Roasted pumpkin & thyme soup

Ingredients

• 800 g peeled and seeded cooking pumpkin, cut into 2 cm cubes
• 150 g onion, chopped
• 9 g garlic, minced
• 27 g olive oil, divided
• 750 ml reduced-sodium vegetable broth, plus up to 150 ml hot water to thin
• 100 ml heavy cream
• 4 g fresh thyme leaves, plus 4 small sprigs for garnish
• 24 g shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 3 g salt
• 0.5 g black pepper

Let’s make it

1. Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Toss pumpkin with 14 g oil and half the salt. Spread in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once, until tender and browned at the edges.
2. While the pumpkin roasts, heat the remaining oil in a saucepan. Cook onion over medium heat for 8–10 minutes, until soft. Stir in garlic and thyme leaves for 30 seconds. Add broth, roasted pumpkin and remaining salt and pepper; simmer for 8 minutes.
3. Toast the pepitas in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking often, until fragrant. Transfer to a plate so they stop cooking.
4. Remove the soup from the heat and blend with an immersion blender until smooth. If using a countertop blender, let the soup cool slightly, work in small batches, vent the lid according to its hot-liquid instructions and cover with a folded towel; never seal hot soup in an unvented blender.
5. Stir in cream and enough of the measured hot water to reach a pourable soup consistency. Warm gently for 2–3 minutes without a hard boil. Divide into four bowls and top each with one-quarter of the pepitas and a thyme sprig; remove the woody sprig before eating.