Sopa de calabaza – Mexican pumpkin cream soup with chili and lime Recipe
Sopa de calabaza is a velvety pumpkin cream soup seasoned with chili, lime and a little cream. In Mexico it often appears in autumn, when pumpkin is at its cheapest and most delicious, and evenings start to get cooler. The flavor is similar to a classic pumpkin soup, but with a distinct citrus note and gentle heat that pleasantly warms you up.
This pumpkin cream soup has a distinctly Mexican character thanks to smoky chipotle and fresh lime juice, which cut through the sweetness of the vegetables. The soup is at once velvety, citrusy and gently smoky, while the crunchy pumpkin seeds add a pleasant textural contrast. It’s exactly the kind of dish that warms you up on a cold evening without feeling heavy.
Chef's tips
The pumpkin and potatoes are ready when they fall apart easily under the pressure of a spoon – if they resist, give them a few more minutes. Add the chipotle gradually: start with half, blend the soup and only then decide whether you want a spicier version, because it’s easy to overdo the heat. After blending, always check the consistency – this soup should gently flow off the spoon rather than sit like a purée.
How to serve
Serve it with warm tortillas or a crusty baguette so you can scoop up every last bit of the creamy soup from the bottom of the bowl. To drink, lightly chilled wheat beer or homemade lime and mint water work beautifully. This dish is especially good for autumn dinners with friends, when everyone comes home from work chilled and craving something warming yet still light.
Ingredients
- pumpkin weight peeled and deseeded, e.g. hokkaido or butternut - 800 g
- potatoes medium - 2 pieces
- onion - 1 piece
- garlic - 3 cloves
- vegetable stock - 900 ml
- chipotle chili in adobo sauce from a can, with 1 teaspoon of sauce - 1 piece
- 18% cream for the soup and for garnish - 80 ml
- vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
- lime juice - 30 ml
- pumpkin seeds toasted, for serving - 3 tablespoons
- fresh coriander or parsley - 0.25 bunch
- salt or to taste - 1 teaspoon
- ground black pepper - 0.25 teaspoons
Preparation
- Peel the pumpkin (if it’s not hokkaido), remove the seeds and cut into cubes about 2 cm in size. Peel the potatoes and cut into similar-sized pieces.
- Dice the onion and chop the garlic. Remove the chipotle from the can and chop it finely together with a little of the sauce.
- In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and fry for 3–4 minutes, until it softens and becomes slightly translucent without browning.
- Add the garlic and chopped chipotle and fry for about 1 more minute, stirring, until fragrant.
- Add the pumpkin and potatoes and stir to coat them in the spices at the bottom of the pot. Pour in the stock, add salt and pepper and stir.
- Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the pumpkin and potatoes are very soft and easily break apart when pressed with a spoon.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Blend the soup with a hand blender until smooth, starting with short pulses to avoid splattering. If it’s too thick, add a little hot water or stock.
- Add 50 ml of cream and the lime juice, then briefly blend again or stir thoroughly. Taste and, if necessary, season with more salt, pepper or lime juice.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan often, until they become fragrant and start to jump slightly.
- Serve the soup hot in bowls. Drizzle a thin spiral of the remaining cream on top and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and chopped coriander.
Storage
Store leftover soup (without cream) in the fridge for up to 3–4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat gently, then stir in the cream and lime juice just before serving. If the soup thickens in the fridge, loosen it with a little stock or water while reheating.
