Pumpkin Red Lentil Soup in The Instant Pot

What screams fall more than pumpkin and soup? 

(if you are opening this page on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page and click gluten-free A-Z link to view on the web version which is a much better view)

If you are craving the taste of pumpkin and are in the mood for a bowl of nice warm soup, then you will love this recipe!

It is easy to make, nourishing, and has the deicious fall flavors you are looking for as the leaves on the trees begin to turn beautiful shades of reds, yellows, oranges, and browns and the weather begins to become damp and cooler. 

I serve fall soup in my colorful fall looking mugs 

The one thing that I look for in a recipe is respect for my time. I don't like making anything that calls for hard to find ingredients or is intricate or very time consuming. 

I'm looking for easy prep, quick cooking, and easy to find ingredients. This seasonal soup recipe meets my criteria. 

I make this soup in the Instant Pot, but you can just as easily make it in a pot on the stove top.

In addition, this creamy soup is gluten-free, vegan, parve, and oil-free making it perfect if you, a family member, or a guest has special eating needs.

Ingredients:

1 16 ounce jar of organic chunky salsa (contains tomatoes, onions, peppers etc.) mild, medium or spicy - your choice

1 can of pumpkin puree (or make your own pumpkin puree-link) 

or 2 cups of peeled pumpkin, chopped into bite-size pieces 

1 cup of red lentils, washed well

2 cups of potatoes, peeled and chopped into bitesize pieces

1 carrot, peeled and sliced 

1/2 -1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice (start with 1/2 teaspoon)

4 cups of water

4 cups of vegetable broth

Optional: 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds to garnish

Directions:

Add all of the ingredients to the liner of a 6 or 8 qt Instant Pot. Set to pressure cook for 11 minutes. When done, allow to sit 5 minutes and then release steam manually according to the manufacturers directions. When all steam is released, remove lid and using an immersion blender blend to desired consistency.  

Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds.

 Make your own
 Homemade pumpkin puree (link to easy recipe) 
The best pumpkins for puree are a
small sugar pumpkins or one that says "pie pumpkin". 

My Notes: 

No salsa? 

If you don't have or don't want to use chunky salsa in the soup recipe, substitute 1 cup of chopped onions, 2 chopped tomatoes, 1/2 red bell pepper and jalenpeno to your taste. Sauté before adding to the soup.

Make your own pumpkin pie spice mix with the following recipe: 

if you are opening this page on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page and click gluten-free A-Z link to view on the web version which is much better)

Joining the Weekend Cooking Linky at the Intrepid Reader and Baker where anyone can share a food related post every Saturday morning.