This is a straight-forward zucchini soup with a couple twists and tricks to make it ever-so-slightly special and unique. You might not think that a soup with zucchini as the primary ingredient would be worth cooking, but this soup attempts to win you over!
Zucchini Soup: The Inspiration
The inspiration for this soup is simple: peak summer paired with too much zucchini. One option is to use it in a soup. But pale, watery zucchini flesh is a bit sad, and not much to look at. No worries, we have a plan. The potatoes in this recipe provide a good amount of body. And to boost the color and visual appeal, fresh spinach is the secret weapon. By giving spinach a supporting role a vibrant cilantro-flecked zucchini soup in an eye-popping shade of green is created. With a nicely boosted nutritional profile as a bonus.
Creamy without Cream
The goal here is a smooth, pureed soup. I wanted a creamy consistency without relying on copious amounts of heavy cream. I ended up using potato in the soup base which gives the soup a bit of heft and thickness, something people often mistake for a fully cream-based soup. You could finish this soup lwith a tiny splash of cream, or a dollop of creme fraiche, but quite honestly it’s not necessary. Delicious either way!
Week-night Friendly
This soup is great if you like to meal-prep. The bulk of the time commitment here is in the chopping. Beyond that the soup only takes about 15 minutes to make once the ingredients start hitting the pot. It’s a great make-ahead option and keeps well in a jar, refrigerated, for 4-5 days.