Creamy turmeric-roasted pumpkin & carrot soup

Pumpkin season is here! One of my favourite ways to cook them is oven roasted with a lovely golden brown char that elevates the sweetness of the vegetable. This soup makes a hearty bowl of creamy goodness packed full of flavour, turmeric-roasted vegetables topped with crunchy spiced chickpeas. A simple yet filling lunch that still keeps you healthy! Let the oven do all the work for you, all you got to do is blend!

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS (serves 1)

For the soup:

500 g pumpkin, cut into 1″ cubes
4-5 medium sized carrots, cut into halves, lengthwise
1 large red onion, cut into quarters
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 garlic cloves
Few sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 cup vegetable stock/ water
Sea salt & black pepper, to taste

For the roasted chickpeas:

60 g chickpeas, drained ( 1/4 of a store-bought can)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
1 teaspoon olive oil
Sea salt, to taste

METHOD

For the soup:

Preheat the oven to 220°C.

Place the pumpkin cubes, carrots and the onion into a baking tin lined with greaseproof parchment paper. Roughly bruise the garlic cloves and add it to the tin.Drizzle some olive oil, add the turmeric, cayenne pepper and season to taste.

Toss them around in the tin to make sure all the vegetables are evenly coated with the olive oil. Place it in the oven for 40 minutes, checking them at a 20 minute interval.

Note: At the 20 minute interval place the second baking tray with the chickpeas into the oven.

Once out the oven and cooled for a bit, toss all the ingredients including the aromatic oils released in the tray into a blender and blend, adding the vegetable stock / water until you achieve the desired consistency. Adjust the seasoning if required.

For the roasted chickpeas:

Thoroughly strain out the canned chickpeas with the help of a colander, making sure not to have any water left behind in the tray.

Toss them onto a separate baking tray/tin with a drizzle of olive oil and rub in the spices as mentioned above. Pop the tray in the oven for about 20 minutes at 200°C. Once out the oven, the chickpeas should have a nice crunch on the outside while still staying soft when you bite into them.

Set them aside until the soup is served.

Note: Roasted chickpeas are a great healthy snack just by themselves, so if you have leftovers reheat them and you’re good to go!

Now that you’ve got both elements good to go, serve the soup up in a bowl and top it with the roasted chickpeas. You can add any additional toppings of your choice; I prefer adding a crunchy texture so usually I’d go for roasted pumpkin seeds, kale crisps (you can find the recipe here: Superfood snack bowls: Kale chips), garlic and herb crumbs,etc.

PRESSURE POINTS

Make sure to let the tray cool once out the oven before adding it to the blender or alternatively transfer it into a pot and use a stick blender.

When adding the stock or water, make sure not to reduce the consistency too much. Maintaining the creamy texture of the soup also helps add as many toppings as you wish before they start turning soggy.

If you give this recipe a go, I’d love to see how it turned out. Leave a comment below and share your pictures on Instagram using the tag #thecookbooklife!

Stay healthy!

Nikita xx