Alice Springs Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup
A warming, spiced soup made from roasted pumpkin and tender chickpeas, designed for crisp Red Centre desert winter nights.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 285 kcal
Equipment
- •Baking tray
- •Large saucepan
- •Stick blender
- •Chef knife
- •Chopping board
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 285 kcal
- fat
- 8 g
- carbs
- 44 g
- fibre
- 10 g
- protein
- 9 g
- calories
- 285 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C.
- 2
Spread pumpkin chunks on a baking tray and toss with one tablespoon of olive oil.
- 3
Roast for twenty-five minutes until edges caramelise and flesh turns tender.
- 4
Heat remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
- 5
Add chopped onion and cook for five minutes until soft and translucent.
- 6
Stir in garlic, cumin, ground coriander, and turmeric until fragrant, about one minute.
- 7
Tip the roasted pumpkin, rinsed chickpeas, and vegetable stock into the saucepan.
- 8
Bring liquid to a gentle boil, then simmer uncovered for ten minutes.
- 9
Blend half of the soup using a stick blender to leave pleasant texture.
- 10
Season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
- 11
Ladle hot soup into bowls and scatter with fresh coriander leaves.
Chef's tips
Roasting the pumpkin before simmering concentrates natural sugars and deepens flavour. Partial blending creates a velvety base while leaving whole chickpeas for hearty texture. If your stock is quite salty, reduce added salt accordingly.
Ingredient substitutions
- Kent pumpkin → butternut pumpkin or grey Queensland pumpkin
- fresh coriander → chopped flat-leaf parsley or toasted pumpkin seeds
Storage
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days or freeze for up to three months.
Reheating
Reheat gently in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water if thickened.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the raw pumpkin directly instead of roasting, which loses rich roasted sweetness.
- •Over-blending into a baby food puree rather than preserving some whole chickpeas for bite.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Alice Springs Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup?
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