This Pumpkin Potato Soup Will Keep You Warm All Winter

Forget hot water bottles, people have been making soups and broths to fight the winter frost since humans worked out that fire made things hot. Follow the ways of your elders and the boil the best winter vegetables into a pumpkin and potato soup to keep yourself warm this winter. 

Pumpkin and Potato Soup

• Prep Time:40 mins
• Cook Time:15 mins
• Total Time:55 mins
• Servings:8
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 small pumpkin or other seasonal squash
• 2 medium potatoes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 250g tomato passata
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 750 ml stock
• 1 dash milk optional
• salt and pepper to taste

• Step 1

  Dice your potato and pumpkin into thumb-sized pieces and boil them in salted water for around 15 minutes or until cooked.

  

• Step 2

  While the potato and pumpkin are boiling, dice your onion and garlic very finely. Once the veg are fully cooked, drain them off and set them aside to cool in an uncovered bowl.

  

• Step 3

  Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and fry your onion for 2 minutes, then tip in the garlic. Add the passata and cook for a further minute.

  

• Step 4

  Drop in your boiled veg and top up with as much stock as you can fit in without it boiling over.

  

• Step 5

  Next, add your spices, then allow this to simmer covered for 10 more minutes. Feel free to vary the quantities of these, this is simply what I find to be best.

  

• Step 6

  Blend this all until smooth. I used a handheld blender, but you can get away with using a normal blender if it's big enough and you can get the soup in and out without spilling too much. Add your milk if you can't get it to a smooth enough consistency, but remember to heat the milk up first for a 30 seconds or so in the microwave.