serves 4-6
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
One 4-pound sugar pumpkin
1 large yellow onion, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
Dash of cayenne, optional
Black pepper
4 cups (32 oz.) vegetable broth
½ cup full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
Fresh sage
Preheat oven to 425°F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds (roast them for a seasonal snack!). Slice each pumpkin half in half, will have four pieces. Brush or rub 1 tablespoon olive oil over the flesh of the pumpkin and place the quarters, cut side down, onto the baking sheet. Roast for 35 minutes, or until the orange flesh is easily pierced with a fork. Set aside to cool.
Heat the remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onion, garlic, and salt. Stir to combine and cook until onion is translucent, about 8 minutes. In the meantime, peel the pumpkin skin off pumpkins and discard the skin.
Add the pumpkin flash, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cayenne (if using), and a sprinkle of black pepper. Break up the pumpkin a bit and add vegetable broth. Bring mixture to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
While soup is cooking, toast the pepitas in a medium skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden and making little popping noises. Do not burn them!
Once soup is done cooking, stir in the coconut milk and maple syrup. Remove the soup from heat and using an immersion blender, blend the soup. You can also use a blender and blend in batches, let it cool first and be careful not to overfill. Hot contents can explode in a blender!
Ladle the soup into bowls and top with toasted pepitas and fresh sage.
TiP: Roasting Pumpkin Seeds
Pick off all the flesh bits from seeds, easiest to do this in a colander under running water.
Pat the seeds dry and toss them with a little olive oil, a sprinkle of salt, and any other
seasoning that sounds good. I like to use 1 teaspoon brown sugar and ½ teaspoon curry
powder. Toss to coat. Line a small, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and
arrange the pumpkin seeds in a single layer. Roast for 13-16 minutes, until seeds are
fragrant and toasty.