This easy pumpkin soup by Mary Berry is a creamy, comforting dish perfect for chilly days. It’s quick to prepare and uses simple ingredients like onion, potato, and pumpkin. You can easily adjust the seasoning or use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. Topped with crispy toasted pumpkin seeds, it’s a delightful meal!
Ingredients Needed
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium pumpkin (prepared weight about 850g/1lb 14oz), deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 medium-sized floury potato (such as Maris Piper), roughly chopped
- 1 litre/1¾ pint vegetable or chicken stock (about 4 cups, a little extra may be needed)
- 100ml/3½ fl oz double cream (about ⅓ cup)
- 3 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
How To Make Pumpkin Soup
- Cook Vegetables: Put the onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, butter, and half the olive oil into a large pan. Cook over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but not colored.
- Add Pumpkin and Potato: Add the pumpkin and potato, mix to combine, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Pour in the stock, season well with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, half-cover the pan with a lid, and continue to cook for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender when tested with the point of a knife.
- Blend Soup: Pick out the bay leaf and blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender.
- Add Cream: Add the cream and a little more stock if the soup is on the thick side. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as required.
- Toast Pumpkin Seeds: Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the pumpkin seeds, and fry quickly until the seeds start to pop. Remove from the pan.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a swirl of cream and the toasted pumpkin seeds.
Recipe Tips
- Choose the Right Pumpkin: For the best flavor, use a sugar pumpkin or a pie pumpkin, as they are sweeter and creamier than larger carving pumpkins.
- Cut Vegetables Evenly: Chop the onion, carrots, and potato into similar sizes to ensure they cook evenly and blend smoothly into the soup.
- Don’t Skip the Bay Leaf: Adding a bay leaf while cooking enhances the soup’s flavor. Remember to remove it before blending.
- Adjust Thickness: If the soup is too thick after blending, gradually add more stock until you reach your desired consistency.
- Toast Pumpkin Seeds Properly: Fry the pumpkin seeds until they start to pop for extra crunch and flavor. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly!
How To Store And Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: First, let the leftover Pumpkin Soup cool until it reaches room temperature. Then, transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: To freeze the soup, let it cool completely and then pour it into freezer-safe containers. Pumpkin Soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. To thaw, place the container in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Reheat: Pour the Pumpkin Soup into a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the soup is hot, which should take about 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (240ml)
- Calories: 158
- Total Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 15mg
- Sodium: 610mg
- Potassium: 431mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 22g
- Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Sugars: 3g
- Protein: 4g
Try More Mary Berry Recipes
- Mary Berry Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Mary Berry Vegetarian Quiche
- Mary Berry Coconut And Lime Cake
- Mary Berry Plum And Almond Cake
Mary Berry Pumpkin Soup
Description
This easy pumpkin soup by Mary Berry is a creamy, comforting dish perfect for chilly days. It’s quick to prepare and uses simple ingredients like onion, potato, and pumpkin. You can easily adjust the seasoning or use vegetable stock for a vegetarian version. Topped with crispy toasted pumpkin seeds, it’s a delightful meal!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook Vegetables: Put the onion, carrots, garlic, bay leaf, butter, and half the olive oil into a large pan. Cook over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender but not colored.
- Add Pumpkin and Potato: Add the pumpkin and potato, mix to combine, and cook for a further 2–3 minutes.
- Add Stock and Simmer: Pour in the stock, season well with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, half-cover the pan with a lid, and continue to cook for about 40 minutes until the squash is tender when tested with the point of a knife.
- Blend Soup: Pick out the bay leaf and blend the soup until smooth using a stick blender.
- Add Cream: Add the cream and a little more stock if the soup is on the thick side. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as required.
- Toast Pumpkin Seeds: Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add the pumpkin seeds, and fry quickly until the seeds start to pop. Remove from the pan.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a swirl of cream and the toasted pumpkin seeds.
Notes
- Choose the Right Pumpkin: For the best flavor, use a sugar pumpkin or a pie pumpkin, as they are sweeter and creamier than larger carving pumpkins.
- Cut Vegetables Evenly: Chop the onion, carrots, and potato into similar sizes to ensure they cook evenly and blend smoothly into the soup.
- Don’t Skip the Bay Leaf: Adding a bay leaf while cooking enhances the soup’s flavor. Remember to remove it before blending.
- Adjust Thickness: If the soup is too thick after blending, gradually add more stock until you reach your desired consistency.
- Toast Pumpkin Seeds Properly: Fry the pumpkin seeds until they start to pop for extra crunch and flavor. Keep an eye on them, as they can burn quickly!
Mary Berry Pumpkin Soup