Hearty, antioxidant-rich pumpkin soup

This marvelous, rich, creamy pumpkin soup recipe comes from one of my clients at work. The first time I made this hearty, antioxidant-rich pumpkin soup was with her. Since then I have made it multiple times, sometimes with little alterations. This pumpkin soup is packed with nutrients, antioxidants, and flavors.

First I shared this recipe with my mom and my friend, now it is time to share it with you. 🙂 Sharing recipes is one of the most remarkable ways to bond with friends, family, and strangers on the internet. The love for delicious food connects us.

Ingredient & substitutions

Pumpkin: The base ingredient of the soup. I tried to make the soup with different squash and pumpkin types. I tried it with butternut, kabocha, and red kuri. All of them worked perfectly. Maybe the cooking time varies.

Carrot: You will need a couple of pretty, sweet carrots. Complements the pumpkin/squash nicely.

Once I substituted one part of the carrots with sweet potatoes and bell pepper because I had only one carrot left in my fridge.

Just like pumpkin carrots are a great source of fiber, high in antioxidants, and support gut health.

Onion: Gives a nice caramel flavor to the soup.

Lentils: Not a necessity, it is optional. I added a handful of red lentils because they cook fast.

Coconut cream: If you use coconut cream it results in a creamier soup. But you can also use coconut milk or other milk substitutes if you are allergic to coconuts or don’t like the flavor. Or you can also use heavy cream. But I highly recommend using coconut cream for the best flavor.

hearty, antioxidant-rich pumpkin soup, garnished with cilantro and pumpkin seed oil

Pumpkin Soup Ingredients /6 servings/

4 medium-sized carrots
1 medium butternut
1 onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
a handful of red lentils
generous amount of olive oil
200 ml coconut cream (about 3/4 – 1 cup)
4-5 cm of fresh turmeric (or 2 tsp. turmeric powder, if you can’t find fresh)
2 tsp. coriander powder
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. ginger powder or grated fresh ginger
1 cube of vegetable bouillon
salt, and pepper to taste

Instructions

Peel and cut the carrots, onion, and butternut squash. Then wash them.
Peel the garlic clove, and the fresh turmeric and ginger (if you use fresh). Set everything aside.
In a stock pot or dutch oven drizzle a generous amount of olive oil, about as much that covers the bottom of the pot.
Heat the oil and add the chopped carrots, butternut, onion, garlic, and turmeric in the pot or dutch oven. Toss them around until nice and caramelised. This is an important step, that helps to develop the flavor.
When you find it nice and caramelized, you can add enough water to cover the veggies, maybe a bit more. But this also depends on your preference. I like my creamy soups thick, not too liquidy. 🙂
Then you can add the rest of the spices and the lentils.
Cook them until soft, then with a blender blend everything, until smooth and creamy.
Finally, stir in the coconut cream. Before you add the coconut cream, sometimes, you need to shake it or stir it, to get a smooth cream. To help incorporate the coconut cream into the soup, you can blend it a few times again.
Enjoy it with fresh cilantro and a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, maybe with some fresh bread or baguette. However, you prefer. 🙂

Storage

Let the finished soup cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge. It keeps fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days, although at my place it never lasted more than 2 days.

It also freezes well, you can store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.