This soup is very simple to make and the basic pairing of pumpkin and apple can be changed out easily to another type of winter squash and pear.
Ingredients
1sugar pumpkinor small pumpkin
1tspcinnamon
1/2tspnutmeg
1/2tspall-spice
1pinchground cloves
2TBSolive oil
1onionchopped
1quartchicken broth
1applepeeled, cored, and chopped
2cupswater
1/2tsppaprika
1/4cupmaple syrup
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut pumpkin in half and remove seeds from inner cavity of both halves.
Place de-seeded pumpkin halves face up on baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, and cloves and lather pumpkin meat with 1 TBS olive oil.
Turn pumpkin halves face down and bake in oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 1/2 hour until fork can easily penetrate through outer skin. At this point, remove pumpkin from oven and let cool slightly.
While pumpkin in baking in oven, heat remaining 1 TBS olive oil in large soup pot on medium heat and caramelize onion in heated oil until onion is soft and translucent.
Add chicken broth, water, and chopped apples to pot. When pumpkin is cooled, remove soft pumpkin meat with large spoon or ice cream scooper and add to pot. Increase heat on stove to high and bring soup to boil, then lower heat to simmer.
Simmer soup until apples are soft, then use immersion blender in pot to blend soup or let soup cool slightly and pour into blender to blend soup to smooth consistency.
Add maple syrup and return to heat and mix until incorporated.
Serve soup on its own or with a teaspoon of roasted pumpkin seeds as garnish in center and a sprinkle of paprika over surface of soup.