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Pumpkin soup loaded with chorizo, cheese and avocado

Loaded Pumpkin Soup

Tania Cusack
This is not your ordinary pumpkin soup it's loaded with all the goodies. Thick and packed with flavour it's a bowl full of comfort you can have on the table in around 30 minutes.

5 from 4 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Maincourse, Soup
Cuisine international
Servings 4 People
Calories 932 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 kg pumpkin 3.3 lb | before chopping
  • 200 gm potato peeled and cut / 7oz
  • 40 ml oil vegie or olive | 2 tablsp
  • 250 gm onion diced x 2 / 8oz
  • 6 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tablespoons cumin ground
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon thyme dried
  • 2 tablespoons oregano dried
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground
  • 1 tablespoon achiote powder optional (specialist stores, a yellow coloured paste that is found in mexican cooking, it adds sourness, colour and flavour)
  • 1 litre stock/ broth chicken or vegetable | 1.05 quart
  • 50 ml oil olive or vegetable | 1.69 fl oz

Load up the soup

  • 500 gm pumpkin peeled and cut into 4 wedges | 1.1 lb
  • 40 ml olive oil 1.5 fl oz
  • 150 gm chorizo sliced into rings or crumbled | 5.3 oz approx
  • 100 gm sour cream 3.5 oz
  • 100 gm corn chips 3.5 oz
  • 100 gm tomato diced
  • 1 small avocado diced
  • 2 tablespoons jalapeno chopped. optional
  • 40 ml lemon juice 2 tablespoon- 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 bunch coriander chopped / some reserved for garnish
  • 50 gm cheddar cheese grated | 1.7 oz

Instructions
 

To make the soup

  • Turn the oven on to 180 C / 350F. And set aside a lined baking sheet.
  • Dice the onion and garlic.
  • Measure out the spices
  • Peel and chop 1.5 kg of pumpkin | 3.3 lb. Peel and chop the potato. Also cut and peel the 4 pumpkin wedges (500 gm or 1.1 lb)
  • Warm a pot large enough to hold all the ingredients (approx 5-6 litres -5.3 quarts). Add the oil the onion and garlic and stir till starting to soften. Add the spices and stir till fragrant.
  • Add the chopped pumpkin pieces and potato, reserving the wedges for a bit later.
  • Pour over the stock or broth and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes or so until tender.
  • Meanwhile put the wedges of Pumpkin onto the baking sheet in the middle and sprinkle the wedges with a little oil, salt and pepper. Leave the room down the sides to add chorizo pieces halfway through the baking time. Set the timer for 10 minutes and bake. The pumpkin will take about 15 to 20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark add the sliced (or crumbled) Chorizo to the tray and bake till Pumpkin is just tender. This will be another 5-10 minutes. Take out of the oven and set aside. The chorizo should be cooked through and starting to colour. You may need to leave it a little longer by itself. Keep these warm till needed shortly.
  • Once the pumpkin is tender in the soup turn off the heat. Puree with a stick blender till smooth. Alternatively you could use a processor but be very careful as when the soup is hot the steam can cause it to spray out of the lid in a hot lava like fashion.
  • Adjust the seasoning. The soup will need salt and some nice ground pepper. Set the soup aside with a lid on

Loading the soup

  • Prepare all the ingredients for the topping and group together. Dice the tomato nice and fine. Add chopped jalapeno and chopped coriander, stir together in a bowl.
  • Chop the avocado into small dice and add to the tomato mix. Add the lemon juice and a good pinch of salt. Stir together without breaking up the avocado.
  • Chop the chorizo into smaller pieces
  • Set aside grated cheddar cheese and sour cream along with the corn chips
  • When ready, reheat the soup, if neccesary then ladel into 4 big bowls. Put a wedge of pumpkin in the middle then add sprinkles of chorizo, cheddar cheese a spoon of avocado salsa and a dollop of sour cream. Top with corn chips and serve with extra coriander and sliced jalapeno.

Notes

This is also a fun way to get kids or even adults that like to have fun...to join in and load up their own soup.
Just lay out all the ingredients and let them go for it. You could also add
  • spanish onion
  • black beans
  • garlic in your salsa
  • crumbled market cheese
  • feta 
  • bacon
  • chipotle chilli crema
  • lime
  • fresh chilli
Vegan or Vegetarian
You can also make this vegan or vegetarian too. For a vegan base add vegetable stock and some extra nutritional yeast for more of a flavour kick. Top it off with vegan sour cream or cashew cream with chipotle chilli, crispy fried onions, toasted cashews, vegan bacon, tamari sunflower seeds, toasted chopped tortillas. 
Keyword comfort food