Pumpkin & Tomato Soup
Before I get to today's recipe, I need to cover what I've missed over the past two weeks... Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Holy Crap can you believe it's 2018!?! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season with the people who you love most, and that you had PLENTY of time for self-love and relaxation in preparation for this exciting new year!
I was lucky enough to have almost two weeks off work, so I got lots of {indoor} family time, and downtime as well! For those of you who live in Alberta, you are well aware that it has been COLD. We were dealing with an absolutely beautiful winter until the week of Christmas, and then suddenly temperatures dropped drastically and we ended up with days in the -30's. Way too frickin' cold, let me tell you.
Now, it's safe to say that the holidays are officially over, but we unfortunately still have a lot of winter weather ahead of us. In an effort to stay warm (and to detox after all of those Christmas dinners!), it's time to make some soup!
Homemade soup is something that used to intimidate me because I always thought making it was more complicated than it really is. The truth is, soup is one of the easiest, and most delicious, meals to make! There are endless combinations that you can throw together... it's a great way to clean out the fridge at the end of the week, and it's an easy way to sneak in extra veggies and nutrients into your diet. Plus, the longer you let it simmer, the better it gets, and you can also make a huge batch and freeze individual portions for when you need a quick lunch!
I also like to use leftover pureed soup (like the one I'm sharing today) as a sauce. If you have leftovers after trying this recipe... cut up some chicken breasts (or any meat you prefer), place them in a baking dish and pour the leftover soup on top. Cook at 350ºF until chicken is cooked through, add a side of roasted veggies and some quinoa, and there's dinner! Because it's so versatile, soup is a great addition to your weekly meal prep, if that's something you're into.
Well, that's enough talk, let's get to the recipe!
Pumpkin & Tomato Soup
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 medium zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp dried sage
4 cups chicken bone broth (homemade is best)
1 19oz. can of diced tomatoes
1 cup pumpkin puree (homemade is best)
sea salt & black pepper
fresh basil, sliced into ribbons
Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in large pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion and garlic and lightly sauté for 5 minutes, and then add zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cayenne pepper, and sage, and cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.
3. Stir in bone broth, canned tomatoes, and pumpkin puree, and bring to a boil.
4. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes.
5. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or through batches in a regular blender, until smooth.
6. Add sea salt & black pepper to taste, and top with fresh basil before serving.