Low FODMAP Pumpkin Soup

Pumpkin soup is one of my absolute favourite meals during the winter, especially on cold Melbourne days

I’m very lucky to have a thermomix to whip these up quickly but you can easily make it with any type of blender.

If I have time I love serving it with a swirl of cream on top, some chopped parsley, and a generous sprinkle of sea salt and cracked pepper.  Not everyone tolerates cream though, so leave this out if your belly doesn’t like it.

I also like to add 1 cup of red lentils to the mix and 3-4 rashes of bacon. This increases the protein and the bacon adds a sweetness (I can’t think of a better word for it.) It’s something my Mum has always done and I’ve continued the tradition.

I usually make a big batch up at the time so it gives 4-6 serves – depending on how hungry everyone is!   This means that the 1 cup of lentils ends up being less than 1/4 cup per serve, which is within the allowable limit of lentils according to the Monash Low FODMAP app. It’s also nice to add around a teaspoon of cumin powder, to give it an added kick of flavour.

Pumpkin soup is really quick and easy to prepare and can be served for both lunch and dinner.  I think the preparation step which involves the most effort is preparing the pumpkin itself.  It can be very tiring cutting the skin off!  It sounds strange but I actually use a peeler to remove the skin from the pumpkin.  I had a quick google to see if I could find the ones that I bought years ago at Queen Victoria Market and I was in luck.  Here’s a link to these incredible vegetable peelers.  They’re well worth investing in. I use mine all the time.

Whilst plain pumpkin soup is my favourite, sometimes it’s nice to change things up by adding other flavours.  Here are a few ideas:

• Curried pumpkin soup – stir in a touch of curry powder once you blitz it, add little by little
• Thai red curry – start by sautéing 2 tbsp red curry paste in 1/2 tbsp oil over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes until really fragrant, then proceed with the recipe from step 2 onwards.  You can add some coconut cream and coriander at the end as well if you like!
• Ginger– saute 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger in 1/2 tbsp oil or butter, then proceed with the recipe.
• Lightly Spiced – stir in 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika.
• Turmeric – 1 1/2 tsp each ground turmeric, coriander, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper