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High Protein Pumpkin Soup

Servings 8 - 1 3/4 cup servings
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Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup avocado oil
  • 2 cups carrots, chopped Approx. 3 large carrots peeled
  • 1 cup onion, chopped Approx. 1 medium onion
  • 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tbsp fresh garlic, pressed or chopped Approx. 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 10 oz bag of frozen butternut squash, steamed
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
  • 2 cups dried red lentils
  • 8 cups bone broth, chicken or beef
  • salt to taste (I added one additional 1 tsp salt at the end)
  • optional toppings: pumpkin seeds, greek yogurt, etc.

Instructions
 

  • In a large soup pan, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots and onions. Cook until soft, around 5 - 8 minutes.
  • Add ginger, garlic, salt & pepper. Stir and cook until fragrant, around 1 minute.
  • Add butternut squash, tomato paste, smoked paprika, and pumpkin. Stir and cook for 1 - 2 minutes.
  • Add lentils and bone broth. Stir well. Cover soup. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.
  • Cook for 30 minutes or until lentils are soft.
  • Using an immersion blender, puree soup. Alternatively, use a stand blender if needed. Stir in 1 more tsp of salt, if you want.
  • Top with pumpkin seeds and Greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition Facts:
360 kcal | 10 g fat | 42 g carbs | 7 g fiber | 25 g protein
Other Thoughts:
Bone broth is relatively low in sodium, so I added 1 teaspoon of salt to the recipe once it was done cooking, bringing the total to 2 teaspoons of salt for the entire recipe. If you choose not to use bone broth, you may not need to add more salt, as regular broth contains significantly more sodium than bone broth. Using regular broth will also decrease the total protein in this soup to 14 g of protein per serving.
How-to-Use:
Athletes: Add 2 - 3 slices of thick sourdough bread for adequate carbs. Or, make yourself a grilled cheese and dip it into this soup for the best meal around!
Healthy Eating: This soup is a very balanced option with 25 g of protein per serving, complex carbs, and antioxidant-rich vegetables. You may want to add something on the side, such as fruit or a side salad, to increase the total energy of the meal, as 360 calories is likely insufficient for most humans. 
Kids: With this smooth texture and no overwhelming flavors, this might be a great new soup for your kids to try!