Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Turnips & Pepitas

October has been a whirlwind of a month! In the last three weeks I traveled to New York and back and planned/cooked all of the meals for a wellness retreat in the Texas Hill Country. I’ll be devoting separate posts to each of those events because it’s way too much to share in a single post (plus I haven’t had the chance to even begin editing photos from either).

In the midst of all of planning and prep for the retreat, I managed to whip up an incredibly delicious soup inspired by local, seasonal produce. It was one of those recipes that came together as I went, completely born out of what I saw hanging out in my fridge. Since it was so tasty, hearty, and soul-warming, I took a few minutes to shoot some photos before I left last week. And, since today is apparently national pumpkin day, I figured it would be the perfect way to celebrate my love of this humble squash.

In both yoga and in the kitchen, I’m all about modifying based on what you have and need. So, with that in mind, feel free to sub in another seasonal root veggie for the turnips or another squash puree for the pumpkin. Perhaps you use thyme instead of sage. Or pecans instead of pepitas. Make it work for you. As long as you go about it mindfully, it will be delicious and nourishing. So without further ado, I’ll share with you my version of this lovely fall-inspired soup. Oh! I almost forgot! It tastes infinitely better if you watch Hocus Pocus while you eat it 😉

Pumpkin Soup with Roasted Turnips & Pepitas

soup

1 small red onion, sliced
2 tbsp coconut oil
salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
6-7 fresh sage leaves, chopped
1 heaped cup of pumpkin puree
2 1/2 cups veggie stock
1 tbsp miso paste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast

turnips

1/2 tbsp melted coconut oil or olive oil
1 bunch of turnips, scrubbed and sliced into wedges
salt/pepper to taste
large handful of raw pepitas

to serve

rice or any other grain you like

Soup: Add the coconut oil to a dutch oven or large stock pot and set the heat to medium. Once the pot has heated, add the onion and cook until it softens a bit. Add a pinch of salt/pepper, the apple cider vinegar, the sage, and cook until the onion starts to caramelize and turn golden. Add the pumpkin, a pinch more of salt/pepper, and cook a few minutes until the mixture starts to bubble. Add the vegetable stock, miso, and nutritional yeast to the mixture, then remove the pot from the heat. Using an immersion blender or working carefully in two batches in a standard blender, blend the soup to your desired consistency (I prefer mine on the smoother side). If you feel like your soup is too thick, you can add more veggie stock. Place the soup back on the heat and cook it on low for an additional 10 minutes. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Makes about 1 quart of soup or 4-6 servings.

Turnips: Drizzle the turnips with the olive oil and a sprinkle of salt/pepper. Roast the turnips at 400 degrees until they are just starting to turn golden on the edges and have softened. Toss the pepitas with the turnips for the last 3-5 minutes of roasting time.

To Serve: Add scoop of steamed rice to a bowl, then ladle in the soup. Top with the roasted turnip & pepita mixture and a sprinkle of smoked sea salt if you like.