Zucchini Soup
I’ve had this soup recipe written down on a notecard for years and I have no idea where the recipe came from. It’s one of my favorites, and one I haven’t been able to make while living abroad in Japan because fresh jalapeno peppers are one of the foods I can’t find here! So on a trip back to the States this summer, I dug out this index card to make the soup that I’ve wanted to share ever since starting this blog.
Onion, garlic & bone broth are all standard soup ingredients, but you’ll notice a few interesting ingredients in addition to the zucchini that lend freshness and a bit of a kick. The mint and cilantro is such a different combination of fresh herbs for a soup. But trust me, it works! Especially when paired with with jalapeno. I add 1/2 of a jalapeno chili which gives it the perfect amount of kick for me, but feel free to add a whole one if you’d like. The last interesting ingredient you’ll notice is sourdough bread. Yes, you read that right. It’s an odd ingredient for a soup but it’s used here to thicken the soup. Any kind of bread would work, but if you know me, I have a thing for sourdough. As with most soups you need to keep adding salt until the flavor pops and then balance out the saltiness with some lemon juice.
You can eat this soup hot or chilled. This recipe makes four large bowls, so I recommend you double the recipe if you’re like me and normally go back for seconds.
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
½ Jalapeno chili pepper, diced, seeds removed
2 lbs (2-3 medium) zucchini, diced, skin-on
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups chicken bone broth
1 ½ cups sourdough bread, cubed
½ cup mint leaves
½ cup cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Lemon juice, freshly squeezed, to taste
Instructions:
Heat a large pot on medium-high heat. Add olive oil and sauté onion and jalapeno pepper until onions are translucent but not brown.
Add garlic and zucchini and sauté another 3-4 minutes stirring often. Season with salt.
Add broth and bread. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat. Stir in fresh mint and cilantro leaves.
Puree soup using an immersion blender.
Season soup with salt and pepper until the flavor pops, and then balance the flavor with lemon juice to taste.
