A Comforting Pumpkin Soup

The following recipe for Roast Pumpkin Soup with sweet potato is inspired by one from Nigella Christmas, a book which is always a great source of comfort and inspiration to me at this time of the year.

Nigella Christmas is a colourful and calorie-filled collection of recipes which are ideal at Christmas, but also for parties and entertaining in general.

Oftentimes throughout the year, I find myself cooking from this book whenever we have a large gathering, particularly since a lot of the recipes are in the “serves 16-20 people” category. Though, most of the recipes can easily be scaled down to accommodate more sensible headcounts.

roast pumpkin soup in saucepan with white tea towel and fresh herb in white pot

Pumpkin Soup Recipe

This Roast Pumpkin Soup is the perfect soup to make as soon as pumpkins and squash come into season.

What makes this pumpkin soup recipe particularly special is that the vegetables are first roasted to intensify their flavour.

You could certainly make this soup using just pumpkin, but using a mix of pumpkin, squash and/or sweet potato gives the soup a nice thickness, as well as added sweetness.

I also like to add quite a few red onions and garlic cloves for added savouriness.

You should treat the pumpkin soup recipe below as merely a blueprint – change the quantities of vegetables as you wish.

roast pumpkin soup in saucepan with small plate of chopped herbs and fresh squash

How to Make Pumpkin Soup

The vegetables for this Roast Pumpkin Soup are first roasted in the oven with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg which later lend a gentle spiciness to the soup.

As I could quite happily sit down to a tray of roast vegetables as a meal, I had to resist helping myself to a more than a few golden chunks of pumpkin and sweet potato as they came out of the oven.

I had initially thought that roasting the vegetables would be an unnecessary step, particularly in terms of washing up.

But whilst roasting the vegetables would take a little longer than if you were to simply cook the vegetables in the stock, the end result is absolutely worth it; the flavours are more robust and the colour of this pumpkin soup is more intense.

And, to be honest, hardly any effort is required of you to stick a tray of chopped veges into the oven.

tray of chopped pumpkin and sweet potato about to go into the oven to roast

What to Serve with Roast Pumpkin Soup

I love to serve this pumpkin soup with a Bacon and Cheese Savoury Cake, which is delicious served warm and thickly sliced.

Other suggestions include:

Butterzopf

Easy No-Knead Bread

Savoury Waffles with Gruyère and Thyme

roast pumpkin soup in small saucepan with fresh squash on wooden table
5 stars (11 reviews)

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
Prep15 minutes
Cook1 hour 30 minutes
Total1 hour 45 minutes
Serves: 4
An easy and delicious Roast Pumpkin Soup with sweet potato, and lightly scented with cinnamon. Roasting the vegetables first gives the soup more depth and flavour. I recommend making a double batch!
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Ingredients

  • 700 g (1 ½ lb) pumpkin
  • 500 g (1 lb) sweet potatoes
  • 1 large red onion
  • 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
  • 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock, or vegetable stock
  • sea salt
  • white pepper, freshly cracked
  • fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions 

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan).
  2. Peel the pumpkin and sweet potatoes and chop them into large chunks, about 5 cm (2 inches) in size.
  3. Peel the onion and cut it into quarter wedges.
  4. Place the vegetables onto a large baking tray.
  5. Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables, and sprinkle over the ground cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg.
  6. Roast the vegetables for about 1 hour until they are golden and cooked through.
  7. When the vegetables are nearly done, bring the vegetable or chicken stock to the boil.
  8. Place the roasted vegetables into a large saucepan, and pour over just enough stock to cover the vegetables.
  9. Bring the saucepan to a gentle simmer.
  10. Take the saucepan off the heat.
  11. Use a stick blender to purée the soup. Alternatively, purée the vegetables with some stock in a blender, though you will have to do this in a few batches.
  12. If the soup is a bit thick, add some more stock or hot water to thin out the soup to your liking.
  13. Heat the soup until it is gently simmering and taste for seasoning.

Kitchen Notes

  • TYPES OF PUMPKINS
    Feel free to use pumpkin, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, or a combination.
  • SERVING SOUP AS A STARTER
    I once served this soup as a starter at a cocktail party and it was an instant hit. Poured into little espresso cups, they were a dainty surprise to our guests and it set the tone nicely for the canapés which followed. Allow guests to top up with a big jug of soup nearby.
  • OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
    All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
  • CONVERSIONS
    To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
Nutrition Information

Did you make this recipe?

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Update

This recipe was first published on 21 December 2011 and has since been updated with new photos.

More Pumpkin Recipes

Pumpkin Bread Rolls

Classic Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin Scones