If you live in a rural area, there’s a good chance someone has tried to push their zucchini on you. Once those plants start sprouting, you cannot stop the flood of giant zucchini. My family might have planted a few too many this summer and have had to find a variety of recipes to use up our green giants, but I’m not complaining.
I never realized the variety of dishes you can make with zucchini- casseroles, salads, breads. It’s a pretty versatile vegetable because of it’s neutral flavor, a lot like a cucumber. With fall coming around and the plants running out of time, accept that zucchini and make some soup!
Stephanie’s zucchini soup recipe was way better than I expected; I was a little cautious of what the heck it would taste like.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pinch cayenne (optional)
- 5 cups zucchini, chunks
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Russet potatoes
- 1/2 cup Half and Half/heavy cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Hand-shredding the cheese tastes better! Pre-shredded cheese works, too. Leave out to warm to room temperature- this mixes better into the soup.
- Melt butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, and cook until softened about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
- Add diced zucchini (peeling optional) and all of the seasonings. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Peel and rinse the potatoes (peeling is optional). Cut them into small pieces of equal size so that they cook evenly and quickly.
- Add diced potatoes, chicken broth, and soy sauce/Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. (Skim up any brown foam from the top)
- Let simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are very fork-tender. (20 minutes)
- Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a blender in batches to blend until smooth. (I didn’t blend, so I had a chunky soup!)
optional
- Return to low heat and add Half and Half/heavy cream (optional).
- Sprinkle in and mix cheese.
Remember you can add or remove any items you want. I didn’t have thyme or Half & Half, so I just added some sour cream. I also skipped blending the entire soup, it doesn’t change the flavor, just the texture and I like my soups on the chunkier side. Enjoy your fall soup!