Caribbean Pumpkin Soup

Recipe

Vegan & Gluten-Free

Serves: 6

 

Growing up in the Turks and Caicos Islands we loved when our friends and neighbors made us pumpkin and dumpling soup using local pumpkin.

This recipe is our healthy interpretation of that nostalgic soul-warming soup that we loved so much. While some of these ingredients may not be available to you year-round, if you have a local variety of squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes that you can get from your local farmer’s market, they’ll work just as nicely in your soup.

We’re big fans of making things from scratch, so in this recipe, you’ll notice that we’re even making our soup base from scratch. This maximizes the nutrition and flavor of the vegetables and allows you to control your sodium levels versus buying pre-made vegetable broth from the grocery store. From scratch always wins!

Caribbean Pumpkin

Vegetable Broth Ingredients:

3 carrots

3 celery stalks

2-3 small onions

2 garlic cloves

1 small yucca

4 okra pods

1/2 small cabbage

1/2 cup chopped parsley

2 sprigs thyme

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

10 cups water

Baked Ingredients:

1 small calabaza pumpkin

1 yellow yam

2 potatoes

1 small batata

Salt & pepper

Olive Oil

Other Ingredients:

1 handful cilantro

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp (or more) your favorite hot sauce (we like a scotch bonnet based sauce with hints of papaya and carrot)

Method:

Vegetable Soup

  1. Dice okra, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic. Fine chop parsley. Peel and coarsely chop yucca. Coarsely chop cabbage.

  2. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables, 2 sprigs of thyme, 1 bay leaf, and salt & pepper.

  3. Stir occasionally, cook until onions are translucent (about 5 mins). Add water and cook at a gentle simmer for 30 minutes while you bake your other ingredients.

Baked Ingredients

  1. Preheat oven 400F. Line two baking trays with parchment paper or grease lightly with olive oil.

  2. Peel and coarsely chop all the vegetables, discarding any pumpkin seeds.

  3. In a bowl combine pumpkin with a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. Spread on a baking tray.

  4. Add the remaining vegetables to the bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on the baking trays.

  5. Bake the vegetables for approx 20-25 mins or until soft and lightly golden.

  6. Add the vegetables to the simmering broth and stir. Remove from heat.

  7. Scoop out 3-4 cups of soup and blend until smooth. Add back to the pot and stir.

  8. Finish with lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, and cilantro. Adjust seasoning to your taste.