A tangy sweet creamy roasted carrot and pumpkin soup with bold autumn flavours. Tofu croutons add a bit of crunch and protein to make this soup a complete meal.
Over the years, having lived in countries with much colder winters for almost a decade and a half, I’ve come to kindle an appreciation for chilly temperatures. I love the smell of baked treats coming from the oven, slow cooked aromatic stews, bold velvety soups where each spoonful tastes like a little bundle of love and not forgetting the warm spicy curries on a bed of fragrant cardamom rice. Well, hearty food made with love is what eases the chilly months ahead, as the temperature drops.
If you are in need of soup just as much as we are over here in the Lovlie cocoon, here’s a hot bowl of silky pumpkin soup – a tasty main-meal soup which is nice served with a slice of bread or why not some sweet potato roti. This soup will feed and warm up six hungry people. If you are not feeding that many, the soup will freeze well for a handy make-ahead meal and can be reheated in a pan whenever needed.
Watch Episode #3 of Spontaneous Cooking for the Soul
This series of videos is geared towards a more unplanned cooking and recipes that we cook on a daily basis. If you’ve watched episodes 1 and 2 then you already have a sense of this series.
Today, Kevin’s cooking. 🙂
Roasted Carrot & Pumpkin Soup with Tofu Croutons
Ingredients (serve 6)
Pumpkin Soup
1 kg pumpkin, cut into large cubes
2 – 3 carrots (about 250 g), cut into 10-cm [3-inch] pieces
3 – 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 cup [200g] cooked rice (equals to about 1/3 cup uncooked)
1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder or 1 cube (or use vegetable stock instead of water)
1 tablespoon minced ginger (make your own at home)
3 – 4 cups water
1/2 cup canned coconut milk
Juice from 1 – 2 sweet oranges*
2 teaspoons sugar (or maple syrup / other sweetener), adjust quantity to taste
4 – 5 stems curled parsley, finely chopped
Other dried herbs (thyme, herbes de Provence…) if desired, optional
Salt and pepper to taste
Tofu Croutons
150 g firm tofu, cut into 1-cm [1/2-inch] thick slices
Pinch sweet paprika
1 tablespoon coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Note:
*If you don’t like your soup too tangy, use just one orange or a couple tablespoons or omit the orange completely. If your soup turns out too tangy, you can balance it out with a little sugar or maple syrup.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180°C [350°F]. Place pumpkin pieces and carrots in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with about 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the ground cumin and a little salt. Toss and mix.
Transfer the pumpkin and carrot onto a baking tray (lined with parchment paper). Disperse the garlic cloves around on the tray. Bake for one hour.
Make the tofu croutons:
Heat a skillet on medium-high temperature.
Add one tablespoon coconut oil. Place tofu slices into the skillet. Fry until crispy on one side (about 7 – 10 minutes). Turn and fry until crispy on the other side. Remove from the pan and place on some absorbent paper.
Let the tofu cool a little. Then, cut the slices into cubes (crouton-size).
Place the tofu cubes back into the skillet. Add a pinch of paprika, salt and pepper and pan-fry dry without adding any more oil for a few more minutes until tofu is crispy and somewhat dry. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Make the soup:
In a large pot, add one tablespoon coconut oil.
Add the minced ginger. Roast for a couple minutes.
Next add the cooked rice and sauté for about 1 minute.
Add the vegetable bouillon powder/cube followed by 2 cups of water or broth. Stir and then cover. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Check on the pumpkin and carrot with a fork. If cooked, remove from the oven and add to the pot. (Don’t add the garlic as we want just a hint of the aroma that has been infused in the vegetables while roasting).
Add 1 – 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée with a handheld immersion blender or place in a blender and process in small batches at a time until smooth.
Add the coconut milk and orange juice. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped curled parsley.
Place the soup into individual serving bowls and top with the tofu croutons. Garnish with some more chopped parsley if desired.
Roasted Carrot Pumpkin Soup with Tofu Croutons
Ingredients
Pumpkin Soup
- 1 kg pumpkin, cut into large cubes
- 250 g carrots, [about 2 - 3], cut into 10-cm [3-inch] pieces
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 200 g cooked rice, [1 1/2 cup], equals to about 1/3 cup uncooked
- 1 teaspoon vegetable bouillon powder, or 1 cube (or use vegetable stock instead of water)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger, make your own at home, **see notes
- 0.75 - 1 litre water, [3 - 4 cups]
- 120 ml canned coconut milk, [1/2 cup]
- Juice from 1 – 2 sweet oranges, *see notes
- 2 teaspoons sugar, or maple syrup / other sweetener, adjust quantity to taste
- 4 - 5 stems curled parsley, finely chopped
- Other dried herbs, thyme, herbes de Provence… if desired, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
Tofu Croutons
- 150 g firm tofu, cut into 1-cm [1/2-inch] thick slices
- Pinch sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C [350°F]. Place pumpkin pieces and carrots in a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with about 1 – 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the ground cumin and a little salt. Toss and mix.
- Transfer the pumpkin and carrot onto a baking tray (lined with parchment paper). Disperse the garlic cloves around on the tray. Bake for one hour.
Make the tofu croutons
- Heat a skillet on medium-high temperature.
- Add one tablespoon coconut oil. Place tofu slices into the skillet. Fry until crispy on one side (about 7 – 10 minutes). Turn and fry until crispy on the other side. Remove from the pan and place on some absorbent paper.
- Let the tofu cool a little. Then, cut the slices into cubes (crouton-size).
- Place the tofu cubes back into the skillet. Add a pinch of paprika, salt and pepper and pan-fry dry without adding any more oil for a few more minutes until tofu is crispy and somewhat dry. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Make the soup
- In a large pot, add one tablespoon coconut oil.
- Add the minced ginger. Roast for a couple minutes.
- Next add the cooked rice and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add the vegetable bouillon powder/cube followed by 2 cups of water or broth. Stir and then cover. Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- Check on the pumpkin and carrot with a fork. If cooked, remove from the oven and add to the pot. (Don’t add the garlic as we want just a hint of the aroma that has been infused in the vegetables while roasting).
- Add 1 – 2 cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and purée with a handheld immersion blender or place in a blender and process in small batches at a time until smooth.
- Add the coconut milk and orange juice. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the chopped curled parsley.
- Place the soup into individual serving bowls and top with the tofu croutons. Garnish with some more chopped parsley if desired.
Video
Notes
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great and delicious recipes!! thank you!