Recipes: Cook once, eat twice: How to turn pumpkin soup into delicious Mac 'n Cheese

You cook efficiently not only by preparing delicious dishes, but above all by cleverly reusing food. With increasing awareness of sustainability and time management in the kitchen, the concept of ‘cook once, eat twice’ is becoming more and more important. A prime example of this practice is transforming a hearty pumpkin soup into an irresistible mac ‘n cheese dish the following day. First you prepare an aromatic pumpkin soup. What’s left becomes the base for a creamy, cheesy pasta dish the next day. This approach not only saves time and energy, but also offers a wonderful opportunity to give classic recipes a new, exciting twist. Let’s cook!

For two

For the soup

1 small pumpkin (Hokkaido or butternut)

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 liter vegetable broth

1 can of coconut milk (400 ml)

1 TL Kreuzkümmel

1/2 TL Chiliflocken

Preparation:

Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut it into large cubes. Peel and dice the onion, peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Heat olive oil in a large pot and sauté onion and garlic cloves until soft and translucent. Add pumpkin cubes and sauté until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Salt and pepper.

Fill with a liter of vegetable broth and bring to the boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes until the pumpkin is soft. Add coconut milk and bring the soup to the boil again. Remove the soup from the heat and mix until creamy with a hand blender. The consistency should be thick. Season with cumin and chili flakes. Divide between two bowls and serve hot. Use the rest for the mac ‘n cheese.

For mac ‘n cheese

300 g Macaroni

300 ml pumpkin soup

100 g Parmesan

Salt pepper

1/2 TL Chiliflocken

a few fresh coriander leaves

Preparation:

Cook the pasta in batches until al dente. Meanwhile, heat the pumpkin soup in a pot and stir in the grated Parmesan. If necessary, season with salt and pepper. Drain the pasta water and add the pasta directly to the sauce. Let it steep briefly. If you like, grate some more Parmesan over it. Garnish with chili flakes and fresh coriander leaves.