Super Summer Soup

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)
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Gardeners everywhere are now harvesting the first and second rounds of the summer’s bounty, their sweat and tears paying off in ripe, juicy fruits and vegetables. In come the tomatoes, beans, and of course, zucchini. Whether they’re living on the east coast, west coast, or in between, just about every person who has a square foot of fertile land seems compelled to dedicate it to zucchinis. Such an easy-going and prolific plant, those green vines are more than happy to sprawl out and replicate endlessly anywhere; no environment is too unfriendly, it would seem. And thus, as we enter into the heat of August, we too enter into the season of zucchini. Like an invasive species, there’s no stopping these green cucurbits from taking over gardens everywhere, and filling up refrigerators with bottomless bowls of squash, large and small, sweet and bitter, but all of them the same; Delicious.

Personally, zucchini overload has never been a problem for me. Quite possibly because even such a hearty plant refuses to ever develop into more than a tangle of limp vines under my care, I’m one of those people that envies those complaining about how to use up their overwhelming yields. Regardless, this time of year screams “zucchini!” loud and clear, so who am I to ignore such firm prompting? Into the kitchen with store-bought but still local squash I went.

When it comes to soups, it doesn’t get much easier than this. Yes, you must bear the heat of the oven for a solid half hour, but suit up with ice packs or even bags of frozen peas if you have to, because it’s so utterly worth the pain. With only chopping and no further hands-on labor required, it’s a small sacrifice to make.

Satisfying and filling thanks to the addition of gently crisped chickpeas, but still light and refreshing due to the simple sea of broth surrounding them, zucchini never felt more at home outside of the field than in this concoction. Highlighting their fresh flavor, slightly sweetened by drawing out the natural sugars while roasting, this is the kind of soup that I’m happy to eat both hot and cold. On such oppressive summer days, however, I do highly recommended going the chilled route.

Yield: Makes 2 – 4 Servings

Roasted Zucchini and Chickpea Soup

Roasted Zucchini and Chickpea Soup

Satisfying and filling thanks to the addition of gently crisped chickpeas, but still light and refreshing due to the simple sea of broth surrounding them, zucchini never felt more at home outside of the field than in this concoction. Highlighting their fresh flavor, slightly sweetened by drawing out the natural sugars while roasting, this is the kind of soup that I’m happy to eat both hot and cold.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 Medium Yellow Onion, Roughly Chopped
  • 2 Medium Zucchini, Quartered and Chopped into Bite-Sized Pieces
  • 1 15-Ounce Can (1 3/4 Cups Cooked) Chickpeas
  • 2 – 3 Small Cloves Garlic, Unpeeled
  • 2 Tablespoons Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper
  • 2 Cups Vegetable Stock
  • 1 – 2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
  • Fresh Parsley, as Needed

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. This makes for really easy clean-up; all you have to do is toss the aluminum when you’re all done, no washing required!
  2. Arrange your chopped veggies, drained and rinsed chickpeas, and garlic cloves on the prepared baking sheet in one even layer. Drizzle with your oil of choice, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.
  3. Slide everything into the oven and roast for 35 – 40 minutes, until the onions are just lightly browned and crispy around the edges, and the zucchini is nice and tender. Let cool if you plan on serving the soup chilled.
  4. Peel and finely mince the roasted garlic, and place them in a medium-sized pot, along with the stock and nutritional yeast. Please note, make sure you use a really tasty broth here, because the flavor is very prominent. It should go without saying, but I recommend homemade if at all possible!
  5. Gently scoop the roasted veggies and chickpeas off of the sheet, and stir them into the pot as well. Heat gently until warm if a hot version is desired, or chill for at least an hour for a chilled soup. Before serving, top with fresh, minced parsley.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 192Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 417mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 5gSugar: 5gProtein: 7g
© Hannah Kaminsky
Cuisine: American / Category: Soups and Stews

35 thoughts on “Super Summer Soup”

  4. This looks super awesome. I have been totally into roasting soups recently. It is such a nice “outside the box” way to make a soup. My recent Ratatouille was roasted. Yum for roasted veggies!

  5. Yum. This makes me wish I was growing some in my backyard. I’m sure you’ll get around to answering Del Nita (if you haven’t already by email because you’re good like that), but I would guess she used it because it provides a depth of flavor.

  6. I’ve been immersing myself in zucchini recipes lately. I don’t have a plant but for some reason I’m so in the MOOD for it. Crazy.

    I love chickpeas, so I am certainly going to have to give this a go!

  7. Hmm, zuchinni soup! never thoughts of that, probabaly because its quite a watery veg and i love thick soups, but id say the chickpeas give it a nice touch. Thanks for the idea! ;)

  8. Oh, wow, this looks amazing! Especially since you’ve added chickpeas, which I can never get enough of!

    I love zucchini as well, and always hope that I’ll get one of those overflowing gardens… but I usually don’t. :(

  13. Oh, that looks amazing. I adore roasted chickpeas, so the crispiness there sings out to me. I also just remembered, last night, that I have nutritional yeast in the cupboard that I want to use in more diverse applications, so this is honestly such a perfect post for me right now. Even though it’s not technically zucchini season here… Ah well. Can’t win ’em all ;)

  15. Beautifully written. Although I don’t have a garden, I’m dreaming of one. :) I know gardening is hard work, but something about it really attracts me

  16. I’m laughing so hard. I’m the first to whine “I don’t want to use in the oven in the summer” and wow, did you call that in your post! :) This looks delicious and I will use my oven, though not this week (mini-heat wave in NYC right now!) But I’m making this!

  19. If only I were so lucky to have an “excess” of zucchini (not possible!). I mean you can saute it, grill it, make sweet quickbread and muffins with it, and of course this lovely soup. Please ask anyone you know with extras to send ’em my way :).

  22. Beautiful (and delish) looking soup, Hannah. I’ve got everything I need – yay! Would this be better made just before eating it or could it be made a day or two ahead of time?

  25. I love the simplicity of this soup! I too am jealous of the people complaining about their over abundant zucchini crops. And I had no idea that zucchini and melons were part of the same family but that seems to make sense.

  31. I also love roasting veggies & chickpeas & then make a soup out of them so that you get the best flavours in yoursoup!

    MMMMMMMMMMMM,..A grand summer’s soup indeed!

  32. Mmmm… Hannah, I made this yesterday while on a cooking rampage and it was delicious! I replaced the chickpeas with kidney beans because I wasn’t entirely prepared, not having soaked my chickpeas; on top of that, I was in my pyjamas (Saturdays for the win!) and wasn’t ready nor willing to put on civilian clothing to get to the supermarket. So kidney beans it was, and it was pleasant, though I am positive the chickpeas blow this soup right out of the pot. I’d never thought of roasting veggies and just dumping them into a broth. It’s just brilliant, and fragrant, and a pleasure to devour. My mum was a huge fan of this, too. Well done :-) and thank you!

  33. Just made this soup minutes ago and I’m loving it! So much yumminess from such a simple recipe.

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