Cafe Cassadiva - Recipe for Spicy Pumpkin Soup with Tortellini

Winter is certainly here and a delicious soup is a great way to warm up!  I love this Pumpkin Soup recipe that my mum found years ago, as it has a fantastic flavour with the spices, but it is also quite filling due to the tortellini.

So here it is:

Ingredients:

250g beef tortellini 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 onion, chopped 

1 clove garlic, crushed 

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper 

1 kg butternut pumpkin, chopped

1 potato, chopped 

1 litre water 

1 chicken stock cube

crumbled 1/2 cup cream 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

Method:

1. Cook tortellini in pan of boiling water until just tender. Drain. 

2. Heat oil in pan, add onion, garlic, coriander and cumin. Cook,

stirring until onion is soft. 

3. Stir in pepper, pumpkin and potato. Cook, stirring for 2 mins. 

4. Stir in water and stock cube, bring to boil, then simmer covered for

15 minutes until vegetables are soft. Cool slightly. 

5. Blend or process mixture in batches until smooth. 

Just before serving: 

6. Return soup to pan, stir in cream, herbs and tortellini—heat through.

You can download a printable version of this recipe for free here.

I usually make this in my big electric frypan, and once the veggies are soft, I puree the mixture with my stab-blender, still in the pan.  I don't have a blender.  It will just depend on what appliances you have, as to how you blend the mixture.

I love making soup in winter, as it is so yummy, but also great to freeze and keep for those nights you don't feel like cooking or as a hearty lunch to re-heat.  I just find that I need to add some water before I re-heat it, as it tends to thicken once refrigerated or frozen.

Soup is such a healthy and cheap meal during these cold months... What is your favourite soup??