Food & Drinks

Healthy recipes of the week: spicy pumpkin soup

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“What are we eating today?” It’s probably the most asked question in the world. After a day full of chaos, running from here to there and an overflowing agenda, you really don’t feel like spending hours in the kitchen. We understand that. You want to cook something that isn’t too difficult, but is still healthy. Oh yes: and tasty, because no one wants to chew on a dry leaf of lettuce. Do you really not know what to eat tonight? Then we have good news: in the Healthy Recipes of the Week section, we search every Monday for the healthiest and tastiest recipes that you can put on the table in no time. This week: healthy spicy pumpkin soup.

Trust me: this is really a good soup. It contains so many things that are good for you. It’s VEVO-proof, as family doctor Elise calls it. That means it has a lot of fiber, protein, vegetables, and healthy fats. What more do you want? A comforting meal that you can enjoy under a blanket on the couch in this freezing cold — and that is also healthy? Yes, I know what I’m cooking tonight.

The shopping list for 4 people

1 bottle of pumpkin
3 winter carrots
1 red apple
1 orange
1 low-salt bouillon cube
A few cm of fresh ginger
3 cloves of garlic
3 red onions
4 stalks of spring onion
2 tablespoons of curry madras spices (or paprika powder, coriander, black pepper, or turmeric)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 liter of water
Optional toppings: cottage cheese, chili flakes

The preparation

Step 1: prep everything

Cut the pumpkin, carrot, and apple into cubes with the skin on. Chop the onion, garlic, and ginger. Slice the spring onion into rings and keep the white and green parts separate. Halve the orange and squeeze it. Store everything in containers or on your cutting board. This saves a lot of chopping work in between.

Step 2: the base of the soup

Start by heating the olive oil in your soup pot. Sauté the onion, garlic, ginger, and the white part of the spring onion for a few minutes until everything is translucent. Then add the pumpkin, carrot, and curry madras spices. Sauté this for five minutes. Is everything a bit softer? Dissolve the bouillon cube in 1 liter of water and then pour this into the soup pot. Add the apple pieces and the juice of the orange. Put the lid on and lower the heat. Let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes on low heat, until all the vegetables are soft.

Step 3: Puree

Then comes the easiest part of all: pureeing the soup. Grab your immersion blender and puree the soup until all the large pieces are gone. It doesn’t have to be super smooth, because if you can still chew, you digest it better. Don’t have an immersion blender? Then you can also put the vegetables in a blender.

Step 4: the finishing touch

Let the soup simmer for a few more minutes while you prepare the rest. Toast some bread and sprinkle the green part of the spring onion over the soup after pouring it into bowls. Want to get even more protein and fiber? Then you can add some cottage cheese.

As if it couldn’t be easier, that’s it. A healthy, filling meal that you make in four steps. Isn’t that great?