Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

When I was a kid I hated pumpkin, but loved pumpkin soup. As an adult, I'm a little less adverse to pumpkin and still love pumpkin soup, especially on a cold wintery day. This one never quite turns out exactly the same way each time as I tend to make up the proportions as I go along depending on what i have in the cupboard, but each time it still tastes great. I've tried to figure out the basic recipe for you, but feel free to have a play around with it. Also, I put quite a bit of salt in it (I'd hate to measure how much!!) to take away the sweetness of the vegetables and give it the gorgeous savoury depth that I love.

I cook this in my sow cooker but its just as easy to cook in a pot on the stovetop.

A tasty alternative with a Thai zing is to add some Thai red chilli paste while cooking. My husband and I love it this way but his kids aren't so keen on the spiciness!

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Pumpkin, Sweet Potato and Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients

• 1/3 grey pumpkin
• 1 sweet potato 
• 3 medium potatoes
• 1 cup red lentils
• 2 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pinch ground cumin seeds
• 1 pinch ground coriander seeds
• 1 pinch mixed herbs
•  salt & pepper to taste

Method

1. Peel and de-seed the pumpkin. Peel the sweet potato. Clean the potatoes

2. Cut all the vegetables and put into the slow cooker or pot with the lentils

3. Add enough water to almost cover them all

4. Add the herbs, spices, some salt and pepper

5. Cook until the vegetables are soft (the smaller you cut them the quicker they will cook)

6. Whizz the vegetables up until it is smooth. I use a metal whizz stick which I can put in while it is still hot. Depending on what you are using you may need to let it cool first.

7. Reheat if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning if you like.

8. Serve up while hot. I love having it with some warm bread to dip in the soup.