After an agonizingly warm fall, Los Angeles is finally feeling cold-ish and damp. It rained! It’s under 70 degrees! YAY! In celebration of legit fall weather finally arriving, I made this super simple soup.

The best part about this soup is that it calls for just pantry items. I make this soup on any random fall evening when I’m in the mood for something to warm me up. The harissa, a North African paste, gives this soup a good amount of heat and flavor. The dukkah topping adds the loveliest smokiness and nuttiness and good texture, too.

I usually like to double the dukkah topping and keep it in a spice jar. I love it on top of eggs and soups and slices of roasted acorn squash. It’s a delicious addition to so many things!

Pumpkin Soup with Dukkah

This pumpkin soup recipe features heat and smokiness thanks to the dukkah and harissa. (Recipe Credit: Adrianna Adarme of the Fresh Tastes blog)

Ingredients

• For the Soup:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 cups canned pure pumpkin puree
• 2 teaspoons harissa paste
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 cups vegetable broth or water
• For the Dukkah Topping:
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon flaked sea salt

Directions

1. In a medium pot, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the yellow onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Next add the garlic, pumpkin, harissa paste, salt, cumin and coriander. Mix and cook for an additional minute or so, just until the spices are very fragrant. Pour in the vegetable broth and simmer gently for about 10 to 15 minutes. Using an immersion blender or you don’t own one, you could transfer the soup in batches, puree until very smooth. Salt to taste.
2. To make the dukkah, add the hazelnuts, sesame seeds, cumin seeds, coriander seeds and salt to a small bowl. Toss everything together.
3. Divide the soup amongst bowls. Top with a dollop of yogurt and a sprinkling of dukkah.

Adrianna Adarme is a food blogger and author living in Los Angeles, California. She writes the blog A Cozy Kitchen, where she shares comforting, everyday recipes from her kitchen. She recently authored her first cookbook, PANCAKES: 72 Sweet and Savory Recipes for the Perfect Stack. She’s a lover of breakfast, pie (and sometimes even pie for breakfast), corgis and cute things. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.