Name: Pumpkin Soup with Sage and Challah Croutons
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 15 min
Total time: 2 h 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 sugar pumpkins; 3 red peppers; 1 yellow onion, chopped; 6 cloves of garlic, minced; 20 sage leaves; 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed; 6-8 Tbsp olive oil; 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth; 4 cups water; 1 tsp of maple syrup; 1 tsp cayenne pepper; salt and pepper; 1 Tbsp minced garlic; 1 tsp dried sage; leftover challah, cut into cubes

Ingredients

Units Scale

2 sugar pumpkins
3 red peppers
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves of garlic, minced
20 sage leaves
2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed
6–8 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 cups water
1 tsp of maple syrup
1 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp dried sage
leftover challah, cut into cubes

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Instructions

Split the pumpkins in half, rub inside with 4 Tbsp olive oil and the maple syrup. Place 16 sage leaves inside and roast on a baking sheet at 375°F for 1½ hours until inside of pumpkin is tender.
When there is 30 minutes left, place the whole red peppers in the oven. Peppers should roast until the skin is crisp and a little black.
Once the pumpkin is out of the oven, discard the sage. Place the roasted red peppers in a paper bag. After the peppers have cooled, peel the skin, remove seeds and cut into pieces.
Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin using a large spoon. Discard the skin.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a large pot. Add the onions and cook until translucent.
Add potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the roasted red pepper, the pumpkin flesh, and the remaining sage leaves. Sauté all veggies for another 5 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
Add the liquid and bring to a boil. Once boiled turn down to low and let simmer for 20 minutes.
Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can puree in batches in a food processor or regular blender.
Spread the challah cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with dried sage and minced garlic.
Bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until golden and crispy. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool.
Serve soup with challah croutons and sage as garnish, if desired.

Notes

I prefer to roast the red peppers the day before making the soup. The skin comes off more easily with plenty of time for cooling.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
Category: Appetizer
Method: Soup
Cuisine: American