Spooktacular soup!

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Spooktacular soup! Posted On 18 October 2019

If you’re planning on carving pumpkins this Halloween, make the most of the whole pumpkin! There are plenty of recipes out there to try, but we love this soup which uses both the flesh and seeds

Pumpkin & lentil soup

Serves 4

Kcals per serving: 233

Suitable for vegetarians and gluten free

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp

• 2 onions, chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• approx 800g chopped pumpkinflesh, plus the seeds

• 100g split red lentils

• ½ small pack thyme, leaves picked,plus extra to serve

• 1l hot vegetable stock• pinch of salt and sugar

• 50g crème fraiche, plus extra to serve

Method

1.Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onions until softened and starting to turn golden. Stir in the garlic, pumpkin flesh, lentils and thyme, then pour in the hot stock. Season, cover and simmer for 20-25 mins until the lentils and vegetables are tender.

2.Meanwhile, wash the pumpkin seeds. Remove any flesh still clinging to them, then dry using kitchen paper. Heat the 1 tsp oil in a non-stick pan and fry the seeds until they start to jump and pop. Stir frequently but cover the pan in between to keep them in it. When the seeds look toasted, add a sprinkling of salt and a pinch of sugar. Stir well.

3. Whizz the cooked pumpkin mixture with a hand blender or in a food processor until smooth, then add the crème fraiche and whizz again. Taste for seasoning.

4.Serve with a spoonful of crème fraiche, a few thyme leaves and the toasted seeds scattered on top