Zucchini Soup

Zucchini soup is so underrated, and before making it, we had no idea this recipe would turn out the way it did. It’s now one of our favorite spring and summer soups.

The soup is best served warm as an appetizer, quick lunch, or light and healthy dinner. You can top it with homemade croutons, or if you want a little more protein, try it with cannellini beans tossed in olive oil and parsley or pan-fried tofu.

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.

Zucchini

Use green zucchini squash (courgette in the UK) to get a bright and colorful zucchini soup.

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.

Warm up the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chopped onion and fry for 3 minutes stirring often, then add grated garlic and fry one more minute.

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.

This zucchini soup recipe is so versatile you can serve it at room temperature and in smaller portions as an appetizer. Or you can serve it warm, in larger portions for lunch or 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)

Make ahead: this zucchini soup recipe is excellent to make ahead as it keeps well in the fridge for several days.

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.