The kale and pumpkin soup is a colorful winter recipe. On winter evenings, I love to pamper myself with a hot soup. This easy minestrone can be enriched with potatoes (or sweet potatoes), whole grains (barley or farro), pre-cooked chickpeas or beans (borlotti or cannellini), lentils, leeks, or any other winter vegetable.
The kale (or curly kale) is a typical Tuscan vegetable that can be found at the market as early as October, but I recommend buying it after the first winter frosts, as it is less tough and more flavorful.
The pumpkin can be purchased at the end of summer and stored whole for several months in a cool, dry place. Peeled, washed, and cut into large pieces, it can also be stored in the freezer, ready for use.
SEASON
– kale: from October to April
– pumpkin: from August to April
RECIPES with kale
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 – 8 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Kale and Pumpkin Soup
- 1 onion (or leek)
- 300 Kale (and/or curly kale, savoy cabbage…)
- 300 pumpkin (or turnips or red beets)
- 1 quart Water
- to taste curry (or vegetable broth)
- to taste Coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 2 potatoes (or American sweet potatoes)
- 3.5 oz lentils (or pre-cooked legumes)
- 1.5 cups pearled barley (or farro, brown rice, quinoa, millet, dried pasta)
- spinach (or other leafy greens)
- mushrooms
- chestnuts, boiled
- parmesan (the rind)
- bacon (to be sautéed with the onion)
- 2 cloves
If the soup is enriched with some optional ingredient (written above), consider its cooking times to add it at the right moment to the soup.
Kale and Pumpkin Soup
Wash the pumpkin, cut it into slices, then clean it from the filaments and seeds inside. Cut it into uniform chunks.
Prepare the kale leaves, removing the central and hard rib. Then cut it into strips.
Peel the onion (or a leek), wash it, and cut it into thin slices.
COOKING
In a saucepan, sauté the onion with a drizzle of oil for about 5 minutes. Add a little water if necessary to stew it.
If desired, add the preferred whole grain (or lentils) at this time, after quickly rinsing them under running water to remove any impurities.
Season with curry (or vegetable broth) and salt. Then add the sliced kale and pumpkin cubes. Cover with the necessary water and cook everything until the desired level of doneness is reached (it will take about 25 minutes). Bring the water to a boil and then continue cooking over low heat and with the pan covered.
Serve the kale and pumpkin soup with a drizzle of raw extra virgin olive oil, a mix of chopped herbs, or croutons (flavored with garlic and rosemary).
ALTERNATIVES for the Kale and Pumpkin Soup
Kale leaves can be replaced with those of Creazzo broccoli, purple broccoli, curly kale, savoy cabbage, white or red cabbage.
