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Pumpkin, sweet potato and lentil soup topped with garlicky olive oil lentils

Serves: 8-10
Prep: 10
Cook: 30

    A smooth creamy pumpkin soup, perfectly spiced with turmeric, smokey paprika and cumin by Ashley Alexander @gatherandfeast. With lentils for added protein and fibre, this is the perfect lunch or dinner option and freezes beautifully.

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    Ingredients

    • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
    • 1 brown onion, finely chopped
    • 2 tsp smokey paprika
    • 1 tsp ground turmeric
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
    • Freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
    • ¼ Japanese pumpkin or ½ butternut pumpkin, seeds and skin removed and roughly chopped
    • 750ml water
    • 7 fresh cloves garlic, roughly chopped
    • 1 x 270ml can low-fat coconut milk, keep a few teaspoons aside for garnishing
    • ½ tsp sea salt
    • 2 x 400g cans lentils, rinsed and drained
    • 1 garlic clove, crushed for the garlicky olive oil lentils garnishing (optional)

    Method

    1. Place a large deep saucepan onto medium-high heat, add roughly a tablespoon of olive oil and ½ a cup of the lentils. Sauté the lentils on medium-high heat for about a minute.
    2. Add the 1 garlic clove for garnish, turn the heat down slightly, and sauté for a few minutes until the garlic has mellowed and the lentils are slightly crispy. Remove the lentils form the pan and set aside for garnishing the soup later (feel free to skip this step as its purely for garnishing the soup).
    3. Add the remaining olive oil to the same pan (no need to rinse after sautéeing the lentils), followed by the onion, ground spices, and the garlic, then stir to combine. Sauté for a few minutes and until the onion is soft.
    4. Next, add the sweet potato, pumpkin, water, coconut milk (reserve a few teaspoons for serving), and salt.
    5. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat. Cover and allow to simmer for approx. 30 minutes or until the sweet potato and pumpkin are soft.
    6. Once the pumpkin and sweet potato are soft, blend until smooth using a stab mixer or a heat-proof blender.
    7. Once blended add and stir through the rinsed and drained lentils.
    8. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over a little of the remaining coconut milk, then sprinkle some garlicky lentils, and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (optional).
    9. Serve with fresh crusty bread and enjoy.

    Tips

    • Step 1 sautéeing the lentils in garlic can be skipped if you prefer as this is purely for garnishing the soup. I like to add this when preparing for guests. If I’m making for everyday I’ll skip this step and add all of the lentils at step 8.
    • The smaller the chopped sweet potato and pumpkin the faster the cooking time. Chopping the veggies super fine takes about 15 minutes to cook through rather than 30 minutes for a regular rough chop.
    • You can also use a potato masher if you dont have a stick mixer or blender. This will just result in a slightly chunkier soup, but will still taste delcious.
    • You can customise this soup to use what you love, what is available, and what is cheap. Try swapping in chickpeas or butter beans in place of the lentils. A scoop of cooked farro, barley, or brown rice would make a delicious addition too.

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