It's October and that means pumpkins are in season! I don't tend to go in for "pumpkin spice" everything like you tend to see marketed this time of year, but I do really enjoy pie pumpkins. Aside from pumpkin pie and pumpkin cake being great, pumpkin soup is also fantastic. I made a chunky tomato-pumpkin soup a couple years ago, but failed to write down the recipe. I took a slightly different approach for this version, but I'm pretty happy with the results. I think the only change I'd make next time is swapping out the tamarind concentrate for amchoor (unripe mango powder).

This is a fairly flexible and forgiving recipe. It can be made with regular or low-fat coconut milk (or even cow's milk/cream if you prefer). You can use diced or crushed tomatoes and skip the purée step for a more chunky soup. You could swap out the red kidney beans for cannellini beans or chickpeas. For a completely smooth soup, red lentils would work well. If using lentils, I'd add a cup or so along with the broth and probably use an extra cup of broth. Simmer until tender and then purée for a thick, smooth, delicious soup.

Tomato-Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 1 pie pumpkin
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (800mL) can tomatoes¹
• 1 (400mL) can lite coconut milk
• 2 c. vegetable broth
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1 tsp. Madras Curry Powder
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• ~30 grinds black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
• 1/2 tsp. tamarind concentrate or amchoor
• 2 c. cooked kidney beans
• 2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Cut pumpkin in half and scrape out seeds and "guts". (Save seeds for roasting if you wish.)
2. Brush inside of pumpkin and cut edges with olive oil.
3. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 50-60 minutes.
4. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
5. While pumpkin is cooling, melt coconut oil over medium heat.
6. Add onion and cool until edges begin to brown.
7. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two.
8. Add tomatoes, coconut milk, vegetable broth, sugar, salt, pepper, chile flakes, and tamarind concentrate/amchoor.
9. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes or so.
10. Remove from heat and purée².
11. Return to medium heat and add kidney beans. Cook until beans are heated through.
12. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

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¹ Diced, whole, or crushed would be fine here. ^Back
2 I used a stick/immersion blender to purée the soup right in the pot. Soup can also be puréed in batches in a regular blender jar. ^Back