This Pumpkin Soup recipe from Wendy Rowe’s Eat Beautiful book is absolutely perfect for those cosy evenings in when you want something comforting and filling that is still full to the brim with nutrients!

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS 

Flesh of 1 small pumpkin, cut into 5cm chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp raw coconut oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped

1.2 litres chicken stock or vegetable stock

Sea salt and black pepper

Small handful of fresh sage leaves, chopped, to garnish

Sometimes there’s no point in fighting tradition: pumpkin soup is as obvious as can be for autumn, but who cares when it’s so tasty – and so good for you, too. In my opinion, the pumpkin really has to be roasted first to enhance the sweetness of the flesh and improve the texture. This recipe is creamy without any added dairy and sweet without any sugar. Delicious!

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan.
2. Place the pumpkin in a baking tray or roasting tin, add the olive oil and a pinch of salt and toss together.

Roast in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender.

3. Melt the coconut oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and shallot and cook for 5 minutes or until the shallot is translucent.
4. Add the roasted pumpkin and the stock to the saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.
5. Blend the soup until smooth in a food processor, or in the pan using a stick blender, and garnish with the chopped sage before serving.

TIP

Be sure to reserve a handful of the pumpkin seeds and cook them in the oven at the same time. Scatter them in a separate pan and cook for about 5 minutes, keeping an eye on them and turning frequently to ensure they don’t burn. They’re highly nutritious in their own right and an excellent source of roughage – the roasted seeds can be sprinkled over the finished soup.

Find out more about Wendy’s book, Eat Beautiful and get your hands on a copy here!