Autumn Soup with Pumpkin, Carrots and Sweet Potatoes

By Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff

There is nothing more welcoming than the smell of cooking soup when you come home.  

This is particularly true for the autumn evenings.  Soups are hydrating, easy to digest, simple to prepare and can be nourishing. A soup can be made when you have time and be reheated to serve.  Today’s soup is often better the next day. 

The fall season brings us many naturally colorful fruits and vegetables that are needed for the shorter and darker days. Beta carotene, an antioxidant present in pumpkin, carrots and sweet potatoes used in this recipe, is beneficial for our vision and the immune system which can be compromised in the winter. In addition, these vegetables also contain other health-promoting nutrients such as good amounts of potassium, bioflavonoids and carotenoids. 

I am keeping the flavors of this soup quite simple, adding only onion, salt and pepper. If you wish, you can garnish the soup later with herbs such as parsley, cilantro or herbs de province. Or, to give it a spicy tone, add a spoonful of Mexican salsa, garlic/cayenne paste or sriracha sauce. 

½ small pie pumpkin (about 2 cups when cooked and cut into cubes) 

    or 2 cups of pureed canned pumpkin 

3 carrots (to measure 2 cups of chunks)

2 orange-flesh sweet potatoes (to measure 2 cups when cut into chunks) 

6 to 7 cups of vegetable stock (home-made or store bought) 

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 cup of finely chopped white portions of scallion, shallots or white onion

1 teaspoon or less salt

½ teaspoon or to taste freshly ground pepper

Optional: A few tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice

For garnish: Fresh parsley, or cilantro leaves, herbs de Provence or the hot sauce of your choice

Cut the pie pumpkin into two halves and remove seeds and fibers. You will only need half of the pumpkin. The rest the pumpkin can be refrigerated for making a pie or muffins later. Cut the half pumpkin into 4 or 6 big pieces. Do not peel. Place the pumpkin pieces in a large pot of water and bring it to a boil. Next, scrape to clean the carrots and sweet potatoes. Cut them into big chunks and add them to the soup pot. Cook the vegetables for 30 minutes until all of them are very soft. Next, take the vegetables out of the pot. Peel the sweet potatoes. Cut all vegetables into bite-size pieces. 

In a large pot, heat the stock and bring it to a boil. Lower the heat and keep it simmering.

Then, heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the scallion or shallots or onion for 3 minutes. Add all the vegetables and continue to stir for 5 minutes. Then add them to the simmering stock. Add the salt, herbs and pepper and continue to cook the mixture for several minutes.  

Using an immersion blender or an electric blender, puree the soup finely. (You may need to do this in smaller batches, if using the blender). Pour the soup back to the pot and keep it warm using a very low heat until ready to serve. Add the optional lemon or lime juice. Top the soup with the choice of garnish and serve the soup hot with a hearty bread. 

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Recipes by Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff, copyright 2024. Shanta is a Sunset District resident and the author of “Cooking Together” and “Flavors of India,” available at Other Avenues Food Store at 3930 Judah St. Shanta writes recipes and articles on food and nutrition. She teaches vegetarian and vegan cooking classes at her home and gives cooking demonstrations for the public at SFPL branches frequently which you can find by viewing San Francisco Public Library’s event page. You can also view her recipes via videos on YouTube by searching Shanta Nimbark Sacharoff’s YouTube videos.