Jamie Oliver Pumpkin Soup (Slow Cooker Version)

Name: How To Make Pumpkin Soup With Jamie Oliver
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 6 h
Total time: 6 h 25 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 whole red onions, halved and roughly sliced; 2 whole celery sticks, roughly chopped; 2 whole carrots, sliced; 2 whole garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped; 3 tbsp olive oil; 3 kg pumpkin or dense squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks; 1.5 litres chicken stock; sea salt; black pepper, freshly ground; 6 slices ciabatta, sliced about 1.5 cm thick; 1 small handful fresh sage leaves, picked; 2 tbsp olive oil (for frying sage and toast); 50 g Parmesan, finely grated; extra virgin olive oil

Source video by Jamie Oliver on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Jamie Oliver's pumpkin soup uses a dense squash like Muscade de Provence, butternut or onion squash, simmered with a classic base of onion, celery, carrot, garlic and rosemary in chicken stock, then blended smooth. The original is made in a pressure cooker in 6 minutes, but it adapts beautifully to a slow cooker for a hands-off, deeply flavoured result. Served with crispy fried sage, Parmesan-crusted ciabatta crostini and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, it's a comforting bowl with real attitude. This version keeps Jamie's flavours intact while letting the slow cooker do the work.

Slow cooker notes: Original recipe uses a pressure cooker for 6 minutes. Adapted for slow cooker: vegetables are still sweated in olive oil first to build flavour (slow cookers do not brown), then transferred with the squash and stock. Stock reduced slightly from 2 litres to 1.5 litres because slow cookers retain more liquid. Crostini and crispy sage prepared fresh at serving time, as per the original.

Ingredients

Soup base

2 wholered onions, halved and roughly sliced
2 wholecelery sticks, roughly chopped
2 wholecarrots, sliced
2 wholegarlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife
1 tbspfresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
3 tbspolive oil
3 kgpumpkin or dense squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
1.5 litreschicken stock
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

To serve

6 slicesciabatta, sliced about 1.5 cm thick (add late)
1 small handfulfresh sage leaves, picked (add late)
2 tbspolive oil (for frying sage and toast) (add late)
50 gParmesan, finely grated (add late)
extra virgin olive oil (add late)

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sliced red onions and celery and sweat for 5 minutes until softening.
~5 min
Add the sliced carrots, crushed garlic and chopped rosemary. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring, until fragrant.
~5 min
Tip the softened vegetables into the slow cooker. Add the pumpkin chunks on top.
~2 min
Pour over the chicken stock, ensuring the vegetables are mostly submerged. Cover with the lid.
~2 min
Cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 4 hours, until the pumpkin is completely tender and falls apart when pressed.
~360 min
When ready to serve, use a stick blender to whizz the soup directly in the slow cooker until silky smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then blend again.
~5 min
For the crostini, heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and fry the sage leaves for about 40 seconds until crisp and slightly darker green. Lift onto kitchen paper and set aside.
~2 min
Turn each ciabatta slice in the sage-flavoured oil in the pan, coating both sides, then lift out and press into the grated Parmesan so the cheese sticks to both sides.
~3 min
Wipe the pan and return it to the heat dry. Toast the Parmesan-coated ciabatta for about a minute each side until golden and crisp.
~3 min
Ladle the soup into bowls. Press a crostini into the centre and balance another on top. Scatter with crispy sage leaves and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
~2 min

Frequently asked

Which pumpkin is best for this soup?

Use a dense variety such as Muscade de Provence, butternut squash or onion squash. Watery carving pumpkins will give a thin, bland result.

Do I really need to soften the vegetables first?

Yes. Slow cookers steam rather than fry, so sweating the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and rosemary in oil first builds the savoury base that gives this soup its flavour.

Can I make it vegetarian?

Absolutely. Swap the chicken stock for a good quality vegetable stock and leave the Parmesan off the crostini, or use a vegetarian hard cheese.

Can I freeze pumpkin soup?

Yes. Cool the soup completely, then freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently, adding a splash of stock or water if it has thickened.

How can I make it richer?

Stir in a splash of double cream or creme fraiche after blending, or finish each bowl with a generous drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil as Jamie does.

Extraction notes (transparency): Quantities for base vegetables (2 carrots, 2 garlic cloves, 2 onions, 2 celery sticks) and 3 kg pumpkin plus 2 litres stock are explicit in the transcript. Quantities for rosemary, sage, olive oil, ciabatta, Parmesan and seasoning were not stated and have been estimated for a 6-portion serving. Stock reduced from 2 litres to 1.5 litres as a slow cooker adaptation. Serving count of 6 inferred from 3 kg squash volume. | Second-pass critique flagged 4 fabricated and 11 quantified issues. See critique.issues for detail.