This summer squash soup is silky smooth, light, and deliciously satisfying. You’re sure to love its delicate flavor!
While summer squash is at its peak in the summer months, you can find it in grocery stores or your local farm stand year round, making it easy to cook this soup any time you want. Serve the soup with a salad to round out your dinner.
The recipe makes about 8 cups of soup.
Tips
- Use soft-skinned summer squash, because you are including the skin in the soup.
- Wash the vegetables well to avoid grittiness in the soup.
- If you want a creamy soup, add the heavy cream or sour cream.
- If you don’t have a hand-held blender, you can blend the soup in batches in a countertop blender. Be sure to cool it a little to avoid the soup exploding out of the blender and burning you.
- Use herbs of your choice to garnish the soup. I used a blend of fresh parsley and cilantro. Some other garnish options are listed below:
- Chopped mint.
- A sprinkle of za’atar (a Middle Eastern blend of toasted sesame and dried herbs).
- A sprinkle of Dukkah (a Middle Eastern blend of dried herbs, nuts, and seeds). Here’s my recipe for it.
You need the following ingredients to make summer squash soup.
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon separated out for the croutons
- 1 small onion, chopped into small pieces
- 2 large celery stems, cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 4 medium summer squash (about 6 inches long), chopped into 1/2-inch chunks
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth (about 32 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- Cayenne pepper, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1/4 cup heavy cream or sour cream (optional)
- 1/4 full-length baguette
- 2 tablespoons chopped herbs, for garnish
Directions
Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions and celery to the pan and cook them until the onions are translucent (5 – 7 minutes).
Add the squash and cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Add the broth, turn up the heat to medium high, and bring the liquid to a simmer. Turn down the heat to low. Stir in the cardamom, a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper, and a little salt.
Cover the pan, and cook the soup until the squash is tender (about 30 minutes). Test the squash by pricking it with a fork to ensure that the skin and flesh are soft. Turn off the heat. If you’re using cream or sour cream, stir it into the soup now. Cool the soup for about 10 minutes before blending.
Using a hand-held blender, purée the soup until smooth.
Taste the soup and adjust the spices as needed. Return the soup to the stove and warm it over low heat.
While the soup is warming, toast the bread. Turn the oven broiler to high. Cut the baguette into 1/4-inch thick slices, allowing 1 – 2 slices per bowl. Spread out the slices on a baking sheet and brush them lightly with olive oil. Toast the bread under the broiler until it is light golden brown. Keep a careful watch on them as they are cooking, so that they don’t burn.
To serve, spoon the soup into bowls. Add one or two bread slices and sprinkle the top of the bread and soup with herbs.
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