SERVES 6
PREP TIME: 15 MINS
COOK TIME: 30 MINS
2 tablespoons light olive oil or vegetable oil
2 medium white onions, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 stick celery, chopped
1kg pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
6 fresh sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon
dried sage
1 medium red chilli, deseeded and chopped (or 2 if you like a little extra heat), or 1⁄2 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
400g tin butter or cannellini beans, drained
1.4 litres vegetable stock
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
My mum loved pumpkins; she and Dad grew them every year. I love the combination of pumpkin with a hint of chilli heat. Use more or less chilli, depending on how hot you like it.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then add the onions, garlic, carrot and celery and sauté for a couple of minutes. Next, add the chopped pumpkin, sage, chilli, sweet potato and butter beans and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
Add the vegetable stock, stir and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 20 minutes, or until all the vegetables and beans have softened and cooked through.
Allow to cool slightly before whizzing with a stick blender in the pan. (If blending in a food processor, let the soup cool slightly, then ladle in small amounts and blend a bit at a time.)
To serve, sprinkle a few toasted pumpkin seeds on top of each bowl of soup and drizzle with a little extra Virgin Olive Oil.