I invented this soup back in the day when I was studying my bachelor’s degree part-time and working as a naturopath. For anyone that has studied and worked, having spare time is a luxury. So, on this particular day I decided to throw all of my ingredients into the oven, bake and then blend.
To my surprise, it tasted creamier and tastier than any pumpkin and sweet potato soup I had eaten prior. I found that roasting the veggies in this way brings out the sweetness more and I only ever cook it this way now.
Many of my recipes have been written for the time poor amongst us and this is no different. With this in mind, I often don’t even measure the ingredients in this recipe and throw in what I have. It still tastes wonderful.
Let’s not forget the health benefits of this tasty soup.
Both sweet potato and pumpkins with their rich orange colour being a giveaway are rich in beta carotene. Beta carotene is then processed by your body into a powerful antioxidant called vitamin A.
Vitamin A is a very important vitamin for health. Your immune system is dependent on Vitamin A to work optimally, and it is also needed for healthy, calm & happy skin, good eyesight especially at night, reproduction, adrenal function meaning mood, the stability of each cell in your body and healthy mucus and secretions.
Other nutrients provided by our beloved pumpkin and sweet potato include vitamin C, folate, Vitamin E and Potassium, perfect for keeping blood pressure healthy. High in fibre, they also feed your precious gut microbiome, make sure you are excreting unwanted toxins and keep you nourished and feeling full, so you don’t snack unnecessarily.
Let’s not forget our nutrient rich onions and garlic.
Garlic has been used medicinally for thousands of years, and I use it regularly in my immune protocols when someone has an infection because bacteria, viruses and parasites hate it!
In addition to garlics antimicrobial actions, it is a superfood for health in my opinion with hundreds of scientific studies backing up its ability to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of blood clots and manifestations of cardiovascular disease (CVD) such as atherosclerosis, high blood pressure and more.
Garlic and onions also contain important sulphur compounds. Sulphur is needed to produce Glutathione which is your body’s main antioxidant and plays a key role in your liver for healthy detoxification. With all the toxins in our modern world, eating garlic and onions is something I do most days.
I use an organic, quality vegetable stock from urban forager, however if you have the time to make your own veggie stock then that is perfect.
This soup will also keep nicely in the refrigerator for 3 days and whilst I am not a fan of freezing soups, you can keep it in the freezer for a few months.
So, let’s get baking shall we.
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut pumpkin
- 1 large, sweet potato
- 2 onions cut in quarters
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 cup cold pressed olive oil
- 3 cups of vegetable stock
- Pepper
Instructions
Pre heat fan forced oven to 180 degrees C
Chop skin off pumpkin, sweet potato, onions, and garlic.
Chop the pumpkin and sweet potato into medium sized chunks.
Keep the garlic cloves whole and cut the onions in quarters.
Mix all ingredients, except the stock in a bowl with the olive oil so they are covered and season with pepper.
Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Place all the veggies on the baking tray, laying the pumpkin and sweet potato on top of the garlic and onion as best you can as they can cook more quickly. I try and hide them if you like.
Roast in the oven for 75mins or so depending on your oven. The veggies need to be soft, tender and you can see a brown roasting colour, meaning they are a little caramelized which makes them very tasty.
Now, remove your tray from the oven and transfer to a large saucepan.
Add the vegetable stock to the saucepan and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
Cool a little and transfer to blender and blend.
Soup done.
It is always enticing to serve with a nice crunchy bread roll, but we avoid this in our family as its never great to have too many carbohydrates all at once. I prefer to have a small piece of protein on the side or a side salad with avocado as the good fat. This is because protein and fats turn a high carb, high GI meal into a low GI meal which is ideal for managing blood sugar levels and weight.
