Pumpkin, Oats, and Chestnut Soup: The Detox Comfort Food for Autumn
November and January are ideal months to focus on healthy dishes and detox recipes, useful for preparing the body or detoxifying it after festive periods. If after summer you feel the need for lightness, this autumn soup is the gourmet alternative to the usual boiled vegetables.
Functional Ingredients for a Balanced One-Dish Meal
This is not your usual soup: it’s a complete meal that combines sweetness and crunchiness.
Pumpkin and Carrots: Rich in beta-carotene and antioxidants.
Whole Oats: For a hearty texture and a slow energy release (low glycemic index).
Toasted Hazelnuts: Provide good fats and an inimitable rustic note.
Steamed Chestnuts: Known as the ‘bread of the poor,’ they ensure high-quality complex carbohydrates and essential minerals.
Why Choose Fit and Genuine Recipes in Autumn?
Cooking healthy doesn’t mean sacrificing taste. Often the body shows signs of discomfort after heavy meals during the hot season or holidays. A diet based on steaming and comforting dishes allows to:
Detox the liver thanks to natural ingredients.
Satisfy for a long time thanks to the fibers in oats and nuts.
Vary macronutrients by integrating carbohydrates, vegetable fats, and vitamins in a single meal.
Other ideas for healthy and delicious soups and comfort food to try:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
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- 1 Delica pumpkin (or mantovana)
- 6 Carrots
- 1 Golden onion
- 180 g oats
- 700 ml vegetable broth (+ as needed)
- 100 g Hazelnuts (peeled)
- 12 Chestnuts (already cooked and shelled)
- 2 leaves Bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- 1 Knife
- 1 Pot
- 1 Casserole
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Hand blender
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Parchment paper
Preparation
Start by cleaning the pumpkin, removing the outer skin, seeds, and internal filaments, then cut it into not too thick slices and then into cubes.
Do the same with the carrots, cutting them into rounds.
In a large casserole, sauté the finely chopped onion with a generous drizzle of oil. Add the carrots and sauté for 1′.
Also add the pumpkin cubes and fully cover with vegetable broth. Cook on low heat from boiling for 25′. The vegetables should be nice and soft.
Once cooked, discard the remaining broth, which you can use for other preparations, and adjust with salt and pepper. Let it cool and blend with a hand blender until you have a smooth cream.
Meanwhile, place the hazelnuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper without overlapping. Toast them at 320°F for about 30′. Naturally, if your hazelnuts are already toasted, skip this step.
Rinse the oats under running water with the help of a fine mesh strainer, then cook in a large pot with plenty of salted water and 2 bay leaves for about 45′. Turn off and drain well.
Serve the soup still hot with a few tablespoons of oats, the toasted hazelnuts, the broken chestnuts, and a drizzle of raw oil.
And voilà… the pumpkin and carrot soup with oats and hazelnuts is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appetit from La Cucina di FeFé!
Storage
👉The pumpkin and carrot soup with oats and hazelnuts keeps in the fridge in suitable refrigeration containers for 2-3 days without hazelnuts and chestnuts, which should be added when reheated.
Can oats be replaced with another grain?
The versatility of this dish allows you to use the grain of your choice or one that best suits your dietary needs, so feel free to use spelt, quinoa, rice, or pearl barley.
