A bowl of pumpkin soup should taste of pumpkin, not just cream. This version blends white beans into the vegetables for a silky texture, then adds lemon at the end to lift the sweetness. It is a simple dinner with toasted bread and a useful way to turn a small pumpkin into four generous bowls.
Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes | Total: 45 minutes | Serves: 4
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus a little to finish
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 800 g peeled and deseeded pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 cans white beans (400 g each), drained and rinsed; about 480 g drained total
- 900 ml vegetable stock, plus extra as needed
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp fine salt, or to taste, and black pepper
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds and 4 slices toasted bread, to serve
How to make it
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6–8 minutes until soft. Add the garlic and thyme and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the pumpkin, stock and most of the beans, reserving about 4 tablespoons for serving. Bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the pumpkin crushes easily with a fork.
- Take the pan off the heat. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth, keeping the blade submerged to avoid splashes. Add extra stock a little at a time if the soup is thicker than you like.
- Return to low heat and stir in the reserved beans. Warm through, then add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Taste before adding more salt, especially if your stock is already seasoned.
- Divide between bowls. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds, finish with a few drops of olive oil and serve with toast.
Tips and variations
Choose a culinary pumpkin with dense flesh rather than a watery carving pumpkin. If the soup tastes flat, try another small squeeze of lemon before adding more salt. For a spiced variation, cook 1 teaspoon of ground cumin with the garlic. The beans provide body, so cream is optional rather than necessary.