(When I Only Have) 5 Ingredients Zucchini Soup Recipe
This is one of my very favorite soups. I’m not a huge fan of zucchini but I absolutely love this soup. Somehow with zero milk or cream, this zucchini soup recipe has a creaminess to it. It even visually looks as though it contains cream.
Maybe it’s the softness of the zucchini which when blended creates a smooth texture or the proportion of broth to vegetable in the pot – this soup can easily be confused with a “cream of” soup. Of course, if you really want the texture and taste of dairy, you can always go an add some in. Another great addition to this soup could be coconut milk.
It is essentially a vegan dish, but I love topping it with soft gorgonzola cheese. This is not one of the main ingredients though, and serves just as a tasty garnish so go ahead and eliminate it from your shopping list if you don’t like the taste of pungent cheeses.
I buy zucchini a lot, but they end up sitting in my fridge because they just don’t inspire me. I usually make this soup when I realize my zucchini have been in the fridge for longer than three days and I’m most likely not gonna use them in any other way!
The recipe is easy, and it’s one I use for other types of veggies such as pumpkin, butternut squash, mushroom and more.
Zucchini Soup Recipe Ingredients
- 4 medium sized zuccini (if you can find zucchini with the flowers still on them, even better!)
- vegetable broth (homemade preferred)
- 2 garlic cloves
- toasted bread or croutons
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Yep! There really are 5 ingredients – no we didn’t include the salt in the count since it is such a household ingredient.
Zucchini Soup Recipe Preparation
Add about 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil to a pot on medium to high heat. I love using a ceramic pot for soups because they retain a lot of heat when cooking which brings out flavor in dishes such as stews and soups. Remove the skin from your garlic cloves, and chop in half. When the oil is hot, add your garlic.
Chop your zucchini in dices or slices, the size doesn’t matter because we’ll be blending it all, but keep them relatively small so they can cook easier. When the garlic has browned a bit, add the chopped zucchini into your pot. Stir regularly and sweat out the zucchini until they become soft. Don’t leave the to fry. We’re just trying to give them flavor here and soften them up.
Add about 3 cups of vegetable broth, or enough to cover all the zucchini. I love using homemade vegetable broth. It is easy to make – though it take a long time to get the rich flavors I love out of broth – but it is well worth it. Store bought broth or bouillon cubes tend to be very salty – and this comes from someone who loves salt. You can also use water instead of broth, and add about half a bouillon cube (more later if you need).
Let the soup simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add more broth if the liquid starts evaporating too much.
Blend it all together with an immersion blender, or a normal blender that withstands heat. Add just a bit more broth if you need – remember we are looking for a creamy texture not a liquidy texture, so keep that in mind when adding the broth. Now you can adjust your salt levels. Feel free to add table salt to the dish to adjust to your taste. Let the soup cook for about another 5 minutes.
TIP: If you were able to get your hands on zucchini with the flowers still on them, you can stuff the flowers with a bit of gorgonzola cheese, or leave as is and saute them in some extra virgin olive oil, then use as a garnish on your soup.
Serve this soup warm. I like to garnish mine with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, some crumbled pieces of soft gorgonzola cheese and day old toasted bread, or croutons.
I hope it becomes your go-to soup too 🙂
