Light Silky Zucchini Soup (Printable version)

Light, silky summer squash soup with fresh herbs, lemon zest, and optional cream. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 medium onion, chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 4 medium zucchinis (about 1.75 lbs), sliced
05 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced
06 - 1 stalk celery, chopped

→ Liquids

07 - 4 cups vegetable broth
08 - 1/2 cup cream or coconut milk, optional

→ Herbs & Seasoning

09 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
10 - 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
11 - 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
14 - Zest of 1/2 lemon

→ Garnish

15 - Extra fresh herbs, finely chopped
16 - Drizzle of olive oil or swirl of cream

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery, sauté for 4 minutes until softened.
02 - Add garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Stir in zucchini and potato. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.
04 - Pour in vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer partially covered for 15 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
05 - Remove from heat. Add parsley, basil, thyme, and lemon zest.
06 - Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth and silky, or transfer in batches to a blender.
07 - Stir in cream or coconut milk if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
08 - Reheat gently if needed. Serve hot or chilled, garnished with extra herbs and a drizzle of olive oil or cream.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour, which means you can make it on a weeknight without losing your mind.
  • The flavor is delicate but never bland, because those fresh herbs and lemon zest do the real work.
  • You can serve it hot in cooler months or chilled on days when the kitchen feels like a sauna.
02 -
  • Don't skip the partial lid during simmering; it keeps enough steam in so your broth doesn't reduce too much, which means you keep more of that delicate flavor.
  • The potato is doing secret work here, and if you leave it out thinking you're being more virtuous or lighter, the soup will taste thin and sad no matter what else you do.
03 -
  • If your soup tastes flat after blending, it usually needs more salt than you think, plus that lemon zest really is doing the heavy lifting so don't skip it.
  • Don't overfill your blender when working in batches, it's a lesson I learned with green splatter on my ceiling, and now I'm very cautious about leaving room for the soup to move.
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