Left-over pumpkin from Halloween? Need a quick and easy meal? Look no further…

We had a Lunch’n’Learn session this week for the whole team. Hot pumpkin soup with crusty bread. Just the thing to get our brains engaged during the meeting.

Pumpkin, chilli and coconut soup

Preparation time:  less than 30 mins

Cooking time:  10 to 30 mins

Serves 4-6

A warming winter soup; the kick of ginger and chilli is set off by soothing coconut milk. If you can't get hold of pumpkin, try butternut squash.

Ingredients

1 medium pumpkin, or butternut squash

1 large white onion, chopped

2cm piece of root ginger, finely chopped or ¼ tsp dried ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

5-6 chilli flakes or fresh, finely chopped chilli

4–5 sprigs thyme

400ml/14fl oz coconut milk

400ml stock (chicken or vegetable – add more liquid if you like your soup thinner)

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Add a splash of oil into a large pan and add the chopped onion. Cook on a gentle heat for 5 minutes.
2. Cut the pumpkin in half, then into wedges. Peel and deseed each wedge and cut the pumpkin flesh into 2cm cubes.
3. Put the pumpkin into the pan with the ginger, garlic and chilli. Strip the leaves from the thyme and add to the pan.
4. Pour in about 400ml of stock, bring to the boil and cook until the pumpkin has turned to a pulp.
5. Add the coconut milk and season to taste with salt, then reduce the heat and leave the soup to simmer for another 5–10 minutes. Use a liquidiser to puree the soup so it is smooth.