Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Soup with Thai Basil Pesto

This delicious, warming soup is a winter must have! Full of delicious, nourishing ingredients, and complimented by the fragrant, spicy & crunchy Thai basil pesto! It is eay to make and can be stored in the fridge for up to a week - making it a perfect addition to your winter meal plan! Serve with a small Thai style salad, or some crusty sourdough, to complete the meal.

Ingredients

To make the soup:

• 1 Tablespoon coconut oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

• 1 Tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

• 2 Tablespoons Thai red curry paste

• 5 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn

• 400g sweet potato, peeled & cut into 3cm pieces

• 400g pumpkin, peeled & cut into 3cm pieces

• 2 Tablespoons smooth organic peanut butter

• 1 Litre Vegetable stock

• 1 Tin (400ml) coconut milk

To make the Thai basil pesto:

• 2 cups loosely packed Thai basil leaves

• 1 cup loosely packed coriander leaves

• 1/3 cup unsalted roasted peanuts

• 3 teaspoons sesame oil

• 1/3 cup peanut oil

• 2 garlic cloves, chopped

• 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

• 1 teaspoon tamari

Directions

1. Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add in the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion has softened.

2. Add in the curry paste and kaffir leaves, stirring continuously for 2 minutes, or until the paste is fragrant and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot.

3. Add in thesweet potato, pumpkin, peanut butter and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and cook, for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

4. While the soup is cooking, make the Thai basil pesto, by putting all ingredients into a food processor and blitzing until it is finely chopped and is paste like. Set aside.

5. Remove the pot from heat and allow to cool slightly. Remove the kaffir lime leaves, using a slotted spoon. In batches, transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth. Once soup is all blended, return to the pot over a medium heat. Mix in the coconut milk and cook until it is warmed through.

6. Divide the soup between bowls, swirling through the Thai pesto. Serve with fresh corriander leaves and lime wedges. Enjoy!