Creamiest No-Peel and No-Cream Roasted Pumpkin Soup

Who doesn't love a great pumpkin soup? Spiced with a little paprika, a little buttery bread on the side and a sprig of garnish over the top, yum!

One of our favourite winter warmers, pumpkin soup is a go-to mid-week dinner in our household. By roasting the pumpkin in its shell, the flesh becomes extra sweet, caramelised and creamy, making this soup deliciously buttery, without any dairy!

If the thought of wrangling with a peeling knife or running out to the store to buy cream puts you off, here's a super easy, no-peel, no-dairy, extremely creamy-tasting pumpkin soup to warm up your kitchen (and your belly). 

As always, we have included a few notes on substitutions at the bottom, so be sure to scroll all the way down. 

Ingredients

- Half a Kent pumpkin (in its shell)

- One red onion 

- Three to four cloves of garlic 

- 2 tablespoons of olive oil 

- 1 teaspoon of Italian herbs 

- 1 tablespoon of vegetable stock

- Pinch of salt and pepper 

Method

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees celsius 

2. Chop your onion into four chunky quarters and peel your garlic 

3. Place your pumpkin (uncut and still in its shell) face up on the baking tray

4. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil and rub it evenly over the pumpkin flesh

5. Drizzle the remainder of the olive oil over your onion and garlic, wrap them up together into aluminium foil and place the parcel on the baking tray

6. Sprinkle salt, pepper and the Italian herbs over your pumpkin and pop the baking tray into the oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the pumpkin is soft (use a fork to test the mushiness)

7. Once your pumpkin has cooled, spoon out all the flesh and blend it into a deep pot with the vegetable stock and water, starting with two cups and adding more as per your desired thickness  

8. Serve with a side of toasted sourdough and dig in!

A few notes on substitutions 

1. You can use any type of pumpkin, such as Butternut, Kent or Queensland Blue.

2. The roasting makes this pumpkin soup creamy and caramelised without any dairy, but you can add a dollop of butter or Nuttelex just before serving if you want an extra creamy taste. 

3. The Italian herbs are optional, and you can also substitute with paprika if you like a more peppery flavour. 

4. I've made this both with and without vegetable stock, and there wasn't much of a difference. If skipping the stock, you may want to add an extra pinch of salt and pepper for taste.

Bon Appetit!