Pumpkin Soup with Latin Soul
Despite its name, Sugar Pumpkin is surprisingly one of the least sweet varieties of winter squash. It lends really well to a pumpkin puree soup that has a piquant and savory flavor profile, rather than the more common sweet pumpkin soup. The addition of ghost pepper creates a smooth heat that works well with the garlicky, lightly sage infused flavor.
Topping this thick soup with plenty of thinly sliced avocado, cilantro leaves and crispy sunflower seeds is essential to the dish. So be sure to have perfectly ripe avocados on hand and a bag of roasted, toasted or sprouted sunflower seeds.
Cooking tips
The only part of this recipe that takes much time is the roasting of the squash. Hands on you’re looking at about 20 minutes of prep and garnish time.
Broth
Although bone broth will make this soup all the more healthy, this dish packs a lot of flavor so it can actually stand to made just using filtered water. If you don’t have a batch of homemade bone broth at your disposal, try this chicken broth by Epic.
Sugar Pumpkin
If you don’t have a large enough Dutch Oven to roast the whole pumpkin, you can cover it with unbleached parchment paper to retain as much moisture as possible. Just scrub the skin before cutting it into quarters. The skin’s easily come away from the flesh once it’s been cooked.
Buy Organic
Be sure to buy any variety of pumpkin or winter squash from a chemical free farm or Certified Organic at the grocery store. Winter squash has been found to be an effective intercrop for use in remediation of contaminated soils and is especially good at pulling Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other contaminants out of the soil. You certainly don’t want those toxins ending up on your plate!
Ghost Pepper
I used one, one inch long ghost pepper and that was the perfect amount of heat – spicy, but not overpowering. You don’t want to overdo it, so if you’re using dry or powdered chili test the waters as you go before getting in too deep!
If you can’t find fresh ghost pepper, try dry. If dry isn’t available to you, try another fresh chili pepper. Habanero or jalapeño would be two good options. Wear gloves when prepping chili peppers! You’ll be glad you went through the trouble.
Puree While Cold
After sautéing the leek, cumin and garlic base, add cold water or broth to the pot and turn the heat off to keep the liquid cool for blending together with the pumpkin. You’ll need another bowl or pot on hand to blend the entire soup in batches. Once pureed, put the mixture back in the pot and gently warm to serving temperature.
Garnish, serve and enjoy!
Spicy Sugar Pumpkin Soup (Featuring Ghost Pepper)
If you love pureed pumpkin soup, but you’re craving a savory and spicy meal, here’s your ticket to satisfying your hunger for both. Bonus: this creamy soup will have a cleansing effect, while satisfying your taste for a rich meal!
- Prep Time: 15m
- Cook Time: 1h
- Total Time: 1h 15m
- Serves: 6
- Yield: 32 oz
Ingredients
- 1 Organic Sugar Pumpkin
- 1 small Ghost Pepper, deseeded & minced
- 3 large Garlic Cloves, chopped
- 1 large Leek, sliced
- 2 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Himalayan Sea Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger Spice
- 1/2 tablespoon Sage, dried or fresh
- 1/2 teaspoon Cumin, ground
- 6 cups Water, Veggie Stock or Bone Broth
Garnish
- Avocado slices
- Cilantro leaves
- Roasted or Sprouted Sunflower Seeds
Instructions
Soup
- Preheat oven to 350°F/ 176°C. Scrub and rinse pumpkin. Cut in half or into quarters. Scoop out seeds. Place in a large, heavy liked pot like Dutch Oven. Bake for about 40 minutes until soft.
- Slice leeks and place in a bowl of water. Stir to loosen dirt. Set aside.
- Wear gloves while mincing ghost pepper. Chop garlic. Drain leaks and shake off any excess water.
- Heat a large 3+ quart pot on medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Heat for a minute. Add drained leaks, ghost pepper, salt and cumin. Stir well and cover. Cook on medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove skins from cooled pumpkin.
- Add garlic to the pot and let sauté for about a minute. Turn off heat. Add 6 cups cold water or broth and scrape up the bottom with a wooden spoon. Mix well and transfer the cool liquid to a blender.
- Add pumpkin, sage, ground ginger and blend. You will likely have to do this in a couple rounds. Alternatively, using an immersion blender you can puree the soup right in the pot before bringing the soup to high heat. Place a clean towel over the pot to contain sputtering, tucking one side under the pot to keep it taught.
- Put the pureed soup back in the pot and heat until warm.
Garnish
- Top with a generous helping of thinly sliced avocado, lots of fresh cilantro and roasted sunflower seeds.
