Pumpkin Soup Recipe

This pumpkin soup uses readily available ingredients. The recipe gives you the quantities, steps and practical tips for making a smooth, comforting soup.

Ingredients

1 kg prepared pumpkin flesh
2 potatoes
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
800 ml vegetable stock
2 tablespoons oil
100 ml cream, 18% fat
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon ginger
Pumpkin seeds, to serve

Step-by-step method

Dice the pumpkin and potatoes. Chop the onion and garlic.
Heat the oil in a pot, soften the onion until translucent, then add the garlic and ginger.
Add the pumpkin and potatoes, pour in the stock and cook for about 20-25 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Blend until smooth. Add the cream, season with salt and pepper, and heat briefly.
Serve with pumpkin seeds and bread.

Time and servings

About 40 minutes; serves 4.

Tips and variations

Adjust the amount of stock to make the soup as thick or thin as you like.
Hokkaido pumpkin can be cooked with its skin on after a thorough wash.
Toast the seeds in a dry pan for extra crunch.

Choosing pumpkin and making a smooth soup

Choose a pumpkin with firm flesh. Cut it carefully on a stable board and remove the seeds and fibrous centre. Weigh 1 kg of prepared flesh, not the whole pumpkin. If the skin is hard, peel it before cutting. Dice the pumpkin and potatoes into similar-sized pieces so they cook evenly.

Cook the onion over low heat until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and ginger later and cook only briefly so they do not burn before you add the stock. Cook until a fork passes easily through the pumpkin and potatoes. Before blending, you can pour off some stock and reserve it to adjust the consistency. It is easier to add liquid to the blended soup than to reduce one that is too thin.

Serving and storage

Heat the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan, stirring until fragrant. Transfer them straight to a plate so the heat of the pan does not burn them. Sprinkle them over the soup just before eating. Croutons also work well: cut bread into pieces, toast them in a pan or oven and serve separately to keep them crisp.

Cool leftover soup quickly and refrigerate it in a closed container. Stir when reheating, as thick soup can stick to the bottom of the pot. If it is too thick after chilling, add a little water or stock. Set aside any portion for freezing before adding the cream. After thawing, heat it thoroughly, stir and then add the cream.

Adjusting the flavour

The flavour depends on the pumpkin and stock. Taste the soup before adding salt, especially if the stock is already seasoned. Ginger gives it a stronger flavour, so you can start with some of the stated amount and add the rest after tasting. Fresh ginger works too: peel and finely grate a small piece, then cook it briefly with the garlic.

Cream softens the flavour and gives the soup a silky texture. Add it after blending, stir well and heat gently. If people prefer different amounts, ladle the soup into bowls and serve the cream separately.

Roasted pumpkin variation

You can roast the pumpkin before adding it to the pot. Cut the prepared flesh into pieces, toss with a little oil and spread on a baking tray without overlapping. Roast until soft and lightly browned at the edges. The time depends on the size of the pieces, so test them with a fork. For this version, cook the potatoes in the stock with the onion and seasonings, then add the soft pumpkin before blending. Adjust the liquid and finish as in the basic recipe.