Autumn in Wimbledon has arrived and this means it is pumpkins season! I am very excited because I simply love pumpkins! I love their smell, colour, flavour and because I like cooking with seasonal produce, I am going to share my delicious pumpkin soup recipe with you.
But first let me tell you something about pumpkins and their nutritional value.
Did you know that pumpkin is not a vegetable but a fruit? It belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes cucumbers, melons and squash. In this soup I used both pumpkin and butternut squash. These are just variety of winter squash which come in many different shapes, colours and sizes but share similar nutrients.
Pumpkin is a great source of beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Consuming foods rich in beta-carotene helps to support our immune system (much needed as the colds season is also fast approaching!) as well as delaying the aging process, keeping our skin glowing and our eyes healthy. Pumpkins are also rich in fibre and minerals like copper, calcium and potassium. And do not forget the seeds, they are also packed with nutrients and a great, easy to carry, on-the-go snack!
So go on, don’t just carve this beautiful orange fruit for Halloween, cook it and eat it too! You can make pumpkin pies, mash, curries, risottos, biscuits, muffins, or simply roast it in the oven and enjoy it with a drizzle of olive oil. The choice is yours!
Now back to my warming and nutrients rich soup.
Ingredients:
- 1 pumpkin
- 1 butternut squash
- 1 carrot
- 1 red onion
- 1 white onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsps coconut oil
- Nutmeg and ground black pepper to taste
- Pumpkin seeds and coconut cream (optional)
- 1 litre of vegetable stock
Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Half the pumpkin and the squash remove the seeds then chop and place on a large baking tray in the oven.
Meanwhile, chop the onions, garlic, and carrot. Heat the coconut oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan then add the chopped vegetables and cook until soft. When the pumpkin and squash are ready scoop out the flesh and add to the pan with the hot stock. Blend with a hand blender and your delicious soup is ready!
Ladle the soup into bowls and, if you like a richer flavour, you can add some coconut cream and some pumpkin seeds before serving. Here is a picture of one I made this morning.
Enjoy and Happy Halloween from Stella Nutrition!