PUMPKIN, WHITE BEAN AND LEEK SOUP

This soup is all about seasonal goodness.  Pumpkins add a delicious sweet, velvety note to your soup and by adding succulent leeks and protein packed beans you are rewarded with a soup which is perfect for these cold evenings.  

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tbsp oil

1 leek, washed and sliced thinly

500g pumpkin, skinned, deseeded and cut into 1 cm dice

2 x 425g cannellini beans

100g kale, spinach, silver beet

Salt and cracked pepper

Method

Place the oil and leeks in a medium sized saucepan and cook over a moderate heat for 3 minutes.

Add half the pumpkin and stir to mix, reduce the temperature and cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes or until the pumpkin and leeks are soft.

Add the beans and their liquid.  Add 1 cup water and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Cook the soup for a further 10 minutes, then add the remaining pumpkin and greens.  

Continue cooking the soup until the pumpkin is tender and slightly mushy.

Using a potato masher lightly pound the soup so that some of the beans and pumpkin get lightly mashed.  This will give the soup a better consistency.

Adjust seasoning if necessary.

Serve and enjoy