ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

Hello there!

When fall rolls around it’s the time of year that we begin to think of the bounty of the harvest and how we can prepare warm, soothing, comfort food. And what could be better than a healthy comfort food recipe? Well, that’s what I’m cooking up today, healthy comfort food. It’s going to be my contribution to a dinner I’m attending.  As I’ve mentioned before, once a month a group of my girlfriends and I get together for what we call our “Healthy Cooking Dinner”. These dinners are designed around a topic, and this month we chose “Healthy Harvest Foods” as our theme. Each of us contributes a dish to our meal and also comes prepared to discuss its health benefits with the group.

I decided to prepare my recipe for Roasted Pumpkin Soup.

It’s made not only with pumpkin but other vitamin and fiber rich vegetables that I roast to give the soup an added dimension of deep, rich flavor. If you don’t have a Healthy Cooking Dinner to attend, this is an ideal recipe to prepare for your Thanksgiving dinner.

Did you know that pumpkins are very low in calories and they pack a mighty punch when it comes to anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. Pumpkins are an excellent source of beta carotenes, are high in vitamin B and are rich in minerals like calcium, potassium and phosphates. So, as my Healthy Cooking girlfriends will learn, my Roasted Pumpkin Soup is a very healthy soup indeed.

Here is how to make the soup…

Start by preheating your oven to 350º F.

Rinse the skin of 2 Small “Pumpkin Pie” Pumpkins (This is done because squash and melons harbor a lot of bad bacteria on their skin). These are the variety of pumpkins that are used in cooking as opposed to the varieties that are better for decoration and carving, and not so good to eat.

Then pop off the pumpkin stem. I always look for pumpkins with good looking long stems because I use them to make decorative cloth pumpkins. Have you seen my DIY Cloth Pumpkin Tutorial?  Cloth pumpkins are easy to construct and make great fall decor. I often give them away as hostess gifts or use them as fall party favors.

But getting back to the Roasted Pumpkin Soup…

Cut each pumpkin in half and using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp.

On a side note I then rinse the seeds, put them on a sheet pan and soak them overnight in very salty water. The next day I drain off the salt water and slow-roast them in a 200ºF oven for a couple of hours until they are golden brown. Pumpkin seeds make a delicious and healthy snack that my family loves.

But getting back to the Roasted Pumpkin Soup…

The next step is to line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.  Cut the pumpkins into quarters and then prepare the following additional vegetables:

• 1 Large Onion, Sliced
• 3 Large Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Large Leeks, Sliced Lengthwise
• 4 Celery Stalks
• 2/3 Cup Cherry Tomatoes

Place the prepared vegetables on the sheet pan…

brush them liberally with Extra Virgin Olive Oil…

and sprinkle them with Coarse Ground Pepper and Kosher Salt.

Place them in the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour until they are fork tender and beginning to caramelize.

Let the vegetables sit until they are cool enough to handle. Using a spoon, scoop the pumpkin out of the skin and discard the skin. Place the cooked pumpkin into a blender. If you have a Vitamix by all means use it, as it will produce a silky smooth texture to your soup.

Next add all of the other roasted vegetables to the blender.

Now add 4 Cups (32 oz. Box) Chicken Stock. Since I was making “healthy” Roasted Pumpkin Soup I used “organic” chicken stock that I purchase in bulk at Costco. All of the vegetables I used were organic as well. At this point also add  1-1/2 Teaspoons Celery Salt and 1/2 Teaspoon Lawry’s Season Salt. Blend on high speed until the soup is silky smooth and lump free. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding a little more chicken stock if you like a thinner soup. By the way, depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this step in batches. The soup can also be blended using an immersion blender.

Once blended, transfer the soup to a large saucepan and heat to serve. Ladel into individual bowls and garnish with roasted and salted Pepitas. If your home-roasted Pumpkin Seeds are ready you could use them for garnish as well.

I purchase Pepitas at World Market. Pepitas are pumpkin seeds that have the shells removed. Pumpkin seeds contain healthy fats as well as protein, fiber, potassium, iron and are a good source of zinc. I think shelled pumpkin seeds make a better garnish for this soup, but the roasted pumpkin seeds I showed you how to prepare are eaten shell and all.

ROASTED PUMPKIN SOUP

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 30 mins

 

This delicious soup is low in calories and high in antioxidant vitamins. It is healthy fall comfort food at its finest.

Author: Celia Becker @ www.AfterOrangeCounty.com

Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 Small "Pumpkin Pie" Pumpkins
• 1 Large Onion, Sliced
• 3 Large Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Large Leeks, Sliced Lengthwise
• 4 Celery Stalks
• ⅔ Cup Cherry Tomatoes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Coarse Ground Pepper and Kosher Salt
• 4 Cups (32 oz. Box) Chicken Stock
• 1-1/2 Teaspoons Celery Salt
• ½ Teaspoon Lawry's Season Salt.
• Roasted & Salted Pepitas For Garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º F.
2. Rinse pumpkins, cut them in half and using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and pulp.
3. Cut the pumpkins into quarters and place them on a large, parchment lined baking sheet.
4. Brush the vegetables liberally with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with coarse ground pepper and Kosher salt.
5. Bake for about 1 hour until vegetables are fork tender and beginning to caramelize.
6. Remove vegetables from the oven and let them sit until they are cool enough to handle.
7. Using a spoon, scoop the pumpkin out of the skin and discard the skin.
8. Place the cooked pumpkin into a blender or Vitamix, then add all of the other roasted vegetables as well.
9. Pour in the chicken stock and add the celery salt and season salt.
10. Blend on high speed until soup is silky smooth and lump free.
11. Adjust the consistency of the soup by adding a little more chicken stock if you like a thinner soup. Depending on the size of your blender you may need to do this step in batches.
12. The soup can also be blended using an immersion blender.
13. Transfer soup to a large saucepan and heat to serve.
14. Ladel into individual bowls and garnish with roasted and salted Pepitas.

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You might also like my recipe for Roasted Vegetable Soup or my recipe for Beet Soup served in a Roasted Acorn Squash Bowl. All of these soups are perfect for fall dinners.

Thanks for dropping in!  Do please leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear from you!

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