Roast Pumpkin Soup

I'm not really a soup person, but this one is a favorite of mine. This pumpkin soup is really thick and has so much flavour packed into it, but is still really simple and so easy to make. It's great for a cold winters night, freezes well, and can easily be adapted to be slow cooker friendly, by slightly reducing the amount of water.

Roast Pumpkin Soup

serves 4-5

• 1 red onion
• 6 garlic cloves/half a bulb
• 530g sweet potato
• 800g pumpkin - Blue or Japanese pumpkin is best
• Drizzle of olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1tsp dried rosemary
• 1 heaping tsp dried thyme
• 4 cups water
• 1 stock cube
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar*

1. Preheat oven to 180c, and line or grease 2 baking trays.
2. Without peeling them, place the onion and garlic on one tray, drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Dice sweet potato (peeling isn't necessary, but you can if you want) and pumpkin (peeled) into pieces, and place on the second tray.
4. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Bake both trays, the onion and garlic for around 30 minutes, and the pumpkin/potato for 40-45 minutes or until browning.
6. Peel the onion and garlic and place into a large pot with pumpkin, sweet potato, rosemary, thyme, water, stock and balsamic vinegar.
7. Heat until boiling, then reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 10 minutes.
8. Using an immersion blender, blend soup until smooth, season with salt and pepper and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

Optional - garnish with pepitas and a sprig of parsley!

*If you are cautious about additives, check the label of your balsamic vinegar. Alot of them contain nasty preservatives, caramel colourings and sometimes sugar. I used Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, by Mazzetti.

 

Jacqui

xo