Better Homes And Gardens Roast Pumpkin Soup Recipe

pot of soup illustration

Jillian Ditner

In this excellent, nourishing fall soup, pumpkin is the main ingredient, so it is important to find a good one. That will not be the orange giant you pick out to carve for Halloween. As with any winter squash, look for a pumpkin that is hard and has a thick, firm stem and vivid color. If it has been cut open, look for dense, smooth-textured flesh with bright color. And if you can snag a taste, expect a pleasant, vegetal flavor with no bitter-ness. It will not taste like pie, but it might have a natural edge of sweetness.

3/4 c. dried cannellini or other white beans

1 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt

1 medium pumpkin

2 1/2 tbsp. olive oil

1 large onion

8 oz. leeks

12 oz. Yukon gold potatoes

5 c. vegetable broth

12 oz. green chard

3/4 c. packed cilantro or fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

3 tbsp. brown sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

nutmeg

Fruity green olive oil

Crumbled feta or other fresh white cheese

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Put the dried beans in a large soup pot or stockpot with 8 cups water, bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer the beans, covered, for at least an hour, or until they are tender. This may take up to 2 hours, depending on the age of the beans. Add more water if you need to in order to keep the beans covered. When the beans are soft, add a teaspoon of salt.
While the beans are cooking, prepare the pumpkin: split it in half, scrape out all the seeds and strings, and then cut the pumpkin into wide strips and peel off the hard skin. Do this last part carefully, using a sharp knife and pushing the blade away from you. Cut the trimmed pumpkin into 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 8 cups of cubed pumpkin.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
Toss the pumpkin cubes with a tablespoon of olive oil and a generous sprinkle of salt and spread them on a baking sheet. Roast the pumpkin pieces for about 45 minutes, turning them once or twice, until they are tender and browned in spots.
Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a nonstick skillet and gently sauté the chopped onion in it with a sprinkle of salt, over medium heat, until it softens and begins to color, about 10 minutes. Wash and thinly slice or chop the leeks, add them to the onion, and keep cook-ing until the leeks are also tender and browning, about another 15 minutes.
Scrub and trim the potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch dice. Put the potatoes in a large soup pot with 2 cups (500 ml) water, 4 cups vegetable broth, and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the potatoes for 6 or 7 minutes. Wash the chard, trim off the stems and coarsely chop the leaves, and add the chard to the potatoes.
Add the cooked onion and leeks, the roasted pumpkin, and the cilantro or parsley leaves to the pot and simmer the soup for 15 minutes. The pumpkin will become very soft, and some of it will fall apart, thickening the broth and imparting its lovely orangey gold color.
Add the cooked cannellini with all their broth and taste the soup. Season it with lemon juice, a little brown sugar if the pumpkin is not very sweet, and a bit more sea salt to bring it all together. There should be a subtle sweet-tart balance, and the amount of lemon juice or sugar you need will vary with the type of pumpkin. Grind in a little black pepper and add a pinch of nutmeg.
Serve the soup hot, in deep bowls, with a last-minute drizzle of fruity green olive oil and a sprinkle of crumbled cheese on top of each serving.

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