The Halloween decorations may have already been replaced with Christmas trees and tinsel, but the pumpkin season in the kitchen is far from over! Incorporating seasonal foods in our menu is an easy way of diversifying our diet and cutting costs – so important in current economy. Pumpkins are not only great as Jack-o’-lanterns, but they’re also a versatile, delicious vegetable that can be cooked in a variety of ways. Today, I’m bringing you a quick and easy recipe for pumpkin soup. The base recipe will serve 2 and requires a small pumpkin, but you can easily scale it up if you want to feed a large family!

Ingredients for quick pumpkin soup

For 2 servings you will need:

• 170g pumpkin flesh
• 170g carrot (~2 small-medium carrots)
• 1 small onion
• 1 litre vegetable stock
• 70g red lentils (dried)
• 30g unflavoured soya protein powder (optional, feel free to skip it)
• black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, chili flakes, turmeric

How to make simple pumpkin soup

If you’re using a whole pumpkin, peel its skin and remove the seeds and stringy flesh from the inside. The remaining, hard flesh should be chopped up into small chunks. Aim for around 170 grams of pumpkin. Alternatively, you can use canned pumpkin puree.

Grate the carrots and dice the onion. Place all ingredients in a pot, except for the spices.

Cook on low-medium heat for 30 minutes. The pumpkin chunks should soften. Blitz everything with a blender until smooth.

Season to taste with black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, chili flakes, and turmeric. Start with a small amount of each and then add more, depending on how spicy you like your food.

Enjoy!

What to serve pumpkin soup with

Garnish the soup with mixed seeds, e.g. pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and flax seeds. You can also add chopped up fresh coriander for extra colour and flavour.

I like to eat my soup with a generous slice of rich, wholemeal, dark, seeded bread. Yum!

Nutritional value of pumpkin soup

The full recipe (without any garnish or side bread) has 472 kcal, 48 grams of protein, 60 grams of carbs and 3 grams of fat. That’s 236 kcal, 24 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs and 1.5 grams of fat per portion.

The nutritional values are correct for the ingredients I used and may vary slightly between different brands. Keep in mind that skipping the soya protein powder will greatly decrease the protein content. Protein powder is optional, but it makes this soup high in protein.

How to store pumpkin soup

You can store leftover pumpkin soup in the fridge. It will last a couple of days.

Also see:

• Food
• Savoury