Winter Soup in Pumpkin Bowl

[MustLose80]

Ok, I am a massive pumpkin lover and I have adapted this soup this weekend in practice for when I start back on Atkins Friday. It used to contain 3 kinds of ravioli (butternut in a striped spinach pasta, garlic chicken in a tomato pasta, and shrimp moscarpone in a striped squid ink pasta) ...now if you can make ravioli Atkins friendly, I will add it back



Hollow out however many pumpkins you need (1 per person) in a good single serving size...about 8 inches wide. Reserve lids. Rub the inside with butter and a little salt and maybe white pepper, and then bake until only half done; fork goes in but not easily. When done cover in a couple of layers of heavy duty foil and keep warm. Ovens vary, so I don’t want to say 400 for 15 minutes, because this may not be right for you.



In a large pot start with 2 quarts chicken or even better, turkey broth, add:

Small meatballs 2#, made with either turkey or pork Italian sausage. Make them about the size of a hazelnut or slightly larger.

1 ½ cups diced pumpkin

Put these in to cook first, then add:

2 bunches golden beets peeled and roasted in oven until browning after
coating with olive oil (These aren’t allowed on induction, but have less
carbs than red)
2 large onions cut in half and then thick sliced, caramelized, or just roast with
the beets
2 cups Italian green beans (fresh or frozen)

3 cups fresh chopped (spinach, not baby…kale…beet tops) choose 1 or all

1t sage

½ t thyme

Salt and white pepper to taste

Cook 5 minutes

½ to 1 cup heavy cream at the end

Ladle into the pumpkin bowls, dollop sour cream mixed with green and white pepper, or green and white pepper flavored whipped cream in center, along side a dollop of chilled basil pesto (or sun dried tomato and black olive pesto) made with ½ butter ½ olive oil and a sprinkling of roasted pumpkin seeds. The inside of the pumpkin bowl should render a layer of meat soft enough to eat and not go through bowl.



(In the original recipe I made navy beans first then added the turkey stock and did the rest of the recipe as here, but leaving out the Italian green beans and the 1 cup of heavy cream at the end. If you can have the beans, this dish is even more yummy for cold winter nights).

Happy Holidays