The soup is creamy, tasty, healthy, and silky smooth, and easy to customize to your liking by adding fresh herbs and toppings. Try it, and you’ll see why it is one of our favorite recipes to enjoy the flavor of zucchini.
Ingredients
Instructions
Serving suggestions
Storage
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But why should you make this zucchini soup recipe? First, it’s so easy to make you’ll never want to buy store-bought soup again. One pot, eight pantry staples; it doesn’t get easier than that!Second, the zucchini gets silky smooth, and we didn’t need a power blender. Instead, we used a standard immersion blender to blend the zucchini into the pot.Third, with the right condiments, this zucchini soup tastes fantastic. You don’t need complicated ingredients, just some Italian seasoning and, optionally, some fresh herbs on top. Finally, this soup is 100% healthy; you can easily make it dairy-free and gluten-free if you like, and it still tastes and feels like there’s butter and cream in it. The secret? Let’s find out in the ingredients list below. If you don’t want it green, you can use yellow zucchini squash or any other type of summer squash like globe zucchini, yellow crookneck, yellow squash, yellow zucchini, and grey zucchini.
Potato
Potato is our secret ingredient to make the zucchini soup creamy and silky without adding heavy cream, butter, or cheese. When blended, the starch in the potato binds with the other ingredients creating a velvety and creamy texture.You can replace the potato with white beans (cannellini beans are best) or a cup of Greek yogurt or plain unsweetened dairy-free yogurt.
Extra virgin olive oil
Use extra virgin olive oil to make the flavor base with garlic and onion. If you have good quality olive oil, you can also drizzle a few drops on top of the soup before serving it.We prefer olive oil to butter because it’s heart-healthy, packed with antioxidants, and a key ingredient in the Mediterranean diet (allegedly the healthiest diet in the world).If you are on an oil-free diet, you can fry the onion on low heat in a dry pan. The natural oils contained in the onions will slowly come out, and allow the onion to brown lightly without burning.
Garlic and Onion
They are key ingredients to add flavor to the soup. We fry them gently in a little extra virgin olive oil. You can replace onion with shallots or leek. If you want even more flavor, add two chopped carrots and a celery rib.
Italian seasoning
Italian seasoning is the easiest way to add various dried herbs and aromas to this zucchini soup. If you don’t have Italian seasoning, you can mix dried or fresh herbs such as oregano, thyme, sage, and basil.
Vegetable broth
That’s necessary to add depth of flavor to the soup. We tried making the soup with water, but it turned out a little too bland for our taste. Store-bought reduced-sodium vegetable broth is a good choice. Of course, chicken broth works too, but we prefer vegetable broth so everyone in our family can enjoy the recipe.
Salt + Black Pepper
Salt is necessary to add flavor. We recommend sea salt or kosher salt. Black pepper is optional, but we like to add some.If you like your zucchini soup a little spicy, you can add some red pepper flakes or drizzle the top with chili oil. Add chopped zucchini, a peeled and diced potato, vegetable broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Tip: Try to cut the veggies into pieces of the same size so they cook at the same time. Don’t peel the zucchini. The peel is where color, flavor, and most nutrition are. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then crack the top open and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. Blend with an immersion blender until creamy, silky, and smooth. Taste and adjust for salt. Considerations: We avoid blending hot food in a plastic blender jar and prefer to use an immersion blender with a metal stick. If you use a regular blender, you might want to let the soup cool down slightly before blending it and might need to work in two batches. Let the soup cool down for 10 minutes, then serve it not too hot nor cold as an appetizer, tasty lunch, or healthy dinner. Here are some topping ideas:
A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil A drizzle of chili oil or a pinch of red pepper flakes Fresh herbs such as fresh dill, basil, mint, parsley, and chives A squeeze of lemon juice Grated lemon zest Grated parmesan cheese or non-dairy cheese A dollop of plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, or non-dairy yogurt A dollop of sour cream or vegan sour cream Oven-baked croutons or air fryer croutons Crostini Drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans, sautéed on a pan for a few minutes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley Fried tofu cubes Crispy roasted chickpeas or air fryer chickpeas
Serve it with:
Homemade no-knead rosemary focaccia Easy homemade pita bread Naan bread with garlic and olive oil Bruschetta with tomatoes (or other toppings)
Refrigerator: keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days, best if in an airtight container. Reheat only the portion you’ll eat. You can do so in a saucepan on the stovetop or a bowl in the microwave. Freeze: let the soup cool down completely, then transfer it to a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 3 months. Then, thaw it in the refrigerator or the microwave before reheating it.
