The fall weather in Vancouver this year has been amazing; it’s been sunny, bright and crisp. It’s perfect soup weather. Of course you can enjoy soup on a cold rainy day too. This is a spicy Sriracha pumpkin soup with crispy halloumi croutons. Pumpkin is a little sweet, so a pinch of spice really enhances the pumpkin flavour. Soups are so easy to make and great way to get more veggies into your diet. I love the creamy luscious texture of this soup. There’s no dairy in it; the creamy texture comes from the pumpkin itself, so you can enjoy it if you’re on a vegan diet too, just skip the cheese garnish.

Pumpkins are in season right now, so I thought I’d make a pumpkin soup. It seems like many people have tried butternut squash soup, but not as many people have tried pumpkin soup. Approximately 35% of my Instagram followers haven’t had pumpkin soup before, so for those of you who haven’t tried it, I want you to know that pumpkin is really delicious. They sell small baking pumpkins for pumpkin pie at the grocery stores this time of year. They are more tender than the bigger pumpkins, but you can cook with the bigger ones too.

My mom makes this fabulous side dish with sautéed pumpkin, garlic, oregano, spicy red pepper and chunks of robust white bread. It’s a typical southern Italian (Calabrian) dish. It’s really good. The favour profile for this soup was inspired by that dish. I would serve the soup with some nice crusty white bread. I like the idea of pairing this sweet and spicy soup with something salty like the halloumi cheese, but you could also serve it with any cheese toast. I’m thinking melted Asiago or Parmesan on ciabatta would be an awesome accompaniment. I’m making myself hungry.

Enjoy!

Print
Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Course: Soup
Servings: 3
Ingredients
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 3 cloves of garlic, sliced fine
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 3 cups peeled and chopped pumpkin (or butternut squash)
  • 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
  • 1/2 tsp more salt if needed
  • 1/2 tsp Sriracha sauce (or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper)
Instructions

  1. In a medium sized soup pot, add olive oil and chopped onion. Sauté on low heat just until slightly softened. 

  2. Add garlic and dry spices. Stir.

  3. Add peeled and chopped pumpkin. (You can easily peel the pumpkin with a y-shaped vegetable peeler). Stir for a couple of minutes. 

  4. Add stock and stir.

  5. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

  6. Allow the soup to cool a little before putting it in the blender.

  7. Blend until smooth. Return to the pot for a couple of minutes on low heat. 

  8. Garnish with Sriracha and serve.