Dietary Pumpkin Puree Soup

Prepare the pumpkin for cooking a dietary soup. Wash it thoroughly, then peel and cut it in half. Remove all seeds and fibers. Cut the pumpkin flesh into large slices. Place the sliced pumpkin on a baking sheet, previously lined with parchment paper, and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

Thoroughly wash and pat dry the bell pepper for the soup with a paper towel. Place it on a baking sheet alongside the pumpkin. Brush the pepper with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Arrange a whole head of garlic next to the vegetables. Bake all ingredients in the oven at 200°C for 30 minutes.

Transfer the roasted peppers into a sturdy plastic bag, tie it, and submerge it in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes. This will help to easily remove the skin. Meanwhile, squeeze the roasted garlic pulp from its skin into a small bowl.

Peel and finely chop the onion. Pour the remaining olive oil into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat it well. Add the chopped onion and, stirring constantly, sauté it over medium heat for 5 minutes until soft and golden.

Wash the dried apricots thoroughly and slice them into thin strips. Add the sliced dried apricots to the pot with the onions. Mix all ingredients and heat them together for 2 minutes. Then add the roasted pumpkin and mix well again. Pour in the hot vegetable broth, bring to a boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes to allow all the flavors to meld.

Season the cream soup with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Remove the pot from the heat and add the roasted garlic pulp to the soup. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches a perfectly smooth and creamy consistency.

Remove the bell pepper from the bag, carefully peel off the skin and seeds. Thinly slice the pepper flesh. Wash the cilantro, pat it dry, and pluck off the leaves. Ladle the prepared dietary pumpkin cream soup into bowls, adding a small amount of sliced bell pepper to each serving. Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve immediately, savoring every aromatic spoonful.