I have discovered my new favorite way of making pumpkin soup.
It somehow seemed to be a lot easier than the usual way of making soup, and the flavour was amazing.
First I roasted the pumpkin until golden brown and caramelised, which brought out the sweetness and intensified its flavour.
I pureed the roasted pumpkin in my thermomix (food processor) along with some chicken stock.
I then added some cooked black beans (which boost fibre, protein and lower the GI), stirred through some fresh chopped coriander and ‘voila’ – it was done, ready to eat…
And very, very delicious…
- 1.6 kg chopped unpeeled pumpkin = 900 grams when roasted
- 1 large brown onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 litres vegetable or chicken stock
- 400 gram tin black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 1 cup fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- Heat oven to 170 degrees C and line a baking tray with greaseproof paper
- Place pumpkin (you can also use a mix of pumpkin and carrots) and onion in a large bowl
- Pour over olive oil and grind pepper over the top
- Toss vegetables around to cover with oil, then spread evenly over baking tray
- Bake for 1 hour, until cooked through, soft and golden brown
- Place cooked vegetables in bowl of food processor and blend until smooth, adding about 1 Litre (4 cups) of stock to loosen
- Add soup to a large saucepan along with remaining stock and stir until combined
- Stir in drained black beans
- Place over medium heat and bring to the boil
- Turn heat down and allow to simmer for 5 minutes
- Taste and adjust seasoning if required
- Stir half of the coriander through the soup and serve sprinkled with remaining coriander
Pumpkin is a delicious and healthy vegetable. It is a good source of:
- beta-carotene, an antioxidant thought to lower the risk of cancer and heart disease, which is also converted into Vitamin A, important for a healthy respiratory system and good vision
- Vitamin C, for a healthy immune system
- folate, a B group vitamin that is needed to make and repair DNA and make red blood cells
- potassium, a mineral that helps regulate blood pressure
- fibre, required for a healthy digestive system
Many people avoid pumpkin as they think it contains a lot of carbohydrate in the form of starch. Well it doesn’t! It may contain a little more carbohydrate than green vegies which are virtually carb-free, but it has a lot less carbohydrate than rice or pasta. Plus pumpkin contains more than double the amount of fibre of rice or pasta, and a whole lot more nutrients (just some of which are listed above!)