Thai Spiced Fresh Pumpkin and Bacon Soup
This homemade Thai spiced fresh pumpkin and bacon soup is simple to make, and a firm favourite on a chillier evening.
Soup is always a winner whatever the weather, but it is just so appealing in autumn when all we want to do is snuggle under the duvet and eat comfort food.
But comfort food doesn’t necessarily equal stodgy, junky or bad food. Soup (such as my spicy carrot and coriander) is the perfect comfort food, and because all we want to do when it is cold outside is keep warm and feel cosy, it should be simple and quick to make. Ta-da! Enter this Thai spiced pumpkin and bacon creamy soup.
Although soup is perhaps not the most exciting of meals, this Thai spiced fresh pumpkin and bacon soup blew my socks off (and not only because it was packed with chillies). It surprised me how good it was, and might even come top in my soup hall of fame.
Can you use canned pumpkin for this recipe?
I made my pumpkin puree from scratch (first time I’ve actually made good use of our Halloween pumpkin) but if you wanted to quicken the process up a little, tinned pureed pumpkin would be fine (or, why not use a butternut squash, instead?).
This soup is spicy, just how I like it, but go easy on the chillies if too much heat is not your thing. Also omit the bacon and cream if you are counting calories (although the cream really does make this dish, so maybe half water, half cream as a compromise?).
This soup is enough to feed two or three adults, but just double the quantities if you want to cater for more people.
Don’t forget to add some Swedish rye and wholegrain bread to go with it. And if you like soup, why not check out my recipe round up showing off 16 Awesome Soups (you need this winter)?
Thai Spiced Fresh Pumpkin and Bacon Soup
Ingredients
- 4 rashers streaky bacon
- 1 small red chilli (finely chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 pumpkin (small)
- 500-750ml (2-3 cups) stock (any kind)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 250ml (1 cup) cream
Instructions
Pumpkin prep:
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Scoop out the insides of the pumpkin and remove the seeds.
- Place the "meat" and stringy bits in a medium sized baking tray and drizzle with olive oil.
- Sprinkle a little salt and pepper, then bake for around 30-40 mins, until everything is nice and soft.
- When cool, pour into a blender or mixer and puree until smooth.
Soup:
- Fry the bacon in a non-stick pan (no need for additional fat to cook with) until it is nice and crispy.
- Remove excess fat and place to one side until later.
- In the bacon fat left in the pan, gently fry the garlic and chillies (taking care not to burn them) for a couple of minutes.
- Add the red curry paste and fry for a further minute.
- Add the cooked pumpkin, salt and pepper, and stock.
- Cook for around ten minutes then add the cream. Cook for a further five minutes or so.
- Pour into bowls and garnish with the bacon and a couple of slices of chilli. Serve with delicious bread and enjoy!
Notes