’ve been posting recipes for soups week after week, simply because the weather is so gray and cold in Switzerland that there’s truly nothing better than a good soup for dinner. We’ve covered potatoes and leeks, cauliflower and even roasted tomatoes, but I still haven’t mentioned one of my favorites: pumpkin soup. Why my favorite, you may ask? Because I always go for this when I see it on a menu at a restaurant. Pumpkins are really in season here during the Fall-Winter, which means that I have to wait almost a full year before I get to be in pumpkin-cooking season. I can have potato and leek, cauliflower or roasted tomato soup all year round, but for pumpkin soup, I always have to impatiently wait.
I might be a bit late to the pumpkin craze given that it’s always a big thing in October, with shoppers going berserk over the roundest, most gorgeous ones to be carved as Jack-O-Lanterns. But here in Switzerland pumpkins are good all season through, so why not indulge in creamy pumpkin soup any time while we still have the chance!
I know this might only apply to me, but I simply go crazy when I find the perfect recipe for a dish I’m craving. Am I alone or are you like me? Pumpkin soup might be the easiest recipe in many’s repertoire, but every time I made it it either didn’t meet my expectations, came out way too liquid, or made me regret spending so much time picking the perfect slices of pumpkin. Frustrated, I ended up always having my pumpkin soup while eating out at a restaurant but never at home. I finally cooked one that made my taste buds happy, and I therefore award this recipe an A+++, even if you’re the ones who are supposed to be testing my recipes and reviewing them, not me!
There are so many ways to make pumpkin soup out there: curried pumpkin soup, thai pumpkin soup, spicy pumpkin soup and even tea-scented pumpkin soup. But I like my pumpkin soup creamy, without requiring any dairy product, and I definitely do not like it spicy. I’m not a big fan of using too many spices in my soups. I find them to be quite overwhelming and wholeheartedly believe that they take away the spotlight from the vegetable at the heart of the soup. I much rather prefer roasting or sautéing my vegetables prior to simmering them with vegetable broth, which gives the soup a smoky flavor and texture like no other.
I thought about roasting pumpkins while reading through a blog post on The Fit Mrs, where she wrote about a Pumpkin and Leek Soup that she cooked during a stay in the Swiss Alps. Why hadn’t I thought of roasting pumpkins sooner? Probably that’s why I never fell in love with any of my homemade pumpkin soups.
Roasting pumpkins makes this soup anything but boring, as it brings it a complex, smoky taste that brings out just the right amount of sweetness from the squash. I also used a tiny bit of nutmeg, which I sprinkled over my chopped pumpkin before roasting them. Coupled with sautéed garlic, onion and potatoes this soup made me want to make pumpkin soup over and over again. And for the first time ever, I was completely satisfied with it. I hope you will be too!
All my favorite soups on Pinterest: click here
Coming up next… creamy carrot and parsley soup! Stay tuned! Is there any other soup you’d like me to feature on savormania? Let me know in the comment section below or by email savormania@gmail.com
- 1 pound (450g) chopped pumpkin
- 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pound (500g) potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C and line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Spread the pumpkins evenly over the aluminium foil and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and season with the nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until golden.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 5 minutes until fragrant and softened. Add the roasted pumpkin, potatoes and 3 cups vegetable broth. Bring to boil, covered, and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 35 minutes until the potatoes and pumpkin are soft.
- Purée with a handheld blender and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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