Protein-Power Creamy Soup
Craving a filling, protein-rich lunch that is ready in no time? Here is how I make my festive creamy pumpkin soup, built around a savory mushroom-and-herb protein shake.
This protein-power creamy soup is a velvety pumpkin and butternut squash blend, warmed with ginger, lemongrass and a little chili, enriched with coconut milk, and finished with two protein shakes for a filling, protein-rich bowl you can put together in about half an hour. It is lightly spiced and creamy without any actual cream, and it packs beautifully to take with you for lunch.
A fast lunch that still feeds you well
You may already know how much I dislike spending endless hours in the kitchen. I know, that is a little ironic considering the kitchen is my playground, but with a busy schedule I avoid dishes that take forever to come together. That is why I am always looking for easy solutions for the days when time is tight. When you work from home, you often just need a quick lunch that will not derail the whole afternoon.
I built this soup around the protein shakes I discovered from Herbalife Nutrition, and today I want to tell you about the Formula 1 Gourmet with Mushrooms and Herbs. And let me be completely honest: if you like mushrooms, you will surely fall in love with the flavors of this shake. It has an amazing umami taste that makes me want to eat it as it is, and it reminds me of nutritional yeast flakes and their brilliant flavor. Today I used that F1 Gourmet shake and created a festive creamy soup around it.
What goes into this creamy protein soup
The base is roughly a kilo of pumpkin or one large butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into rough 3cm pieces. Either works, so use whichever is in better shape at the shop. Look for a squash that feels heavy and dense for its size, with firm skin and no soft spots, since that density is what gives the soup its silky body once blended.
The aromatics do a lot of the heavy lifting here: onion, garlic, fresh ginger, a red chili and a stick of lemongrass. Peel and grate the ginger finely, and with the lemongrass, trim it, discard the tough outer leaves and slice only the tender inner core so it releases its citrusy perfume without leaving woody bits behind. A tin of low-fat coconut milk keeps the finish rich but light, and a handful of shredded basil at the end brightens the whole bowl.
What makes it a protein-power soup is the pair of Herbalife shakes stirred in at the end: two servings of the Formula 1 Savoury Mushroom and Herb and four servings of the Formula 3 PPP (personalized protein powder). The savoury shake carries that deep, umami mushroom note, while the PPP quietly boosts the protein without changing the flavor.
How to build the flavor and blend it smooth
Start by sweating the onion, garlic, chili, ginger, lemongrass and squash together in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, then turn the heat low, cover the pan and let them cook for about ten minutes. Cooking them gently and covered is the key first step: it coaxes the aromatics into a soft, fragrant base and starts the squash softening without any browning, so the finished soup tastes sweet and mellow rather than roasted.
Next, pour in the coconut milk and the stock, bring it to a boil, then simmer for another five to eight minutes until the squash is completely tender. You want the pieces to give way easily when you press them with a knife tip, because any firmness left in the squash will leave you with a grainy rather than a silky blend. Take the pan off the heat before you add the shakes, then liquidise until smooth and return it to the pan. Blending the F1 Savoury and Formula 3 PPP in off the heat folds their umami evenly through the soup and keeps that creamy texture intact. Reheat gently if it has cooled, season to taste, thin with a splash more stock if you like it looser, and scatter the shredded basil on top.
Ways to make it your own
- Squash: pumpkin and butternut are interchangeable here, so reach for whichever looks best.
- Stock: use a good vegetable stock, ideally a reduced-salt one so you can season it properly at the end.
- The savoury splash: finish with a little vegan fish sauce, tamari or soy sauce for a salty, umami hit. The mushroom-and-herb shake already brings so much umami that you only need a little.
- Heat: use the whole chili for a warming kick, or scrape out the seeds if you want it milder.
If you want to enjoy the shake on its own instead, just add two servings (52g) of the powder to 250ml of warm milk. Vegan milk or not works, though I recommend soy milk for this one. My homemade rice milk is just as good if you prefer to make your own.
