This pumpkin, ginger, and apple soup comes from an old English Weight Watchers book I still have: a beautiful orange dish that just looking at it would put you in a good mood! When I read the ingredients, I was curious: I saw that besides the pumpkin which I love, there was also ginger and apple!
I immediately delved deeper because I love ginger, it’s so good for you, and the idea of using a fruit in a dish to be served as a first course intrigued me a lot.
Well, said and done: I prepared it in no time, and the result is simply divine! It’s a sweet, smooth, and vegan soup, has zero Weight Watchers points, and even the Dutchman who hates pumpkin liked it! I think this recipe will also be a hit with kids…
You can find some other pumpkin recipes here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (measured with a measuring spoon)
- 1.1 lbs pumpkin (weighed without seeds and skin)
- 1 onion (medium-sized)
- 1 Royal Gala apple (medium-sized)
- 1 carrot (small)
- 2 tsp fresh ginger (grated, about 0.4 inches of root)
- 3.5 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg (grated)
- to taste parsley (fresh, optional)
- to taste salt
- a few pumpkin seeds (for garnish, optional)
- Total points = 1 WW point
- Points per serving = 0 WW points
- Points per serving with 1 tsp of pumpkin seeds = 1 WW point (optional)
Tools
- Cutting board
- Knife
- Grater
- Pot
- Wooden spoon
- Hand blender
Steps
This is the variety of pumpkin I used, with green skin like the Delica pumpkin, you can see it open here, but any type of pumpkin will do.
Be careful not to cut yourself (it happens to me very often) open the pumpkin, remove seeds and internal filaments, cut it into pieces and remove the skin. You can save the seeds to clean them from the filaments and toast them later.
Wash, peel, and cut the onion, carrot, and apple into small pieces. Grate the ginger.
In a large pot, place the oil with the onion, carrot, and apple and gently sauté them for a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the ginger and mix well. At this point, add the pumpkin and the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat. Let it cook gently for about 20 minutes, until the pumpkin has become soft. Use an immersion blender to blend everything well until you get a smooth cream. Add the nutmeg, adjust the salt, and blend again briefly to mix everything well.
And here is a delicious pumpkin, ginger, and apple vegan cream, smooth and velvety, ready to be served hot at the table.
To be honest, it’s delicious even cold, I know because I had to wait to take the photos otherwise the steam would have fogged up the camera lens! And for 1 WW point per serving, you can also add a teaspoon of pumpkin seeds to decorate the final dish as I did.
But just a bit of parsley will suffice, and you can bring it to the table piping hot. We loved it so much, and as I mentioned before, I was surprised that the Dutchman liked it. And with zero WW points, it’s perfect to start the meal: it fills you up without having to count points and with lots of taste! Let me know what you think…
Enjoy your meal!
by Giovanna Buono
FAQ
What variety of pumpkin can I use?
I used Delica, but you can use any type of pumpkin with a sweeter flesh.
How long does it keep?
You can keep it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or even freeze it for 3 months: let it thaw at room temperature, reheat it, and it will be as delicious as freshly made.
Can I use stock cubes for the vegetable broth?
Of course, you can use stock cubes, make sure they are vegan. I always use the granular one and follow the package instructions for how much to use. I suggest this one: Organic Granular Broth.
