Roasted Pumpkin and Garlic Soup Recipe
This velvety soup celebrates the natural sweetness of roasted pumpkin, enhanced by caramelised garlic and warming ginger that creates the most comforting bowl you'll make this season. Learn how to make this quick and easy recipe that transforms simple ingredients into restaurant quality comfort food that'll have everyone asking for seconds.
Ingredients
- For the roasted vegetables:
- 800g pumpkin, or butternut squash - peeled, deseeded and cut into 3cm chunks
- 1 whole garlic bulb, top sliced off to expose cloves
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- For the soup:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped (about 200g)
- 3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 litre vegetable stock, hot (or chicken stock for deeper flavour)
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- To serve:
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Fresh coriander leaves, roughly torn
- Toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas), about 2 tablespoons
- Warm crusty bread (optional)
Directions
Step 1
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6 and get your roasting ready. Spread the pumpkin chunks across a large baking tray in a single layer, making sure they're not overcrowded as this is crucial for achieving beautiful caramelisation rather than steaming. Nestle the whole garlic bulb, cut side up, amongst the pumpkin pieces. Drizzle everything generously with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle over the salt and pepper, then use your hands to massage the oil into every piece until they're all beautifully coated and glistening.
Step 2
Roast the vegetables for 35 to 40 minutes, giving the tray a good shake halfway through to ensure even cooking. You're looking for the pumpkin to be completely tender when pierced with a knife, with gorgeous golden brown edges that smell absolutely incredible and sweet. The garlic cloves should be soft, sticky and deeply caramelised inside their skins. This roasting process is where the magic happens, transforming the vegetables into something truly special with concentrated, sweet flavours that'll make your soup sing.
Step 3
Whilst your vegetables are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's lovely and soft with no colour whatsoever. You want the onion to become sweet and translucent, releasing all its natural sugars without any browning. Add the grated ginger, cumin and ground coriander, then stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes until the spices smell warm and fragrant and the ginger has lost its raw edge.
Step 4
Once your roasted vegetables are ready, carefully squeeze the soft, caramelised garlic cloves out of their papery skins directly into the pot with the onions. Don't be shy here, those sweet, buttery cloves are absolute gold and will add incredible depth to your soup. Add all the roasted pumpkin pieces to the pot, scraping in every bit of the delicious caramelised bits from the baking tray as they're packed with flavour.
Step 5
Pour in the hot stock, stir everything together, and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Let it bubble away happily for 10 minutes to allow all those beautiful flavours to meld together and become the best of friends. This simmering time helps develop a really rounded, harmonious flavour where no single ingredient dominates but everything works in perfect balance.
Step 6
Remove the pot from the heat and use a stick blender to blitz the soup until it's completely silky smooth and velvety. If you're using a jug blender instead, work in batches and be careful as hot liquid expands, so only fill the jug halfway and hold a tea towel over the lid. Blend each batch for a good 30 to 45 seconds until there are absolutely no lumps remaining and the soup has a gorgeous, creamy consistency that coats the back of a spoon.
Step 7
Taste your soup and season it properly with sea salt and black pepper. This is crucial, don't be shy here, as proper seasoning will make all those flavours pop and come alive. If your soup is too thick for your liking, add a splash more hot stock or water, stirring it through until you reach that perfect consistency that's rich but still pourable. If it's too thin, simply simmer it gently for another 5 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavours.
Step 8
Ladle the gorgeous golden soup into warm bowls, then finish each one with a generous drizzle of your best extra virgin olive oil, a scattering of torn fresh coriander leaves, and a sprinkle of toasted pumpkin seeds for that satisfying crunch. Serve immediately with warm crusty bread on the side for dipping, and watch as everyone falls in love with this comforting bowl of sunshine that's both nourishing and absolutely delicious.
Nutrition per serving
Sunnah
Learn simple practices and etiquettes found in the tradition that transform every meal into an act of worship, increase you in beneficial knowledge and add barakah into every bite.
Sacred Guidance
Chicken
I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ eating chicken meat.
Bread
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would spend many consecutive nights and his family did not have supper, and most of the time their bread was barley bread.
Garlic
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: He who eats of this plant (garlic) should not approach our mosque and should not harm us with the odour of garlic.
Ginger
And they will be given to drink a cup of wine whose mixture is of ginger, from a fountain within Paradise named Salsabil.
Onions
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: 'Whoever eats from these - the first time, he said garlic, then he said - garlic, onion, and leek, then let him not approach our Masjid.'
Pumpkin
The Prophet ﷺ ate that pumpkin with relish.
Olives
And He is the One Who sends down rain from the sky—causing all kinds of plants to grow—producing green stalks from which We bring forth clustered grain. And from palm trees come clusters of dates hanging within reach. There are also gardens of grapevines, olives, and pomegranates, similar in shape but dissimilar in taste. Look at their fruit as it yields and ripens! Indeed, in these are signs for people who believe.
Olive Oil
Eat olive oil, and anoint with it, for it is from a blessed tree!
Prophetic Etiquette
Sit down to eat, rather than eating while standing or walking.
Eat from what is nearest to you on the plate, and do not reach across for food that is distant.
Take small morsels of food, and chew your food well.
Do not blow on hot food or drinks; allow them to cool naturally.
Do not eat or drink from gold or silver utensils.
Lick your fingers clean before wiping them, as there may be barakah in what remains on them. Then wash your hands.
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