This creamy pumpkin/squash and carrot soup "pond" recipe uses butternut squash or pumpkin for a delicious, thick & creamy vegetarian soup (vegan with the use of vegan creme fraiche) worthy of being a table centerpiece.
Prepare your squash* and carrots by chopping into large 1"-ish pieces.
Lay the carrot and squash pieces in a single layer over two large baking sheets. Brush them ( or drizzle) with rosemary-infused olive oil and maple syrup then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes, or till tender. For a slightly more caramelised finish then I suggest turning the vegetables halfway through and drizzling with a little more oil.
Once baked, leave to cool slightly and then add to a high-speed blender along with half the water. Blend until you have a creamy puree consistency.
Add the rest of the ingredients and blend some more, to thoroughly combine. Note - If you'd prefer, you could use vegetable stock in place of water.
Your Serving Options:
I decided to make a carrot soup 'pond' for this soup. I also used pumpkins and squash in various sizes as serving bowls.
If you haven't already seen it, I have a pumpkin soup recipe using a similar method though. So, If you want to know exactly how to prepare and roast mini pumpkin 'bowls' for your soup, you can read my Turmeric & Ginger spiced Pumpkin soup recipe post.
When ready to serve, I like to drizzle my soup with some homemade carrot top pesto. ** You can also add some chilli hair to garnish, optionally. Chilli hair is simply thinly sliced and dehydrated chilli peppers.
You can also garnish with edible flowers and nigella seeds or croutons, for texture. I served this soup along with some homemade autumn leaves crackers, which act as a crouton/ can be dipped in the soup.
Video
Notes
* As I've mentioned above- this recipe works well with a variety of different squash vegetables, including pumpkin. For this particular recipe, I was making a table centre-piece so used the squash I had on hand. That's the tromboncino squash. Tromboncino squash is an interesting squash for various reasons. For one thing, the taste and texture of the squash vary hugely depending on when it's harvested. I'm using it in its winter squash form when the taste is similar to butternut squash. However, as a younger, green summer squash, it apparently tastes more like a sweeter zucchini ( I haven't tested it myself).** When making this recipe, I suggest buying carrots with the greens attached and then you can make the pesto while the veggies are roasting although this is, of course, an optional step. Note* For a delicious 'cheesy' flavour you can also add some nutritional yeast. Either add it directly into the soup when blending or sprinkle some on top.