Sout Pampoen (Savoury Pumpkin Bake)
Sout Pampoen
Soutpampoen is the quiet hero of a South African Sunday roast — those soft, buttery pumpkin slices cooked low and slow until they melt under your fork. Lightly salted, sometimes kissed with a hint of nutmeg, they carry the smell of a kitchen where the roast is humming in the oven and the gravy is bubbling on the stove.
It's the side dish my Ma always made "just right", the one that balanced out the crispy potatoes and the golden chicken. The kind of comfort that reminds you of long lunches, clattering plates, and everyone squeezing around the table for "just a little bit more". Simple, homely, and full of heart — soutpampoen tastes like family, like Sundays, like home.
Ingredients
- 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into cubes
- 1 can brown onion soup (or onion soup mix made with stock)
- 250 ml cream
- 100 ml milk
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- Handful of chopped parsley
- Knob of butter
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Parboil or pre-cook the pumpkin cubes until just tender, then place in an ovenproof dish.
- Make the onion soup/sauce and finish with cream and milk; pour over the pumpkin.
- Mix breadcrumbs with chopped parsley, sprinkle over the top and dot with butter.
- Bake for about 1 hour until golden and bubbling.