Zucchini boats: protein-packed stuffed zucchini with lentil-walnut filling. Sauteed zucchini: a basic recipe for zucchini and ready in 10 mins. Zucchini pesto: a green condiment with bold flavor, a great addition to pasta and salads. Roasted zucchini: easy baked zucchini in 2 ways that you can serve as a side dish or appetizer. Air fryer zucchini: the best of zucchini but with less added oil. Zucchini risotto: creamy, indulgent, and perfect as a Sunday night dinner.
Zucchini Boats
Zucchini Fritters
Sautéed Zucchini
Roasted Zucchini
Tofu soup: this Asian soup with seasonal vegetables is ready in just 20 mins. Eggplant soup: aromatic herbs and roasted vegetables, perfect with croutons. Butternut squash soup: a one-tray recipe, velvety and endlessly creamy. Asparagus soup: starter, side dish, and light dinner idea – perfect for spring! Lentil soup: packed with veggies, healthy plant-based protein, and Italian herbs. Tuscan soup: made with cannellini beans, kale, and cabbage, is the perfect soup for winter.
Lentil Soup
Butternut Squash Soup
Eggplant Soup
Asparagus Soup
title: “Zucchini Soup” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-17” author: “Alma Pierre”
Be sure to try my Zucchini Casserole and Zucchini Parmesan recipes next!
Zucchini Soup
This is the first recipe in history, in all of my years of recipe development, where I emailed my mom and best friend to make this right away- before it was even up on the blog. When I say that this is the best zucchini soup recipe, I am not kidding. (It definitely made the cut for The Cozy Cookbook!) The best part is that there is no need to add any cream to it if you want to keep things lighter. It tastes perfectly good without it! (Of course, being The Cozy Cook and all, I add just a little bit.) The cheese options are endless, I went with a sharp orange cheddar. White cheddar, Parmesan cheese, or even Gouda cheese would be excellent additions to this soup.
How to Make it
Note: This is an overview. See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Cook diced onion and garlic in melted butter until softened. Add zucchini and seasonings, sauté for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and diced potatoes. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cook for 20 minutes, until vegetables are very soft.
Use an immersion blender or regular blender to blend until smooth. Serve, or add cream or half and half if desired.
Shredded cheese may also be added. Options include Cheddar, Parmesan, and Gouda. Stir until combined and smooth. Serve!
Do You Peel Zucchini for Soup
If you are working with a very large zucchini, you may choose to peel it first as sometimes the skins can become tough and bitter if they’re overly large. Otherwise, no need to peel. The ideal size for a zucchini is about 6 inches, this is when it’s at it’s most ripe.
How Do You Thicken Zucchini Soup
This zucchini soup recipe doesn’t require a roux or slurry in order to thicken it. Instead, potatoes are added to the soup and are blended into the broth until smooth and creamy. This makes the broth nice and thick without the need to add anything extra.
Storage
Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or in the freeze for up to 3 months. This soup freezes/reheats super well!
Health Benefits of Zucchini
As reported by Healthline, zucchini is rich in nutrients, high in antioxidants, aids in digestion, can improve heart health and reduce blood sugar levels and more. So feel good about eating this soup!
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4-Quart Dutch Oven– This is the perfect size for this soup. This one is high quality and you’ll have it forever. (I use one almost every time I cook!) Spice Rack– This is the one I have, it’s a snap to measure out your seasonings quickly and easily. (Big time saver.) Measuring Spoons– To measure out the seasonings. Pinch Bowls– I measure out my seasonings ahead of time and add them to these small bowls so they’re ready to go when it’s time to add them. Immersion Blender– To blend this right in the soup pot without transferring to a blender. Box cheese grater – I always shred cheese from a block in my recipes. It melts and tastes better than packaged shredded cheese. Garlic Twister– it’s much more flavorful to mince fresh garlic. This twister does it in seconds and is easy to clean and store. Soup Bowls –(I love these!) 16 oz. storage containers – I use these to store/freeze my soups. They have 8 oz. sizes as well. They’re stackable, leak proof, and dishwasher/microwave safe.
