There is nothing better than a creamy, comforting bowl of soup on a cool fall evening. It’s the perfect way to warm up from the cooler weather, and, not to mention, it’s perfect for meal prepping. My Gut-Healthy Cauliflower Pumpkin Lentil Soup is packed with cozy plant-based ingredients to keep your belly full and your gut healthy all season long. It’s made from tender cauliflower, creamy pumpkin, hearty lentils, and is topped with coconut yogurt, cilantro, and lime for a flavor combination that is truly unbeatable.
Friends, it is officially fall, which means that it’s the start of two very important seasons: soup season and pumpkin season! I don’t know about you, but I love pumpkins and I love soup, which is why I knew that I needed to create a recipe that combined both of them together. If you’re looking for a soup that truly has it all, then this is the recipe for you. It’s got tender cauliflower, hearty lentils, creamy pumpkin, flavorful shallots, and a host of delicious toppings that make this soup SO good.
And not only is this soup delicious, of course, but it also happens to be gut-friendly as well, and that’s because it’s made from ingredients that are good for your gut. These ingredients provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals that allows the good bacteria in our gut to thrive.
Maintaining a healthy gut is so important for our overall health and well-being. It’s responsible for breaking down the food we eat, absorbing the nutrients from it, and using those nutrients to support our body’s many different functions. There are many different ways that we can work to maintain a healthy gut, including eating a diet rich in real, whole foods and taking the right supplements. One of my favorite ways to support my gut-health, aside from making this soup, is to take a probiotic. The Daily Synbioic from Seed is my absolute favorite gut-healthy supplement, because it’s a prebiotic and probiotic all in one, and you can use code KALEJUNKIE to get 15% off your first month!
All of the Gut-Healthy Ingredients Needed to Make This Soup
Because this is a gut-healthy soup, we’ll be using a medley of gut-healthy ingredients in order to bring it to life! To make this recipe, I consulted the Periodic Table of Microbiome Friendly Foods, to make sure that the ingredients I’m using can help support a healthy gut!
- Cauliflower: When it comes to superfoods, Cauliflower fits the bill! It’s rich in several phytochemicals, in addition to containing many essential nutrients—vitamin A, several several B vitamins such as thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), + niacin (vitamin B3), vitamin C, calcium, iron, and phosphorous, making it the perfect gut-healthy food.
- Shallot: Shallots are packed with antioxidants and are rich in vitamin B6, which plays an important role in protecting the brain and body from inflammation.
- Olive Oil: Olive oil is high in a monounsaturated fatty acid known as oleic acid, which can have a positive impacts on blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation levels.
- Lentils: Lentils contain high quantities of prebiotics that support in maintaining the gut microbiome. And, not to mention, they are also an excellent source of plant-based protein!
- Pumpkin: Canned pumpkin is not only perfectly abundant this time of year, but it is also a rich source of carotenoids, polyphenols, tocopherols (vitamin E), vitamins (C, B1, Folate), and minerals (K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn).
- Coconut Yogurt: This is optional, but highly recommended. Coconut yogurt contains Medium Chain Fatty Acids (MCFA’s), which are great for energy and glucose metabolism.
In addition to these gut-healthy ingredients, you will also need the following ingredients to bring this soup to life!
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible, because it adds the best flavor to any recipe. Especially when it comes to a soup!
- Turmeric: Turmeric not only adds anti-inflammatory benefits to this soup (especially when paired with the black pepper, which helps increase the bioavailability of the turmeric), but it also gives this soup its perfect golden color.
- Seasonings: To season this soup, we’ll be using cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. Yum!
- Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth: If you want to keep this soup vegan-friendly, you can use vegetable broth. Or, if you want to add some extra protein, you can use chicken broth or bone broth. All of the above work just as well!
- Non-Dairy Milk: Pick your favorite non-dairy milk and add it to this recipe! I like using almond milk, but any non-dairy milk works.
- Cilantro: Cilantro may be small, but it is packed with vitamins and minerals, making it the perfect addition to this soup recipe! I love garnishing this soup with lots of chopped cilantro.
- Lime: I absolutely love the brightness that a fresh squeeze of lime brings to this recipe! It’s optional, but I highly recommend it.
How to Make This Gut-Healthy Fall Soup
To make this soup, start by preheating your oven to 425 F. Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. You can spray the tray with a little bit of oil, if you’d like, to ensure that the parchment paper sticks to it. Next, roughly chop the shallots and cauliflower, peel the garlic, and add them to a bowl alongside the olive oil, turmeric, cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss the vegetables until they’re fully coated in the oil and seasonings. Then, transfer them to the baking sheet. Bake the veggies for 30 minutes, being sure to flip them at the 15 minute mark, to ensure that they’re evenly cooked through.
Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from the oven and add them to a large pot, on the stove, alongside the lentils, pumpkin purée, broth, and non-dairy milk. Stir and heat the mixture on high until it starts to boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow the soup to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
Once the lentils are fully cooked, remove the soup from the heat and transfer it into a blender. Blend for a few seconds, until the soup has texture but the larger pieces have broken down. If you don’t want to use a blender, you can also opt for an immersion blender! Finally, transfer the soup into bowls, serve, and enjoy! I recommend topping the soup off with a dollop of coconut yogurt, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Ingredients
For the Soup:
- 1 Large Head Cauliflower, chopped
- 2 Large Shallots, quartered
- 4 Cloves Garlic
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 Tablespoon Turmeric
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- ½ Cup Red Lentils
- 1 Cup Canned Pumpkin
- 2 Cups Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth
- 1 ½ Cups Non-Dairy Milk, I use almond milk, but you can use whatever non-dairy milk you'd like!
For the Toppings:
- Coconut Yogurt
- Cilantro, chopped
- Lime, juiced
Instructions
- To make this soup, start by preheating your oven to 425 F.
- Next, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside. You can spray the tray with a little bit of oil, if you'd like, to ensure that the parchment paper sticks to it.
- Next, roughly chop the shallots and cauliflower, peel the garlic, and add them to a bowl alongside the olive oil, turmeric, cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper. Toss the vegetables until they're fully coated in the oil and seasonings. Then, transfer them to the baking sheet.
- Bake the veggies for 30 minutes, being sure to flip them at the 15 minute mark, to ensure that they're evenly cooked through.
- Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from the oven and add them to a large pot, on the stove, alongside the lentils, pumpkin purée, broth, and non-dairy milk.
- Stir and heat the mixture on high until it starts to boil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and allow the soup to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
- Once the lentils are fully cooked, remove the soup from the heat and transfer it into a blender. Blend for a few seconds, until the soup has texture but the larger pieces have broken down. If you don't want to use a blender, you can also opt for an immersion blender!
- Finally, transfer the soup into bowls, serve, and enjoy! I recommend topping the soup off with a dollop of coconut yogurt, chopped cilantro, and a squeeze of lime.
Rate & review
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What others are saying
Tasty soup! Thick and creamy 🙂
I’m so glad you loved it, Ann! Thank you so much for your review!
Made this tonight. It’s a perfectly cozy and delicious fall soup!
Woohoo! I am so happy you liked it! Thank you so much, Nancy!
Very nice indeed! I like roasted butternut squash so prepared some previous day to use. I added extra lentils (at least double as I love lentils, with extra water, and 1 tin of coconut milk in place of the alternative milk, and also added in the lime juice after blending… so delicious!! Thank you 😊
Yum! That sounds delicious, Sharon! Thank you so much for making this recipe, and for leaving such a kind review!