Zucchini Basil Soup

I am so excited to bring you this delicious Zucchini Basil soup!  The recipe came to me at the perfect time. I was looking for a way to use up a few zucchinis in my fridge and a fellow vegetable farm volunteer emailed me with this great new recipe that she had just finished making.  She had gotten this recipe from a friend so she could use up an oversized zucchini she had brought home from the harvesting work bee on the weekend.

I had my doubts as to how tasty it would be given the few ingredients, but boy was I pleasantly surprised!  It is smooth and creamy (without any cream), high in flavour and low in fat and only takes a few minutes to make!  Talk about simple and the colour is gorgeous!  My whole family enjoyed it – even a neighbour friend who came for a visit just as I was finishing it off.  He’s not a big veggie fan and he thought it was delicious!  So, here is the solution to all of those massive zucchinis no one knows what to do with!  This would be a great recipe to try with young children this fall!  What’s really fun is having people guess the ingredients. 😉

When I saw how the soup came together I decided to nickname it “Green Goddess Soup”.  It made me think of this fun shirt I bought from True Foods when we were in Santa Monica a couple of weeks ago.  That restaurant is a whole other blog post!  True Foods is the brain child of Dr. Andrew Weil and has 23 locations across 10 states with a handful more set to open soon.  Oprah is on board as a financial contributor and board member and they plan to double their restaurants in the next 3 years.  Watch for it when you travel.  It’s a winner!

In addition to bringing you recipes, I like to supply reasons to eat your veggies, other than your mom said you should…  Zucchini is full of goodness for your body and contains significant amounts of folate, riboflavin, vitamins B6, vitamins C and K, and minerals like potassium and manganese.  It is said that eating zucchini regularly reduces oxidation and inflammation within the body.  This summer squash is also known for its ability to improve digestion and heart health, boost energy, slow down aging and much more.   Here is a link to a great article describing its benefits.

Now onto the recipe!  It is originally from www.vegetariangastronomy.com and I modified it just slightly.

Zucchini Basil Soup (aka Green Goddess Soup)

Print

Serves: 6 large Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 9 cups zucchini, diced (~5 small zucchinis)
• 2 cups white onions, diced (1 large)
• 4 cups vegetable broth
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the minced garlic and diced white onion.  Saute, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the onions start to become translucent.
3. Add the chopped zucchini and saute for 2 minutes.
4. Add the vegetable broth and the salt and stir.
5. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to keep a gentle simmer, and cover. Let the soup simmer until the zucchini is tender when pierced with a fork.
6. Blend all of the soup in two batches, adding half of the basil each time, until completely pureed.
7. Pour the pureed soup back into the large pot and bring the soup to a gentle simmer, uncovered. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes.
8. Season with salt to taste and freshly ground black pepper.
9. Serve hot with a side of your favorite toasted bread.

www.thevibrantveggie.com