You will slap yourself and say “damn I’m good!” – Okay, maybe not, but I did when I made this. It’s thick, it’s spicy, it’s hearty. You want a bowl full of comfort, make this. It’s easy and it’s healthy for you too.
Roasted Pumpkin and Cauliflower Stoup:
1 3lb sugar pumpkin
3/4 head of cauliflower – florets cut up small
1 medium yellow onion – diced
2 medium carrots – diced
3 stalks celery – diced
3 large garlic gloves – minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary – chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp chile pepper flakes
1/4 tsp paprika
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 box low sodium chicken stock (32 fl oz) – (use more if you want a thinner soup)
Topping:
1/4 medium red onion – diced
1/4 cup shelled pistachios – toasted & chopped
3 tbsp dried cranberries
1/2 granny smith apple – diced
snipped chives for garnish
Preheat oven to 400℉. Spray two sheet pans with non-stick spray.
Cut the top (stem part) off of the pumpkin. Cut in half and clean out seeds and strings (save seeds to roast later if you want). Season the inside of the pumpkin with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. Place pumpkin cut side down on the sheet pan and roast for 60 minutes.
While the pumpkin roasts, prep all other ingredients. Place the cauliflower on the second prepared sheet pan. Toss with a couple drizzles of olive oil, salt and pepper. When the pumpkin has roasted for 25 minutes, place the cauliflower in the oven. Cauliflower should roasted for 30-35 minutes (I like mine with a little color on them). Pumpkin and cauliflower will finish roasting at about the same time.
About 15 minutes before the pumpkin & cauliflower is done, start sauteing the onions, carrots, celery & garlic in a little bit of olive oil in either a dutch oven or soup pot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Saute for around 10 minutes until soften over medium-low heat. By now the pumpkin and cauliflower should be done. Pull out of oven and let cool slightly. Turn the pumpkin over to aid in this process. Continuing cooking the vegetables while the pumpkin cools and throw in the remaining herbs and spices – rosemary, thyme, chile flakes, paprika, cumin & onion powder.
Scoop the pumpkin out of it’s skin and place into the soup pot as well as the roasted cauliflower. Add the box of chicken stock. Stir to combine. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Note: this will be thick, if you want a thinner soup, add more stock. Bring to simmer and cover.
While the soup simmers, make the topping. Saute the red onion in olive oil, salt & pepper till slightly soft. Add the apples and saute for another 2-3 minutes. While the onions and apples saute, puree the soup. I used an immersion blender and only slightly pureed – I liked to bite into the carrots, celery & cauliflower. If you want a smooth soup, either blend in a blender or food processor. I liked it thick and chunky. Finish the topping by adding the pistachios and cranberries to the pan to heat through.
Time to serve! Spoon into bowls and top with 1-2 tablespoons of the topping, sprinkle with snipped chives. Voilà!
The soup has a nice mellow heat which is balanced out by the sweet, crispness of the apple, cranberry topping. If this doesn’t say fall, I don’t know what does. Enjoy!
