Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Bacon and Thyme

Steps to make

1. 1

   Preheat oven

   Preheat the oven to 400 °F.

2. 2

   Roast pumpkin

   30 min
   

   Rub the pumpkin halves with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt. Place cut side down on a large baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes or until fork-tender. Once roasted, remove from the oven and leave to cool.

4. 3

   Scoop out flesh

   2 min
   

   Once cool enough to handle, use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin flesh and set aside.

5. 4

   Roast bacon

   12 min
   

   In a small bowl, mix 1 tablespoon honey and ¾ teaspoon thyme leaves. Arrange 4 ounces bacon on a baking sheet and brush with the prepared honey-thyme mixture. Roast until crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Then chop and set aside.

6. 5

   Cook onion, garlic, and spices

   5 min
   

   In a large pot over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and add 1 chopped white onion, 1 minced clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon thyme, ¼ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.

7. 6

   Add pumpkin and broth

   25 min
   

   Add in the roasted pumpkin and 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth and stir. Season with salt to taste and bring to a boil. Once starting to boil, turn down to a simmer and simmer for 20 minutes.

8. 7

   Add heavy cream

   10 min
   

   Stir in ½ cup heavy whipping cream and remove from heat. Allow to cool for 10 minutes.

9. 8

   Purée soup

   2 min
   

   Use an immersion blender to purée the soup until smooth. Add more water or vegetable broth to thin the soup if necessary. Warm the soup up on the stove before serving.

10. 9

    Serve

    

    Serve in bowls garnished with bacon and roasted pumpkin seeds if you wish, and enjoy!