Roasted pumpkin apple soup is a healthier meal option for you around the holidays.

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s sometimes difficult to find healthy foods to prepare. The experts from UPMC BodyChangers, a weight loss and support group program, recommend that eating healthy around the holidays is important to maintaining your overall health and weight loss goals. Vicki March, MD, co-director of UPMC BodyChangers, offers the tips on how to prepare delicious roasted pumpkin apple soup.

“This is a great meal to serve around the holidays,” says Dr. March. “The rich pumpkin and apple taste goes together great on a cold winter today, plus, it provides a lot of nutritious value.”

Preparation time:30 minutes

Recipe serves: 12 servings

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds pie pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 4 large sweet-tart apples, such as Empire, Cameo or Braeburn, unpeeled, cored, and cut into eighths
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
  • 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Toss pumpkin (or squash), apples, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once, for 30 minutes. Stir in sage and continue roasting until tender and starting to brown, 15 to 20 minutes more.
  3. Transfer about one-third of the pumpkin (or squash) and apples to a blender along with 2 cups broth. Puree until smooth. Transfer to a Dutch oven and repeat for two more batches. Season with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and heat through over medium-low heat, stirring constantly to prevent splattering, for about six minutes. Serve each portion topped with hazelnuts and a drizzle of hazelnut oil.

Nutritional Information

Serving size: 1 cup

Calories (per serving): 180

Fat: 9 grams

Cholesterol: 0 milligrams

Editor's Note: This recipe was originally published on , and was last reviewed on .

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