Pumpkin Soup with Molasses and Feta

Savory, creamy and full of flavor, this tasty pumpkin soup gets a dash of sweetness from a drizzle of molasses and a salty punch from crumbled feta.

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30-35 minutes

Serves 6

What you’ll need:

1½ tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup chopped celery
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
4 cups ½-inch cubes peeled and seeded pumpkin (or substitute 3 cups pumpkin purée)
1½ teaspoons sea salt
1 clove garlic, minced
5-6 cups chicken broth
Blackstrap molasses, to serve
Sage sprigs, to serve
Feta cheese, crumbled, to serve

What you’ll do:

1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add onions, carrots, celery and sage and sauté until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Add pumpkin cubes and sea salt and sauté until pumpkin is softened and onions are golden, about 6 minutes. (If using pumpkin purée, just add the sea salt at this stage.)
3. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add 5 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. (Add in purée, if using.)
4. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until the pumpkin very soft, about 25 minutes. (For purée, cook for only 15 minutes.) Let cool slightly.
5. Using an immersion blender or working in batches with a standard blender, purée the soup until mostly smooth texture. If consistency is too thick, add in another cup of chicken broth. Season soup with salt and pepper.
6. To serve, ladle out soup into bowls. Using a spoon, drizzle or swirl some molasses on top of the soup. Finish with a sprig of fresh sage and a sprinkling of feta cheese.