What to serve alongside it
This soup is filling on its own, but if you want to turn it into a slightly bigger meal, it loves a savory side. A lunch wrap on the side makes it more substantial, a slice of onion tart plays beautifully off the sweet squash, and a bowl of garlicky smashed sweet potatoes keeps the whole plate warm and comforting for a cold-weather lunch.
Storing and packing it for later
This soup keeps, covered, in the fridge for a few days, and it also freezes well for a few months. Reheat it thoroughly before serving, adding a little extra stock if it has thickened up in the fridge. I photographed it in the special soup container gifted from Herbalife Romania, and I think it is simply genius. I was always struggling with packing soups for my husband to take to work, but now I have found an ideal solution.
If this kind of cozy, blended bowl is your thing, you will probably also enjoy my creamy carrot and ginger soup and, since I could not resist testing this same shake in another recipe, my cream of mushroom soup.
If you make this festive creamy soup, I would love to know how the lemongrass and mushroom-herb shake worked out for you. Leave a star rating and drop a comment below with any tweaks you tried. I am always curious to read your reactions, and until then, happy cooking and bon appetit!
Summarise & Save This Recipe
★ Add us as a trusted Google source
Festive Creamy Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 red chili diced
- 1 piece ginger peeled and grated
- 1 stick lemongrass trimmed, outer leaves discarded, then finely sliced
- 1 small pumpkin or 1 large butternut squash (approx. 1kg in weight altogether), peeled, deseed and cut into roughly 3cm pieces
- 1 tin low-fat coconut milk 400 ml
- 750 ml chicken or reduced-salt vegetable stock
- 1-2 Tbsp fish sauce
- 2 servings F1 Savoury Mushroom and Herb 52g
- 4 servings Formula 3 PPP 24g
- 1 bunch basil shredded
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan on a high heat and add the extra virgin olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, chilli, ginger, lemongrass and pumpkin, season with salt and pepper, turn the heat down to low, cover and cook for about 10 minutes till the squash is almost tender.
- Add the coconut milk and the stock, bring to the boil and cook for 5-8 minutes more, until the pumpkin is completely tender.
- Remove from the heat then add the F1 Savoury and the Formula 3 PPP and liquidise until smooth and return to the pan. When ready to eat, reheat the soup gently if its cooled down, season with fish sauce to taste, adding a little more stock to thin it out if you wish. Sprinkle with basil, then serve.
- This soup will keep covered in the fridge for a few days. Reheat thoroughly to serve. It can also be frozen for a few months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The Herbalife protein shakes are plant-based, and this version is built to be fully vegan: use vegetable stock and finish with a splash of vegan fish sauce, tamari or soy sauce for the salty, umami note. That keeps the whole bowl completely plant-based.
Yes, you can leave the shakes out and still have a lovely creamy pumpkin and coconut soup, though you lose the protein boost and the deep umami note from the mushroom-and-herb shake. If you want to echo that savory flavor, stir in a spoonful of nutritional yeast at the end. The texture will still be silky thanks to the blended squash and coconut milk.
Either works, so pick whichever looks best at the shop. You want roughly one kilogram of squash altogether, peeled, deseeded and cut into rough 3cm pieces. Both give the same silky, naturally sweet base once the soup is blended smooth.
Covered in the fridge, it keeps for a few days, and it also freezes well for a few months. Reheat it thoroughly before serving, and add a splash of extra stock if it has thickened while stored. That make-ahead friendliness is exactly why it packs so well for lunch.
Taking the pan off the heat before adding the F1 Savoury and Formula 3 PPP, then liquidising, folds their flavor evenly through the soup and protects that creamy texture. Return the soup to the pan afterwards and reheat it gently. Blending is also what turns the tender squash into a smooth, velvety base.
It is filling on its own, but a lunch wrap on the side makes it a bigger meal, and a slice of savory onion tart plays nicely off the sweet squash. For a cozy cold-weather plate, add a bowl of garlicky smashed sweet potatoes. Finish the soup with plenty of shredded basil for freshness.
Delicious, love the combo. Thank you for the inspiration!