Keto, Paleo, Vegan, Gluten and Dairy-Free

This is one of my favorite soups on the planet! The Ayote Sazon pumpkin is different from Fall holiday baking pumpkins or their Jack-o-lantern counter parts. It has an incredible flavor and creaminess. The Calabaza squash is my next closest substitute but its creamy flavor is so good on its own, I usually don’t make soup with it. I live in Costa Rica where I can easily buy and grow ayote sazon. I recently made a large batch of this soup for retreat participants; several of them asked for the recipe so I decided to finally write it down to share. I like to make this in my InstantPot, but you can also make it on the stove or in a crockpot.

Ingredients

  • 1 Ayote Sazon Chinese Pumpkin, seeded but not peeled, cut into chunks. They can come large, so if you are cooking for a group, go big, if not, get a smaller one or cut it all up and save it in the freezer for another day.
  • 1-2 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped. Number depends on the size of your pumpkin and how much you’d like to make. If it’s large then do two large yellow onions.
  • 1 can full fat coconut milk. I prefer one without guar gum or sorbitol additives. Even if I have a large pumpkin. I tend to use just 1 can, but you could use two. It adds a lovely creaminess.
  • 2 cups liquid. I prefer homemade chicken bone broth but even water works well.
  • 2-3 inches of fresh ginger root, peeled and diced
  • 1 Tablespoon paprika, try smoked if you have it
  • 1 Tablespoon cumin
  • 2 teaspoons – 1 Tablespoon of Curry (or more to taste, depends on how spicy you desire it)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste. I do a dash of pepper and 2 pinches of sea salt.
  • Optional Garnish: 1 dollop of coconut butter/manna per bowl or chopped cilantro or parsley

Instructions

  1. Seed pumpkin and chop into cubes, remove the stem. They can be large and uneven chunks because you’re going to blend the soup. Add to your InstantPot or large pot on the stove.
  2. (I clean the seeds and bake them with a drizzle of avocado oil and sea salt. Bake on 350 for 10 minutes, turn them over and bake again until toasted.)
  3. Peel and chop yellow onion and add to pot.
  4. Peel and dice ginger and add to pot.
  5. Add 2 cups of liquid, either broth or water and add to pot.
  6. Add paprika, cumin, curry powder, sea salt and pepper to the pot.
  7. Close and seal InstantPot and press “Soup” setting or cook covered on the stove until pumpkin is tender but not mushy.
  8. Next, blend soup. I prefer using my immersion blender, but a Vitamix or another blender can work. Be careful, it’s very hot! You may need to do in batches if you use a regular blender. After it’s blended put back into pot.
  9. Add 1 can full fat coconut milk and blend or stir to incorporate.
  10. Serve with a dollop of coconut butter or manna if you desire. Or chopped cilantro or parsley. If you eat meat, toss in a few pieces of cooked chicken for a protein boost.

Buen Provecho!