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Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Real pumpkin, carrot, roasted garlic and hints of cardamom and ginger are the makings of our inagural ode to fall – Roasted Pumpkin Soup. This seasonal soup is creamy, luxurious and the only thing making the transition from hot sunny days to cooler temps bearable. You make think that statement is blasphemous but I’m one of the crazy ones that doesn’t want to let go of summer. I’m a midwestern girl born to be a Floridian.
Roasting fresh sugar pumpkins with olive oil, ginger, cinnamon and garlic powder bring a new depth of flavor canned pumpkin can’t offer. While two whole heads of sweet buttery roasted garlic make this roasted pumpkin soup stand out above the rest.
After simmering delicate shallots, carrots, the pumpkin, spices and garlic together we throw everything in our Oster 3-in-1 Kitchen System, blend until smooth and then add a little bit of cream for a touch of indulgence.
Serve with crunchy pepita seeds and few fresh cracks of black pepper.
Ingredients in Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Sugar pumpkin. If you’ve never had fresh pumpkin, you’re in for a treat! It’s slightly more savory than what you’ll find in the can and obviously much more flavorful.
Sugar pumpkins are petite and roast up really nicely unlike larger jack-o-latern pumpkins.
Spices. We use garlic powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cardamom.
Garlic. For this recipe you’ll need two whole heads of garlic. This may seem like a lot but trust me, it’s just enough.
Veggies. Instead of onion I like to use sweet shallot and a little bit of carrot for added sweetness.
Chicken stock. I had chicken stock on hand but since this is vegetarian you could easily use vegetable stock as well.
Brown sugar. Even though this is a savory soup I do like to add a hint of sweetness with brown sugar. Maple syrup would also be great.
Cream. Even though this roasted pumpkin soup certainly doesn’t NEED cream, it does add a touch of luxuriousness to the soup. Leave it out if you’re counting calories and fat or want this to be vegan.
How to Roast Pumpkin
Roasting a sugar pumpkin is not the easiest task in the world due to its density. I find them infinitely easier to slice into if I soften them first. All this requires is piercing them all over with a fork and then microwaving for 5-8 minutes. This will also start the cooking process of the pumpkin so it doesn’t have to roast as long.
After you nuke the pumpkin, use a large, very sharp chef’s knife to cut the stem off the pumpkin. Then use the knife to carefully slice the pumpkin in half lengthwise from top to bottom.
I rub the pumpkin all over with olive oil and then sprinkle with whatever spices I’m using. Today it’s salt, garlic powder, cinnamon and ginger.
Lastly you put the pumpkin flesh side down on the baking sheet and pop it in the oven. It requires a little elbow grease but is overall pretty simple.
Let’s Make Roasted Pumpkin Soup
I am a sucker for a pureed soup. And the only way to get an ultra cream soup is to use a really good blender! Today we’re using a new-to-us product from one of our favorite brand’s Oster Kitchen. They’ve come out with a 3-in-1 Kitchen System that has a high-quality blender, a 5-cup food processor and a fun blend and go cup for smoothies and such.
This time around we’re obviously using the blender portion to puree our soup, but you could also pop the food processor top on the base and use it to chop your shallot and carrot for the base of the soup. Totally up to you.
Also really nice is the little spout at the top of the blender, this makes it really easy to pour the finished blended soup back in to the pot if you want to keep it hot.
Roast pumpkin and garlic. We already touched on this before but alongside the pumpkin you are also going to roast two heads of garlic. I put the two heads of garlic on a big piece of foil, drizzle them both with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil around the garlic and then set it next to the pumpkin before popping everything in the oven.
Saute veggies. While the pumpkin and garlic roast, sauté the shallots and carrot in a little bit of olive oil.
Simmer. When the pumpkin and garlic are both tender, add it to the pot with shallot and carrot along with chicken stock, more salt, brown sugar, extra ginger and a little bit of cardamom. Simmer until the carrots are soft.
Puree. Use a ladle to to transfer everything to the 3-in-1 Kitchen System. I like to use a ladle to avoid hot splatter. Put the lid on and blend until smooth!
Add cream. Pour in a little cream and blend one more time.
Season. Season to taste with plenty of salt, pepper and brown sugar.
Serve! We like to serve with crunchy pepita seeds but you could also roast the pumpkin seeds from inside the pumpkin.
Substitutions and Tips and Tricks for Recipe Success
- To make the roasted pumpkin soup vegetarian swap out the chicken stock for veggie stock.
- If you want to make it vegan, try swapping out the cream for unsweetened almond or coconut milk.
- For extra sweetness add more more brown sugar. You could also use maple syrup.
- To add a bit of spice, sprinkle in some cayenne pepper.
More cozy soups you’ll love!
Roasted Pumpkin Soup
Ingredients
- 1 sugar pumpkin
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp garlic powder, divided
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger, divided
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 heads garlic
- 2 medium shallots
- 2 medium carrots (about 1 cup diced or shredded)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
Equipment
- sheet pan
- Dutch oven
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Pierce the pumpkin all over with a fork. Place the pumpkin in the microwave and cook for six minutes. This should soften it so it is easier to cut into. Use a large chef's knife to cut the stem off. Cut the pumpkin down the middle from top to bottom.
- Drizzle the inside of the pumpkin flesh with one tablespoon olive oil. Use hands to coat the flesh. Sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon ginger. Place the pumpkin halves flesh side down on the baking sheet.
- Place the garlic heads on a large piece of foil. Drizzle with two teaspoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pull the sides of the foil over the garlic to enclose it. Place next to the pumpkin. Transfer the sheet pan to the oven and roast the pumpkin and garlic for 40-45 minutes until the pumpkin is easily pierced with a fork and garlic is soft.
- While the pumpkin and garlic cook. Prep the shallot and carrot.
- Heat a large dutch oven to a medium heat. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil. When the oil is hot add the shallot, carrot and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute the veggies foor 3-4 minutes until slightly softened. Add chicken stock, remaining salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon ginger, brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cardamom. Turn the heat off until the pumpkin is done cooking.
- When the pumpkin is done, use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. Measure 2 1/2 cups and transfer to the pot with the shallot and chicken broth. Remove all the roasted garlic from the bulb. I find the skin slides right off, but if it doesn't just squeeze it all out.
- Bring mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until the carrot is soft.
- While the soup simmers, attach the blender to the Oster 3-in-1 Kitchen System. Ladle the soup carefully into the blender. Put the lid on and cover with a kitchen towel. Blend on high untiil smooth. Add cream. Pulse until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sabrina says
a great soup, thank you, pumpkin is a new soup for me but welcomed, and agree, I don’t necessarily welcome the cool nights yet either
Wee Willy says
I really like the idea of roasting garlic alongside the pumpkin in the oven. Will try this recipe out later today!