Pumpkin and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

My cookbook, 1,000 Diabetes Recipes, came out a few weeks ago and I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes in the book to make this time of year. If you love to make butternut squash soup, but hate all the time it takes for peeling and chopping, you’ll love this recipe.

It uses canned pumpkin, so it takes no time at all to prep. If you have any red peppers left from the end of the season farmers’ market, by all means roast your own. But honestly, this is one recipe where it really doesn’t matter. The only way to possibly mess up this recipe is if you buy the wrong kind of pumpkin—you want “canned pumpkin” not “pumpkin pie filling.”

It’s great to have for lunch or an easy supper. And, if you want to dress it up a little and serve it at a holiday dinner, top each serving with a spoonful of plain low-fat yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream. Enjoy the ease of the season.

Pumpkin and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

5 to 5 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Add 5 cups of the stock, the bell pepper, salt, and ground pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Place the vegetable mixture in a food processor or blender in batches and process until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the pumpkin. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth a few tablespoons at a time, if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and serve at once. The soup can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Each serving: 16 g carbohydrate, 80 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein, 324 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1; Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable

Photo: Veer