Roasted Pumpkin + Carrot Soup with Pesto
What's great about it
This is a soup that I regularly make when the weather gets a little colder outside. The recipe is from my #1 bestselling cookbook Purely Delicious. The roasting intensifies the delicious flavour, allowing a delicate sweetness that comes through the finished dish. I vary how I serve my soup depending on what I feel like at the time or what I have in the fridge. One of my favourite toppings is a green goddess pesto made from coriander, garlic, lime and pumpkin seed that allows for that extra flavour punch and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 kg Jap pumpkin
500 g organic carrots
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Generous pinch of sea salt
1 litre water + extra if needed
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
1 teaspoon fresh grated turmeric
You can also use 1 teaspoon Healthy Chef Turmeric Latte
Method
PREHEAT your oven to 180°C.
PEEL and chop pumpkin into small chunks and place onto a lined baking tray.
WASH carrots and chop roughly with the skin. Place onto a separate lined baking tray.
DRIZZLE the olive oil between the 2 trays.
SEASON each tray with sea salt.
MIX the oil and seasoning with your fingers through the vegetables.
ROAST for 45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through and caramelised.
COMBINE pumpkin and carrot into a high-performance blender like a Vitamix.
ADD the water and ginger and turmeric if using.
BLEND until smooth.
ADD another cup of water to adjust consistency if required.
SERVE hot soup with your choice of serving suggestions and feel the nourishment.
Notes and Inspiration
To make the green goddess pesto:
Combine the 2 bunches of coriander, 1 clove garlic, juice of ½ lime, a handful of pumpkin seeds and a little salt and pepper into a food processor or high-performance blender like a Vitamix. Process for about 30 seconds or until the mixture is finely chopped. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and mix through. Keeps in the fridge for about 1 week.
For a creamy soup, you can also serve with a light drizzle of coconut cream or organic natural yoghurt.