This bright, hearty soup serves up some serious autumnal vibes and is adaptable for omnivores, veggies and vegans; making it a guaranteed crowd pleaser. Combining gently spiced squash with sweet and smoky paprika undertones, it’s a surprisingly filling soup that will have you hankering for a chilly night around a bonfire.
Now, to deliver the true flavours of fall this soup really calls for pumpkin. However, if you’ve cooked with fresh pumpkin before, or have simply tried to carve one for Halloween you’ll know that these things can be TOUGH. I’m not ashamed to admit that I lack both the kitchenware and upper arm strength to hack into one, so opted for butternut squash instead. Luckily this recipe is very forgiving and I’ve found the flavour profile of any softer skinned squash works wonders.
Ingredients:
1 white or brown onion – diced
2 carrots – diced
2 sticks of celery – diced
2 cloves of garlic – minced or crushed
1 small pumpkin, or medium sized Butternut squash, cube
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil
1 tsp of dried oregano
500ml of vegetable stock
1 tsp of smoked paprika
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp of chilli flakes
Splash of cream – if going non-vegan
Sea salt to season
1. Preheat your oven to 220c. Cube your squash (or pumpkin!) and toss in a bowl with oregano, a good pinch of salt, and half the vegetable oil until evenly coated. Transfer to a baking sheet, ensuring the pieces are arranged evenly in a single layer, and roast for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. While your squash is roasting, heat the remaining oil in a large, heavy pan over a medium heat. Add your diced onions, carrots and celery, season with a pinch of salt and cook for 10 minutes or until the onions are slightly translucent. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes.
3. Add your roasted squash, vegetable stock, mixed spice and smoked paprika to the onions, carrot and celery, and allow to cook for 15 minutes to let all the flavours combine. Add the chilli flakes during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
4. Allow the soup to cool slightly before blending to your desired consistently, adding salt and pepper to taste. If you find the soup to be too thick once blended, whip up a little extra stock and add SLOWLY, the consistency can change very quickly and while it’s easy to thin out a soup, it’s difficult to add thickness without hampering the flavour.
5. Finish with croutons for the vegans, a glug of cream for the veggies, or, if you’re going all in, a sprinkle of crispy bacon bits.
