Italian pumpkin and red lentil soup
This Italian pumpkin and red lentil soup is the perfect mid-week dinner when the temperature start to drop.
When October comes, the temperature drops at night and I love making a simple pumpkin soup with an Italian twist. If you have an instant pot or a pressure cooker this recipe can be made in less than 30 minutes.
This dish comes very handy because you can prepare the base in advance and then add the pasta. You can make a batch of soup, keep it in the fridge or even freeze it. Then, when you feel like you want to eat a warm cozy soup, you can thaw it directly in the pot, add some water and pasta and cook.
Pumpkins and squash varieties and uses
Nothing screams Fall more than pumpkins. All over the world pumpkin is used to make an endless number of recipes, from appetizer, to side dishes, main and also dessert. A very versatile veggie you can play with a lot.
In northern Italy, pumpkins are used to make gnocchi, risotto or ravioli. In the southern regions it’s widely used to make pasta, stews, or braised with tomatoes.
Every variety of pumpkin can be used to make your preferred recipe, however, some may be more suitable than others.
Is there a squash type that is better than other to make soups? What is the best one to make a filling, to braise or grill?
Let’s dive into the different types of pumpkins and my recommendation for their best use:
Soups and creams and fillings
Watery squashes are great to make soups with. Since you’re going to blend it, the firmness of the pulp is that important. Muscat pumpkin is a good example. However, if you want a velouté, the texture of the pumpkin counts a lot and I highly recommend to use a firmer one like Kabocha, Buttercup or Butternut. The firmer creamier texture makes a creamier soup without adding other ingredients.
These squashes with a firmer pulp are also perfect for making fillings and stuffings. If you want to make gnocchi, I definitely recommend using a kabocha squash. You’ll use less flour and the texture of the gnocchi would be creamier. Turban squash is a great variety to use too. In Italy is mostly used the mantovana variety.
Grilling or baking
When it comes to grilling or baking, you again want to use a firmer pumpkin. Those that contain more water, will be mushy and possibly release too much water when cooked. I would use again varieties like Kabocha, acorn or buttercup for grilling and baking. The compact flesh browns slightly on the outside and remains creamy and nutty on the inside. Hokkaido squash is also a great alternative.
Stewing or stir-frying
All varieties that have firm flesh can be used for stewing or sautéing. Again, the watery ones would ooze too much water and the end result would not be pleasing either to the eye or to the taste.
Pasta and risotto
to make pasta or risotto every pumpkin basically work. Once again, but that is my personal preference, I would use butternut or kabocha.
Butternut squash has a very thin skin. Using the whole pumpkin adds a lot of fiber and other important nutrients to your dish. You also won’t be wasting food! Turban squash too has a thin skin you can use.
Why pumpkin is good for your health
Pumpkin, like many other vegetables, is very precious for your health. It is rich in a lot of compounds that helps prevent illnesses and also improve your immune system and lowers inflammation.
- Fibers: can you believe that just 1 cup of pumpkin contains 7gr of fiber? It is around 1/4 of the fiber you want to eat in a day, in a single serving. Fibers are great for improving your gut health and therefore help with inflammation. The fiber from the pumpkin helps boost the presence of Akkermansia in the gut. A bacteria strain that is associated with a plethora of health benefits.
- Metabolism booster: eating pumpkin reduces insulin resistance, and also lowers blood lipid levels, meaning it helps prevent type 2 diabetes.
- Eye health: pumpkin contains lutein and zeaxanthin, that help preventing visual loss from macular degeneration.
- Potassium: squash is also rich in potassium. A regular intake of potassium helps with cardiovascular diseases, kidney stones, bone health and type 2 diabetes prevention.
Italian pumpkin and red lentil soup
Ingredients
- 500 gr of pumpkin
- 100 gr of red lentils
- 2 large carrots
- 1 onion
- 180 gr short pasta or broken spaghetti
- 1200 ml stock
- salt
- pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- parmigiano or cheese to garnish
Instructions
- Wash the vegetables and cut them into chunks. Wash the red lentils.
- Put a large pot on medium heat and add some stock, then add the pumpkin, carrots, onions, lentils and cook for a minute or two.
- Add the stock, salt and pepper. If your stock is salty, then leave out the salt at first. You can adjust it later, once you blend the soup. Cover with a lid and cook.
- After ten minutes on medium low heat, blend the soup. You can use a hand blender or a classic blender. TIP:You can eat this as a simple soup with crostini or as an appetizer. If it's too watery, cook a bit more to thickens or add a teaspoon of starch dissolved in water and mix very well to thicken.
- Once the soup is blended, add the rosemary and the pasta and cook for 8/9minutes (or follow the instructions on the pasta package). If the soup is too thick add more stock or some water.
- Once it's cooked, let it cool down a bit and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and some grated parmigiano cheese.
USING A PRESSURE COOKER
- Put the vegetables, lentils and the stock in the pot, cover and let it reach the pressure.
- Cook for 5 minutes then release the pressure and blend the soup.
- Add the pasta and some stock if the soup is too thick. Adjust the saltiness. Add the rosemar and close the lid. Put on high heat until you the pot whistles. Set the heat to low and cook for 5/6 minutes.
- Release the pressure and serve with olive oil and cheese.
