Savory Pepita Pumpkin Soup (Keto Friendly)

Here it is again… My favorite time of the year. When the air begins to chill, trees turn to vibrant reds and gold, and you can hear a gentle crunch as you walk over fallen leaves. There is a thrill to throwing on your over-sized sweater and slipping into a pair of soft, stretchy leggings. It’s just cool enough to wrap up in a scarf while you sip your frothing pumpkin-injected latte.

As the winter months approach, and dusk arrives earlier than dinner, the temperatures drop to a comfortable cold. Just kidding… I live in Florida, but a girl can dream, right?

In any case, this does not distract me from the fact that it is October, one of my favorite times of year and without a doubt the infamous pumpkin season! Every white American girl’s favorite holiday.

So here I am and yet again, I’ve made it my goal to incorporate healthy and low-carb options for those of us who are trying to look slim for Christmas photos, or for those in general who will probably die if contaminated with gluten. RIP.

Just kiddinggggg, as I actually roll my eyes. Death by gluten is not a laughing matter, gluten is a serious offender and being gluten-allergic is a real thing. Still rolling my eyes.

It’s officially pumpkin carving season!

Every pumpkin carved in this home means a fresh batch of baked pumpkin seeds. It’s one of my favorites and easier than ever. Wash and dry your pumpkin seeds after scooping, drizzle with olive oil on a cookie sheet and sprinkle then with garlic, salt and black pepper.

Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes for a perfect crunch.

If you don’t have time to roast your own pumpkin seeds, you can use roasted pepitas (pumpkin seed kernals) which can be purchased around this time of year. I found a bag of the Archer Farms sea salt roasted pepitas from Target for $2.99.

Let’s get baking!

 

Ingredients

3 tbsps olive oil

1, 5 lb pie pumpkin

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

cracked black pepper

4 cups vegetable broth

1 1/2 tsp Stevia

1 tsp maple flavoring

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

roasted pepitas for garnish

 

Savory Pepita Pumpkin Soup

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

To clean, halve pumpkin and remove stem. Using a spoon, remove innards and seeds, scraping sides until clean. Slice each halve into two. Place a piece of parchment paper onto a cookie sheet for easier clean up.

Combine salt and cayenne pepper. Brush 1 tablespoon olive oil onto all sides of pumpkin slices and sprinkle inside with 1/2 teaspoon of salt mixture.

 

Place pumpkin slices flesh side down on cookie sheet and place into preheated oven. Bake for 40 minutes or until flesh has softened and edges have browned. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

In a large pot add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and heat to medium. When bubbling, add diced yellow onion and minced garlic. Stir and let cook until translucent.

Peel back pumpkin rind and discard. Add pumpkin slices to pot and break apart using a fork or another shredding tool.

Season with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg and cracked black pepper. Add vegetable stock and stir. Add stevia (or sweetener) and maple flavoring.

Heat to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer. Let cook for 25 minutes.

Add heavy whipping cream. Remove from heat and let cool 10 minutes. Dividing soup into two or three rounds, carefully add mixture to a blender. Puree on high until completely smooth.

To serve, top with pepitas and optional cracked black pepper.

About 6-8 Servings.