Who doesn’t love a nice big bowl of hot soup as the weather starts to cool down? There is something so comforting about its warmth and deliciousness!
Soups are a great way to use up those vegetables that have started to go a little limp in the fridge, or to sneak a few extra vegetables into a meal. There are so many options when it comes to soup flavours, and you really can’t mess it up, making it perfect for anyone to try.
Now I’m sure everyone has their own version of a pumpkin soup; I have a few different versions I use depending on what I have on hand at the time. This version came about when I wanted a pumpkin soup but didn’t quite have enough pumpkin, so it became a ‘Roast Orange Vegetable Soup’, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it!
The orange vegetables in this soup are a rich source of beta-carotene, which is converted to retinol (vitamin A) in the body. Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that is required for eye health, immune function and normal growth and development. Beta-carotene and vitamin A are better absorbed when they are chopped, cooked,or pureed in some form of fat (e.g. butter or extra virgin olive oil).
Ingredients
- 1.5kg jap/kent pumpkin, skin can be left on
- 1 large sweet potato, washed with skin on
- 3 medium sized carrots, washed with skin on
- 1 brown onion
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1.5L (6 cups) vegetable or chicken stock/broth
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Preheat oven to 200°C.
- Cut the pumpkin, sweet potato, carrot and onion into roughly 3cm chunks and arrange on a roasting tray. Squash garlic cloves and add to roasting tray.
- Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place in oven and cook until just brown and cooked through.
- Place roasted vegetables in a medium saucepan and add 1 cup of stock. With a stick blender, blitz the roast vegetables until smooth, adding more stock as necessary.
- Once smooth,add any remaining stock and simmer until heated through.
- Serve with a slice of buttered sourdough and enjoy!
Optional add-ons
- Cream or sour cream for a creamier soup –stir through a small amount of cream at the end of step 5 or add a dollop of cream on top when serving.
- Moroccan spice mix–add 1-2 teaspoons either sprinkled over vegetables before roasting or at step 4.
- Chickpeas for protein –add a 400g can of chickpeas(drained)at step 4 and blitz with vegetables. Alternatively, roast chickpeas in oven until crispy and sprinkle on soup when serving fora bit of crunch.
