Roasted Pumpkin-Cardamom Soup with Pepitas & Lime Crema

Directions

1. Heat the oven and portion the pumpkin safely

   Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Set each pumpkin half cut-side down on a stable board and cut it into three wedges; leave the skin on so the firm squash is easier to handle. Rub the cut surfaces with 1 tablespoon oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2. Roast until spoon-tender

   Arrange the wedges cut-side down and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once after 25 minutes, until browned at the edges and a spoon slides easily through the flesh. Cool for 5 minutes, then scoop 4 packed cups of flesh from the skin. Do not use any hard or fibrous stem end.

3. Build the aromatic soup base

   While the pumpkin roasts, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium. Add the onion, carrot and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom and cinnamon; stir for 45 seconds, just until fragrant.

4. Simmer the roasted pumpkin

   Add the scooped pumpkin, vegetable broth and maple syrup. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer and cook uncovered for 8 minutes, stirring twice, so the roasted flesh and aromatics become fully tender and the flavors combine.

5. Blend to a silky texture

   Remove the pot from the heat. Use an immersion blender with its head fully submerged and blend until completely smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. For a countertop blender, cool the soup for 10 minutes, work in small batches, remove the center cap, cover the opening with a folded towel and begin on low; never seal hot soup in the jar. Return the soup to low heat and thin with extra broth, 1/4 cup at a time, if needed.

6. Mix the crema and finish the bowls

   Whisk the yogurt with 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon cool water until pourable. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt into the hot soup, then taste before adding more salt. Toast the pepitas in a dry skillet over medium for 3 to 4 minutes, shaking often, until they pop and smell nutty. Ladle into six bowls and finish with lime crema, pepitas, cilantro or microgreens and optional red pepper flakes.

Why this works

Swaps & notes

Easy swaps

• Use peeled butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes in place of pumpkin. Roast 2 pounds of cubes in a single layer for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until browned and tender.
• For a vegan soup, replace Greek yogurt with an unsweetened plant-based yogurt that contains no vanilla or added sugar. Thin and season it with lime exactly as written.
• For a pantry shortcut, use two 15-ounce cans of plain pumpkin puree. Skip the roasting steps, add the puree with the broth and simmer for 12 minutes before blending.

Cook notes

• A sugar pumpkin or kabocha has denser, sweeter flesh than a large carving pumpkin and produces a smoother soup with less water.
• Pumpkin shape and moisture vary. Measure four packed cups of roasted flesh and adjust the final texture with broth rather than guessing from the whole squash weight alone.
• Keep the base mild and place red pepper flakes at the table. Children can have the soup with plain yogurt and pepitas omitted if seed texture is a concern.
• Hot blended soup expands rapidly. An immersion blender is the lowest-risk option; if using a countertop blender, vent the lid, cover the opening and never fill the jar more than halfway.

Storage

Cool the soup in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store the soup, crema and pepitas separately: the soup keeps up to 4 days, the crema up to 3 days and the pepitas airtight at room temperature for 1 week. Reheat only the soup over medium-low, stirring often, until it reaches 165°F; loosen with broth as needed. Freeze the soup without toppings for up to 3 months, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and blend briefly after reheating if it separates.

Questions