This Pumpkin Soup Recipe is Frightfully Good!

It’s time to bring out the cobwebs, carve up those pumpkins and find yourself a costume because Halloween is here! For our American girls, Halloween is a great time to celebrate with loved ones — and the festivities are continuing to get more popular here in Australia, too.

No matter where you are or what you’re doing for Halloween, getting into the spirit of this holiday doesn’t mean that you need to completely ditch your health goals! It’s easy to stay on track during the holidays, it just takes some planning and preparation. That’s why we’ve come up with this healthy pumpkin soup recipe for you — it’s a Halloween-themed healthy option to help balance out any Halloween treats.

This healthy pumpkin soup recipe is so delicious — it’s gluten and nut-free, plus there is an option to make it vegan-friendly and dairy-free, so it can be the perfect healthy soup for everyone! If you want to try another tasty, warming winter soup, check out Kayla's roast cauliflower soup recipe.

Halloween Pumpkin Soup

Prep time: 10 mins    

Cook time: 50 mins    

Total time: 60 mins

Serves: 4

Dietary preference: Gluten-free, Nut-free, Vegan option, Dairy-free option

Ingredients:

• 1kg pumpkin (Kent or Jap), peeled and cut into 3cm pieces

• 4 garlic cloves, skin on

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp extra

• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste

• 1 large leek, white part only, roughly chopped

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• ½ tsp dried thyme

• ½ tsp ground cumin

• 1 L salt-reduced vegetable stock

• 80g reduced fat sour cream (or coconut milk)

• 50g pumpkin seeds

• fresh thyme, chopped, to garnish

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Place the pumpkin and garlic in a large bowl. Drizzle over one tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, if desired and toss to coat. Transfer to the lined baking tray and roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the pumpkin is tender, turning with tongs halfway through the cooking process. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the garlic.

3. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the leek and cook for 2-3 minutes until soft but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, nutmeg, thyme and cumin and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently.

4. Add the roasted pumpkin and stock and bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

5. Transfer the soup, in batches, to a high-powered blender or food processor and blend until smooth (or use a stick blender). If using a blender, place a towel over the top of the lid before blending to avoid any hot soup or steam escaping. Return the soup to the saucepan, stir through half of the sour cream and continue to cook over a medium-low heat for 5 minutes until warmed through, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

6. While the soup is cooking, heat a small non-stick fry pan over medium heat. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook for 4-5 minutes, until puffed and golden brown, stirring frequently. Transfer to a bowl, stir in the extra teaspoon of oil and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

7. To serve, ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining sour cream and sprinkle over the toasted pumpkin seeds and fresh thyme. Enjoy!

This pumpkin soup is wickedly good

This pumpkin soup recipe is a great way to balance out any sweet indulgences you may have this Halloween. Remember, life is all about balance and enjoying yourself! By being mindful of your eating habits you can have a ghoulishly good time and keep on track with your health goals. If you’re looking for some healthier sweet options, be sure to check out our spook-tacular chocolate chip muffins too.

What other Halloween-themed healthy meals do you like to make at this time of year? Let us know in the comments below!