This quick pumpkin soup skips the roasting tray. Butternut squash or pumpkin is cut small and simmered in stock with onion, garlic and a pinch of nutmeg until tender in about 12 minutes, then blended smooth and finished with cream. Thirty minutes and one pan, in time for Halloween week.
Why this works
Small chunks of squash soften in about 12 minutes of simmering, where big pieces or a roasting tray take 40 or more. Using only enough stock to cover keeps the soup thick once it's blended.
The cream goes in after blending and never boils, so it stays smooth. A pinch of nutmeg brings out the sweetness of the squash without tasting of spice.
Key ingredients
- Butternut squash. Sweeter and smoother than most pumpkins, and in the shops all autumn. Ready cut chunks save about 5 minutes.
- Vegetable stock. It carries most of the seasoning, so taste the soup before adding salt.
- Double cream. Stirred in at the end for a silky soup, with a little kept back to swirl on top.
- Nutmeg. A pinch, freshly grated if you have a whole one.
Amounts for 2 to 12 people are in the recipe card below, in grams or cups.
Method
- 01
Soften the onion
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and let it soften while you prepare the squash, stirring now and then.
- 02
Peel and chop the squash
Cut the squash in two where the neck meets the round end, so each piece sits flat. Peel both with the Y peeler, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into 2 cm chunks. Stir the garlic into the onion for 1 minute.
Y Peeler with Beech Handle - 03
Simmer
Add the squash, nutmeg and hot stock, which should almost cover the chunks. Bring to the boil, part cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides through the squash.
- 04
Blend
Take the pan off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. In a jug blender, fill it no more than halfway and hold the lid down with a folded tea towel.
- 05
Finish with cream
Stir in most of the cream over a low heat and warm through without boiling. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with a swirl of the remaining cream, a few pea shoots and a grind of pepper.
What to serve it with
Crusty bread or cheese on toast, or serve it in mugs on Halloween night. For more pumpkin, make the creamy pumpkin and sage orzo.
Storing and reheating
- Fridge
- Cool quickly, cover and keep for up to 2 days.
- Freezer
- Freeze before the cream goes in, for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat
- In a pan over a medium heat, stirring, until piping hot. Add the cream at the end.
Questions
Yes, but carving pumpkins are watery and mild. Use a little less stock and season well, or make up half the weight with butternut squash for more flavour.
Yes. Two tins of pumpkin pur茅e replace the fresh squash; simmer them with the softened onion and the stock for 5 minutes, then blend.
For a smooth soup, yes. The skin doesn't blend down and leaves tough flecks. A Y peeler takes it off in a few minutes.
Yes, for up to 3 months. Freeze it before the cream goes in, then stir the cream through as it reheats.
Recipe
Quick pumpkin soup in 30 minutes
Butternut squash or pumpkin simmered in stock with onion and nutmeg, blended smooth and finished with a swirl of cream. By Maya Brooks.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
- 01Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium low heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and let it soften while you prepare the squash, stirring now and then.
- 02Cut the squash in two where the neck meets the round end, so each piece sits flat. Peel both with the Y peeler, scoop out the seeds and cut the flesh into 2 cm chunks. Stir the garlic into the onion for 1 minute.
- 03Add the squash, nutmeg and hot stock, which should almost cover the chunks. Bring to the boil, part cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides through the squash.
- 04Take the pan off the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth. In a jug blender, fill it no more than halfway and hold the lid down with a folded tea towel.
- 05Stir in most of the cream over a low heat and warm through without boiling. Season with salt and pepper, then serve with a swirl of the remaining cream, a few pea shoots and a grind of pepper.
