If you’ve been pumpkin picking with your children or quickly picked one up at the supermarket and had fun carving your Halloween design, you’ll be wondering what to do with all that plentiful flesh and seeds.
Try our deliciously creamy pumpkin and lentil soup, an autumn warmer full of healthy goodness that’s also freezer friendly and gluten free.
Creamy Pumpkin and Lentil Soup
Prep time 15 minutes
Cook time 35 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 onions chopped
2 garlic gloves chopped
Approximately 800g chopped pumpkin flesh plus the seeds
100g red split lentils
Small handful of thyme
1 litre hot vegetable stock
Pinch of salt and sugar
50g creme fraiche
Method
Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed pan. Fry the onions until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir in the garlic, pumpkin flesh, lentils and thyme leaves, then pour in the hot stock. Season to taste, cover and simmer for 20 minutes until the lentils and vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile wash the pumpkin seeds removing any flesh then dry on kitchen paper.
Heat 1tsp oil in a non-stick frying pan and cook the seeds until they start to jump and pop. Stir frequently and when the seeds look toasted add a sprinkling of salt and a pinch of sugar and stir well.
Blend the pumpkin soup with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth, then add the creme fraiche and blitz again.
Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve with a spoonful of creme fraiche and the toasted seeds scattered on top.
