Pumpkin and red pepper soup with roasted chickpeas

With so many sweet treats around at Halloween we thought we would share one of our favourite savoury pumpkin recipes

This particular recipe uses the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin, as well as roasted chickpeas for a tasty crunchy topping. This spiced topping can work equally as well on its own for an omega and protein rich snack, try experimenting with the seasonings to personalise the flavours of this very versatile seed and legume mix.

Difficulty: Medium
Time: 1 hour(s) 10 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 189

Dairy Free
Gluten Free
No added sugar
Vegan
Vegetarian

Ingredients

For the soup

1 medium pumpkin
3 red bell peppers
1 onion
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
small piece of fresh ginger grated
3 cloves of garlic
low salt stock cube
salt and pepper

For the topping

saved pumpkin seeds from pumpkin
1 tin of cooked chickpeas
1tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
juice of half a lime
chopped fresh coriander
salt and pepper

Instructions

Step 1:

For the soup :
Preheat your oven to 200•c. Peel the pumpkin and carefully chop it in half. Remove the seeds and rinse under cold water to get rid of the stringy pumpkin bits. Pat the seeds dry and place them in a mixing bowl with plenty of salt and pepper ready to make the topping.
Chop the pumpkin into cubes and place it in a roasting pan with a little oil. Chop the red peppers in half and remove the seeds, then add these plus the garlic cloves to the roasting pan. Roast for around 35-40 minutes, checking the peppers to make sure they don’t get too crispy.

Step 2:

Once cooked remove the veg from the oven and take the roasted garlic out of the pan for the next stage. In a large saucepan heat a little oil and add the chopped onion, grated ginger, spices, and the roasted garlic (removed from their skins).
Cook this mixture until the onions become translucent, then add the rest of the veg from the roasting pan. Combine everything to fully coat in all the spices and cook for 5 minutes.
Cover in water and add the low salt stock cube. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, then using a handheld stick blender, blend the soup to a smooth consistency. Place to one side whilst you make the topping.

Step 3:

For the topping :
Drain and rinse the chickpeas then dry thoroughly. Place in a mixing bowl with a little oil and all the spices plus the juice of half a lime. Mix well and then add to a roasting pan, and roast in a pre-heated 200•c oven for 25 minutes. Check and shake the tray a few times throughout roasting to make sure they become crunchy on all sides.
Next, add the saved pumpkin seeds to the roasting tray and place them back in the oven for a further 10 minutes until all the ingredients are well cooked and crunchy.

Step 4:

Return the soup to the heat and cook through until piping hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into soup bowls and add a spoon of crème fraîche, or dairy-free alternative, plus a generous sprinkle of the chickpea and seed mixture.

Enjoy x