Creamy Zucchini Soup

Name: Creamy Parmesan Zucchini Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon oil; 3 medium zucchini, chopped; 1 yellow onion, diced; 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 cup cubed yellow potatoes, (instead of potatoes you can also use white beans); 1 teaspoon onion powder; 3-5 thyme sprigs; 32 oz. chicken broth or vegetable broth; 1 parmesan rind; salt & black pepper to taste

Aug 22nd, 2023

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Learn how to transform your simple summer zucchini into a creamy zucchini soup! The flavors are rich and easy to attain with simple ingredients. No cream is involved, instead, we use potatoes for a velvety smooth consistency and extra heartiness!

Two white bowls of creamy zucchini soup in them. The bowls are on a wooden background with fresh basil leaves, a parmesan rind, and a dark gray napkin displayed around them.

When my garden has an abundance of summer zucchini, I always look for recipes to use them in. And this creamy zucchini soup is a delicious way to do it!

This soup has a rich parmesan flavor, hearty potatoes for creaminess, and lots of summer zucchini! We love to make this at the end of summer or early fall. It’s velvety smooth in texture, easy to make, and so flavorful!

Ingredients Needed

The ingredients are very simple, making this soup so great! You’ll need a handful of pantry staples with a few produce ingredients.

Ingredients for zucchini soup displayed on a wooden cutting board.

Zucchini: We like using green zucchini.
Yellow onion: a must for adding flavor to the soup!
Garlic cloves: to layer in more flavor.
Onion powder: since zucchini is very bland on its own, I use onion powder to add as much flavor to the soup as possible.
Broth: you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth!
Thyme sprigs: I like to use the whole thyme sprig to infuse fresh herbaceous flavor into the soup while it simmers.
Potatoes: This recipe uses yellow potatoes to achieve creaminess without using cream. But the original recipe for this soup used white beans so you can use either!
Parmesan cheese rind: the hard rind of parmesan cheese is used to simmer with the soup and infuse rich, salty flavor. I don’t recommend skipping this step, since it adds so much umami flavor!
Olive oil: for sauteing the aromatics.

How to Make Zucchini Soup

Soak the potatoes. Fill a bowl with cold water, and let the diced potatoes soak in the water to remove the extra starches.

Sauté the onions. In a large pot with oil, sauté the diced onions with a pinch of salt for about 3 minutes – or until soft. Add the minced garlic after and cook with the onions for another minute.

Add the zucchini. Next, add the diced zucchini with another pinch of salt and sauté with the onions for 3-4 minutes, or until they soften.

Add the remaining ingredients. Once the zucchini is softened, drain the potatoes in the bowl of water and rinse them. Then add the potatoes to the pot with zucchini, along with the parmesan rind, thyme sprigs, onion powder, broth, and a healthy pinch of salt & black pepper.

Simmer the soup. Cover the soup and let it cook on a gentle simmer for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The potatoes should be soft when tested with a fork.

Puree the soup. Use a fork or tongs to carefully remove the thyme sprigs and parmesan rind. Then either carefully transfer the soup to a blender or use a hand-immersion blender in the pot to blend the soup on high until creamy and smooth. Taste, and add additional salt if needed then serev!

Tips for Success

Best ways to puree the soup. I like to use a high-powered blender to puree the soup, but this has to be done carefully since the soup is hot. And depending on how big the blender container is, you may have to blend the soup in batches. If you have a hand-immersion blender, this is the easiest way to puree the soup without transferring it out of the pot!

Toppings to add. If you want to top this soup with yummy toppings, we love shredded parmesan or cheddar cheese, sour cream, homemade croutons, chives, or micro greens (as pictured).

Instead of potatoes. Potatoes are my favorite way to achieve a creamy texture in this soup, but we have also used white beans in the original recipe and love it. So if you don’t have tomatoes, opt for white beans such as navy or cannellini.

How to Store Leftovers and Freeze

Keep leftovers fresh – by storing the soup in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4-5 days. Let the soup completely cool before chilling.

How to freeze – let the soup cool completely before placing in a freezer-friendly container or bag (remove excess air and lay flat). Freeze for three months, then let it thaw completely before heating up on the stovetop.

What to Serve it With

Pizza. We love a good pizza and soup combo! You can pair it with our 10-minute naan pizza, cast iron skillet pizza, or your favorite store-bought pizza.

Bread. If you don’t have pizza, serve it with homemade bread! We love any soup with sourdough or crusty Italian bread. Try our cinnamon raisin artisan bread or cranberry walnut bread for something homemade!

Salad. Soup and salad are always a great healthier combo option! This soup would pair perfectly with our go-to Greek chickpea salad, Italian Panzanella salad, or this Tuscan artichoke salad.

Hands holding a white bowl of zucchini soup in it with another hand holding a spoon in the bowl of soup. Around the bowl is another bowl of soup, fresh basil leaves, and a parmesan rind.

More Zucchini Recipes

Looking for more zucchini recipes? We have so many to try! From our parmesan baked zucchini fries, and zucchini lasagna, to our chicken parmesan meatballs with zucchini or our vegetarian zucchini “meatballs”!

If you tried this Creamy Parmesan Zucchini Soup recipe or any other recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know what you think. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, and FACEBOOK for more crave-worthy content.

Creamy Parmesan Zucchini Soup

5 from 6 votes

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All you'll need is 30 minutes to create this simple parmesan zucchini soup that is flavorful and super creamy! This cozy soup is made with no cream or milk and has a touch of white beans for protein.

Servings 9 cups

Prep Time: 5 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American, Italian

Tags: cream of zucchini soup, creamy zucchini soup, zucchini soup

Freezer Friendly: Yes

Calories: 67 kcal

Author: Bethany Kramer

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon oil
3 medium zucchini, chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cup cubed yellow potatoes, instead of potatoes you can also use white beans
1 teaspoon onion powder
3-5 thyme sprigs
32 oz. chicken broth or vegetable broth
1 parmesan rind
salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the potatoes to cold water: Place the diced potatoes in a bowl of cold water to soak for several minutes.
Saute aromatics: saute the yellow onion in oil for about 3 minutes in a large pot. Then add the garlic and saute for about a minute.
Saute the zucchini: Next, add the cubed zucchini with a healthy pinch of salt and saute for around 3 minutes, or until soft.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer: Drain the water from the bowl of potatoes and rinse them with cold water. Add to the pot the potatoes, broth, parmesan rind, thyme sprigs, onion powder, and a healthy pinch of salt & black pepper. Cover and simmer the soup for 25-30 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft when tested with a fork. Stir the pot occasionally.
Blend: when the soup is finished, use a fork or tongs to remove the thyme sprigs and parmesan rind. Then either carefully transfer the soup to a blender or use a hand immersion blender in the pot. Blend the soup for about 30 seconds on high until creamy and smooth.
Serve: Before serving the soup, taste it and add any additional salt if the flavor needs to be enhanced. Serve with a dusting of parmesan cheese on top, and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe? Share your photos and tag @asimplepalate #asimplepalate.

Bethany Kramer