Creamy Pumpkin Soup to Support Heart Health

I’m always delighted when the fall months start to come around. I love how the leaves start to change color, I love how you can feel the excitement in the air of kids going back to school, but most of all, I love how pumpkins are back in season. I go nuts every year in the fall making all sorts of delicious pumpkin recipes, including this creamy pumpkin soup recipe that’s great for supporting heart health. And since heart disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, any kind of meal that tastes delicious while being heart healthy is a winner in my book. This recipe is both of those things, as the soup is packed full of incredibly tasty ingredients that have proven benefits for your heart health.

How to Make the Best Heart-Healthy Pumpkin Soup

To begin, you’re going to need to heat up two tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat. Add in your finely chopped onion, cook it for 3-5 minutes, and then add in the garlic and grated fresh ginger. Garlic and onion are always a fantastic pairing to add to your soups, and they’re each a huge personal favorite of mine. They add an immense amount of flavor and some outstanding benefits for your health. Ginger makes for a perfect complementary ingredient to go along with the garlic and onion though, as not only does it add a deliciously spicy hint to your soup, but it’s also great for your heart health. One study actually found that daily ginger consumption is linked with a reduced risk for both hypertension and coronary heart disease. (1)

Next, add in the sweet potato and chopped pumpkin and saute them for about two minutes. Both of these ingredients help to make your soup even more heart friendly as they’re both a great source of dietary fiber. On top of that, sweet potatoes are also a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help to further protect against heart disease. (2) Likewise, the pumpkin contains an abundance of essential nutrients that help to improve circulation and assist with keeping your blood vessels flexible, reducing your heart disease risk even further. (3)

You can now add in four cups of homemade bone broth, two cups of water, and the ground cumin. Along with the ginger, adding in a bit of cumin helps to give your soup even more of a delightfully spicy flavor. It also provides quite a few great health benefits in its own right, with studies finding that it can help treat several types of diseases, including cancer and diabetes. (4) After adding everything in, you can go ahead and cover the pot with a lid and leave the soup to cook for 15-20 minutes.

Once the veggies are cooked enough to be fork tender, transfer your soup into an immersion blender and puree it until it’s nice and smooth. Use a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning, and then then add a bit of chopped cilantro and just a pinch of red pepper flakes for a garnishment. You can also optionally add a tablespoon or two of yogurt if you’d like – it’s quite yummy when added into the soup!

(You may also like: Heart-Healthy Turmeric Meatball Soup)

Print