Pumpkin Rosemary Soup
By Ramona Cruz-Peters of Fab Everyday
Are you one of those people that craves pumpkin everything as soon as the weather cools down and you see a leaf fall to the ground? Pumpkin is so hearty, healthy, and delicious, whether it’s prepared sweet or savory.
Today’s recipe is for a savory fall soup that will warm you up during the cool months ahead. Fresh rosemary is a key ingredient that sets this soup apart from other squash soup recipes. By using vegetable stock and coconut milk as a base, the soup is creamy and delicious, but completely vegan. Bonus – this pumpkin and rosemary soup is also naturally gluten-free!
The full vegan pumpkin-rosemary soup recipe is at the bottom of this post, but first here are some tips and step-by-step instructions for making it.
The recipe begins by roasting two fresh pie pumpkins. However, if you don’t have time for the roasting process, you can substitute three cups of canned pumpkin puree for the roasted pumpkin.
To roast them, chop the tops off of the pumpkins and slice them in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds and strings with a spoon and discard them (or clean and roast the pumpkin seeds with your favorite seasonings!). Brush the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil and place them face down (skin side up) on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Bake them in a 350-degree oven until you can easily pierce through the skins with a fork (this will take between 35-45 minutes).
Allow the pumpkins to cool until you can handle them (about 10 minutes). While the pumpkins are cooling, it’s a great opportunity to prep your other ingredients. When the roasted pumpkins have cooled, peel the skin off to leave just the soft pumpkin flesh. This should yield about three cups of pumpkin.
Set the pumpkin aside for now, then heat some more olive oil in a medium or large saucepan. Add finely chopped onion and garlic and sauté for two minutes, then add chopped fresh rosemary and sauté for one minute more. Next, add vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and the reserved pumpkin to the pot and stir until everything is well mixed. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then allow it to simmer for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Transfer the soup to a blender and puree it until smooth. You might need to work in batches depending on the size of your blender. Note: If you have an immersion blender, you can use that right in the saucepan instead of transferring the soup to a blender.
Return the soup to the saucepan and allow it to simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Here’s the recipe. Enjoy!
Pumpkin-Rosemary Soup (Vegan)
Serves 4 | Prep time: 10 minutes; Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 25 minutes
vegan, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free
Ingredients:
· 2 pie pumpkins (or 3 cups of pumpkin puree)
· 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
· ¼ finely chopped onion
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 ½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup coconut milk
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Chop off the tops of the pumpkins and slice them in half. Scoop out the seeds and strings and discard. Brush the insides of the pumpkins with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place them face down (skin side up) on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until you can easily pierce through the skins with a fork (35-45 minutes). Allow the pumpkins to cool until you can handle them (about 10 minutes), then peel the skin off to leave just the soft pumpkin flesh. Set aside.
Optional shortcut: If you don’t have time to roast the pumpkin from scratch, you can substitute 3 cups of canned pumpkin puree for the roasted pumpkin.
Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a medium or large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the chopped rosemary and sauté for 1 minute more.
Add the vegetable stock, coconut milk, salt, pepper, and reserved pumpkin to the pot and stir until well mixed. Bring to a simmer, then let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Transfer the soup to a blender (you might need to work in batches) and puree until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
