The Greatest Roast Pumpkin Soup

I made this soup as an entrée for a group of friends last month – just a recipe I’ve developed over a few years of trial and error. They told me it was the best pumpkin soup they had ever had – one friend even said it was better than their Nanna’s! I was pretty chuffed, but it is pretty darn good and super easy. Don’t be scared off by the cooking time; that’s how the ingredients become so flavourful. For most of the cooking time, you just need to be nearby and waiting for the timer to go off!

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Preparation time:     15 minutes

Cooking time:              90 minutes

Serves: 4 as a meal, 6 as an entree

Ingredients: 

1 butternut pumpkin
½ Jarrahdale / kent pumpkin
2 tbs coconut oil
½ bunch of celery
2 large carrots
1 large brown onion
2tbs vegetable stock powder
¼ cup of cream or milk
Salt & pepper to season
A loaf of crusty bread to serve

1. Heat oven to 220°C fan force and line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2. Peel and cube the pumpkins into roughly 3 cm pieces. Place onto prepared baking tray. Melt the coconut oil in the microwave for 15 seconds, and then drizzle over the pumpkin with a sprinkle of salt. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, or until golden and a little crispy, turning half way.
3. While the pumpkin cooks, chop the carrots and celery up into 5mm cubes by quartering the vegetables long ways, and then chopping up the vegetables. Cube the onion.
4. Place the carrot, celery, onion, vegetable stock and 8 cups of water into a soup pot. Bring to the boil, and then let it simmer with the lid on until the pumpkin is ready.
5. Once the pumpkin is soft, add it to the soup pot. Allow to simmer for another 15 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and use a barmix mixer to combine all the ingredients until it is a creamy texture with no lumps (you may need to add more water). Stir in the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 15 minutes, or until hot again.
7. Serve hot with crusty bread. Enjoy!

*If you want to change this recipe up a little bit, try adding a tablespoon of red curry paste for a bit of a kick, or roasting a sweet potato with the pumpkin!