Pumpkin Soup

This is my own pumpkin soup recipe, and a regular in my kitchen – particularly when my children were younger. It’s delicious, nourishing, easy, and versatile – and perfect as a starter or main meal.

I have a handful of recipes in my collection that I no longer need a recipe for. And this is one of them. I have made this recipe hundreds of times, and could probably make it in my sleep! My pumpkin soup recipe is easy, delicious, nourishing, and very versatile. It lends itself to modification with very little effort, and always works out perfectly.

Related soup: Try this chicken and sweetcorn soup, there is just something that warms your soul about chicken and corn combined in a great soup.

The pumpkin soup version I’ve listed below is pretty basic – easy and tasty. However, depending on what you have in your pantry or refrigerator, you can make some simple changes to suit your family. You can boost the vegetable content, make sweet potato soup, or incorporate a subtle Asian flavor. See the ‘options’ heading (below) for a list of suggestions for personalizing the recipe.

Why pumpkin?

In North America, we often only use pumpkin around Thanksgiving – as Jack-o-lanterns, and as sweet pie filling. However, in other parts of the world, pumpkins are used much more readily in the kitchen, for example, in soups.

In Britain and Australia, no baked dinner is complete without large pieces of baked pumpkin. And it’s delicious! Even the seeds can be roasted and eaten (then called ‘pepitas’ – a Spanish word) – and they’re a great, healthy snack.

Any leftover pumpkin can be used up in my pumpkin raisin muffins.

Options

As I’m sure you know by now, I looooove to give you options for personalizing my recipes! There are various ways to adapt this pumpkin soup recipe – each of them tried, tested, and delicious:

• Replace the stock with tinned coconut cream, then garnish with a little cilantro (coriander) to create a subtle Asian flavor.
• You can add almost as many orange or white vegetables as you like to this recipe. When my children were younger, I used to ‘hide’ vegetables in my pumpkin soup (shhh! don’t tell them!). I would always add sweet potato, cauliflower, carrot, and peeled zucchini. It’s a great way to really pile in the nutrients. I still make pumpkin soup loaded with extra vegetables when anyone in my family has a cold.
• Try replacing the pumpkin with sweet potato. Sweet potato has a lower GI (glucose index) rating, but retains most of the sweetness of pumpkin. As a result of the lower GI rating, sweet potato soup will keep you feeling fuller for longer.
• If you have time, and fancy a more rustic flavor, try roasting the pumpkin first, then pureeing it. It’s a little more effort, but worth it if you have the time.

I’d love to hear how you enjoy this pumpkin soup recipe. Please leave me a note in the ‘comments’ section below.

Until next time…
Love & comfort food, Bx