Hearty Vegan Pumpkin Soup with Wild Rice

Introduction

Don’t know about you but we sure have been feeling winter here in Central Florida.

We’ve had a cold front with near freezing temperatures and even snow just north of us!

It’s the perfect season for hearty, warm, comforting soups such as this vegan pumpkin soup with wild rice I am sharing with you here.

This recipe is also in honor of wild rice, the gluten-free grain of the month in our series on Whole Grains 101.

Ingredient Discussion

Pumpkin

Any kind of edible gourd, pumpkin or squash will work in this recipe.

I am assuming you are starting with raw pumpkin but cooked is also fine.

You may or may not have some leftover fall decor pumpkins.

I still had around a few including a beautiful heirloom Jarrahdale pumpkin which is known to be particularly tasty.

Processing larger pumpkins can be a challenge.

Typically, I try to roast them whole or cut in half at 375° Fahrenheit for an hour.

This softens the hard outer layer and makes it a lot easier to cut through.

Wild Rice

Cooked wild rice adds texture and more protein than brown rice to the soup.

I like to use broken wild rice for this recipe because it cooks faster and is reminiscent of tiny pasta.

Typically, the wild rice is added last, after the soup has been cooked and blended.

In my mind, this creates a nice balance of creaminess from the blended soup and a soft bite from the wild rice.

If you end up using whole wild rice, you may want to experiment with blending a portion of it.

This will depend on your preference.

Carrot, Onion and Celery

Many soup recipes call for vegetable broth to create a flavor base.

The thing is I typically don’t have that on hand but I do have basic pantry ingredients including carrot, onion and celery.

These create the classic flavorful mirepoix combination.

Garlic

To further boost flavor, I like to add a few cloves of minced garlic.

Olive Oil

I prefer to sauté aromatics in a little olive oil as I have found it to be more flavorful.

Many people who follow a whole-food plant-based diet water sauté their aromatics instead to have a lower fat intake.

White Miso

White miso is an ingredient I like to have on hand because of the extra umami it adds to dishes.

As it it is quite intense in flavor, a little goes a long way.

And it you don’t have any, you can easily skip it and still have a delicious, hearty soup.

Tofu

I like to use tofu as a high protein addition to soup.

You could easily use any cooked white beans instead.

Water

I typically use water instead of vegetable stock for my soups simply because that is a lot more convenient.

Thanks to the mirepoix, garlic and miso, I still get excellent depth of flavor.

However, if you want to use vegetable stock, feel free to do so.

You can even use some coconut milk to replace the water in part or in whole – this is a higher fat option but it does make for an extra creamy soup.

Curry Powder

My preference for this soup is to use curry powder because the turmeric in the curry further enhances the orange color of the soup.

That being said, some people like to use thyme or sage when making pumpkin soup.

Feel free to mix it up if curry is not your thing.

Pumpkin Seeds

Toasted pumpkin seeds add a nice crunch and color contrast to the soup, as well as extra protein.

This is a particularly good option when are following a whole-food plant-based or vegan diet as you will be looking to layer your proteins from multiple plant sources.

While you could shell your own pumpkin seeds, I typically just toast the unhulled seeds from my pumpkins and have them as a snack.

That is not likely to be everyone’s favorite option and it is easier to just purchase raw hulled pumpkin seeds for this recipe.

Equipment Discussion

Wide Sauté Pan

I prefer to use a wide sauté pan with a glass lid such as this one.

Wide pans give me plenty of space to sauté my vegetables quickly.

The glass lid allows me to monitor how my soup is doing without impacting the cooking temperature.

However, as an alternative, you could always use a more traditional soup or stock pot.

Blender

I like to cool down my soup overnight and use a high speed countertop blender to make it silky smooth.

However, if you intend to use the soup right away, an immersion blender may be an easier option.

This way, you don’t have to transfer any hot liquids but you still would want to be careful with any liquid splashing.

Conclusion

This nourishing soup makes a great first course or even works as a light meal.

I hope it helps you keep warm through these colder months.

Wishing you a grainlicious experience!

Disclaimer:  I am not a medical professional or a nutritionist.  This post is provided for general educational purposes. For a full disclaimer, please see here. 

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