Health Library

Ingredients:

• 1 cup leeks, rinsed and chopped
• 2 apples, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 1 medium sweet potato, skinned and chopped
• 2 cups pumpkin, roasted (see nutrition tip for how-to) and skinned; or 16 oz. canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 2 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, sauté chopped whites of leek for 5 minutes. Add in apples, cook two more minutes.
2. Add in 4 cups vegetable broth and the chopped sweet potato and pumpkin.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
4. Simmer 20 minutes.
5. Remove to a cool place before blending. Do not blend hot liquids. Do not overfill the blender, no more than 1/3 of the way up. When cooled, blend all of the soup and reheat to barely a simmer.
6. Garnish with fresh thyme and chives. Serve.

Yield:

6 servings (1 cup each)

Source:

Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center

Nutrition Tip

Pumpkin is a seasonal vegetable and the fall is the perfect time to start adding it into your meals. Pumpkins are a fantastic source of beta-carotene, which our bodies turn into vitamin A. They're also rich in alpha-carotene, a phytonutrient that can help maintain healthy vision. Alpha-carotene produces the vibrant orange color pumpkins are so well known for, and as a member of the carotenoid family, it provides antioxidants.

You can easily make your own pumpkin purée. Wash the pumpkin, slice it open, and seed it. Roast it in the oven by placing one cup of water in a baking dish, then laying pumpkin slices flesh side down (skin side up) in the dish. Bake it at 450 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until you can pierce the skin with a fork. Remove the skin after it's done. Transfer the pumpkin flesh to a bowl and mash with a potato masher or purée it in a food processor or blender.

You can add this purée to oatmeal, smoothies, pies, and this flavorful fall soup.