Healthy Recipes: The Best Pumpkin Soup

This pumpkin soup recipe is so easy to put together. You roast the veggies in the oven while you get on with something else, then puree the veggies, stir in the chickpeas and spices, heat gently and TA-DA — dinner is served!

This soup has got lots of good things going for it (as well as its great taste and good looks):

• Pumpkin is one of the richest sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene – essential for healthy immune function.
• Chickpeas are a powerhouse of protein and fibre
• Turmeric has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Ginger also has anti-inflammatory properties.
• Turmeric, garlic and ginger may help to reduce the length and severity of cold symptoms.
• The soup is warming and filling without being high in calories.

• 1.5 kg butternut pumpkin, peeled and roughly chopped (you will have a little over 1 kg once you remove the skin and seeds)
• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
• Sea salt to taste
• Large pinch dried chilli flakes (you can leave the chilli out for kids)
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil
• 3–4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric, or use 1 ½ tsp ground turmeric
• 2 x 400 g cans organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• Roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves
• Natural Greek yoghurt to serve

1. Preheat your oven to 220°C and line a large baking tray with foil. Scatter the chopped pumpkin, onions and garlic over the tray. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and the dried chilli if using. Drizzle over the coconut oil and then toss everything together well on the tray.

2. Roast for about 30 minutes until the pumpkin is tender when you pierce it with a knife and is crisp and golden on the edges.

3. Transfer the cooked veggies to a large soup pot. Add the stock, starting with 3 cups, the ginger and turmeric and 1 of the cans of chickpeas. Blend until smooth using a stick mixer (or transfer to a blender and process in batches if you don’t have a stick mixer).

4. Add the second can of chickpeas to the soup and leave these whole. Heat gently and add sea salt (if needed) and freshly ground pepper to taste.

5. Serve hot, topped with fresh coriander and natural yogurt. Dig in with a big spoon.

When it comes to health and wellbeing, it’s all about working from the inside out. However, this can be easier said than done. A lot of healthy cook book recipes require vast cooking times and ingredients that you haven’t even heard of – and if you haven’t heard of it, it’s much harder to give it the big sell come your family’s dinner time.

But, with a simple, healthy meal like this pumpkin soup recipe, the gorgeous aromas will have your family sprinting to the kitchen. And, it won’t take you 4 hours and multiple trips to different shops to make.

Now that’s what we call a win-win situation!

Have you found this recipe useful? If so, you may enjoy our gluten-free breakfast muffins and guide to cooking with kids.