Courgette and Basil Soup – easy, healthy, creamy

Today, we’re taking a trip down memory lane to talk about courgette and basil soup. This vibrant green recipe is a nostalgic nod to simpler times. Imagine this, a beautiful day at the end of summer. Sunlight shining onto your dining table. On it sits a vintage bowl, filled with a steaming bowl of bright green soup. A chunk of crusty bread beside it.

As you approach, you start to smell a lot of basil, a little vinegar and a whole lot of deliciousness. You sit down, lift your spoon and embrace the vintage charm. Every bite makes you realise how amazing the simple pleasure of home cooking is.

Now, let’s talk about courgettes for a minute. These humble green gems may not always steal the spotlight in the veggie aisle, but trust me, they’re the unsung heroes of the kitchen. With their fresh flavours and versatile nature, the courgette plant is the blank canvas of the vegetable world, ready to soak up whatever delicious flavours we throw their way. I often use courgettes in pasta sauces, stir fries or salads for an extra bit of nutrients. Ideal for a light lunch and handy ingredient in batch cooking. 

But what better way to showcase the beauty of this underrated vegetable than by simmering it into a soul-warming soup? It’s the kind of dish that reminds us of a simpler life, where cooking was less about fancy gadgets and more about hearty, wholesome flavours. 

What makes this soup special is simplicity. In a world filled with fast food and instant meals, takeaway on every corner, there’s something incredibly satisfying about cooking from scratch. It’s a reminder of times where meals were made with love and care. Where meals embodied the joy of creating something delicious and where food was really there to nourish. 

It’s about basic ingredients, minimal fuss and maximum flavour. That’s what our grandparents swore by and what we all crave so much in today’s modern world. Creamy courgette soup is the kind of dish that embodies the essence of simple living, where less is truly more. 

But let’s not forget the basil – my personal herb garden hero. Its peppery freshness adds a burst of flavour to every spoonful, suddenly elevating this humble soup from ordinary to extraordinary. I love plucking fresh basil leaves straight from the plant, don’t you? It’s just so satisfying. 

As we stir and simmer, a sense of calm washes over us, fully embracing the simple pleasures of life. We close our eyes, breathe in and take a moment to appreciate the little things, knowing that each mouthful of homemade goodness will be savoured. 

Whether you’re at home alone or getting ready to host a big feast, I urge you to give this courgette and basil soup a try. It’s the perfect dish to remind yourself and others of the taste of simple life. Sometimes, the most delicious recipes are truly those with only a few basic ingredients. 

Tools you may need

• Chopping board

• Sharp kitchen knife

• Large pan or stock pot

• Stick blender (immersion blender) or stand blender – I use my Vitamix for a super creamy finish

• Wooden spoon

Ingredients to make Courgette and Basil Soup

Courgette, also known as zucchini. Any chopped courgette variety will work for this recipe. It‘s also a great way to use up leftover courgette cuttings.

Onion

Fresh basil

Chicken flavoured stock – I use vegan chicken flavoured stock cubes

Vegetable stock or vegetable bouillon

Extra virgin olive oil

Sherry vinegar

Salt and a good grind of black pepper to taste

How to make Courgette and Basil Soup from scratch

First things first, let’s give our courgettes a good rinse. We will also take this opportunity to boil the kettle. It’s so much quicker to finish a soup if the water you add is already hot.

Add a drizzle of olive oil to a large saucepan or pot and put it on the stove. Turn up the heat to medium high, we will get to this in a moment. 

Next, lay out a large chopping board and start to peel your onion. Taking a sharp knife, roughly chop your onion. Don’t worry about evenly cut pieces here, we will blend the end result and no one will know how good your knife skills really are.

Add the onion to the pot. Stirring every now and again, allow your onions to turn translucent.

Meanwhile, slice your courgette. I tend to slice them into quarters by running a knife lengthwise through the middle of the courgette. Laying the halves cut side down onto the chopping board I run my knife lengthwise through the middle of the halves before slicing it into 1cm slices. While I find this the fastest way to slice my vegetables, you may have a completely different method. As long as your courgette is sliced, you’re good.

Once the onion turns translucent, add your sliced courgettes. Stir the vegetables regularly until the courgette starts to brown. This is when you add your boiled water. While the recipe lists about one litre of water, I usually don’t measure the exact amount. Instead, I add just enough water for my vegetables to be almost covered. Only the highest tips should peak out of the water.

Add your vegetable stock and chicken flavoured stock next and bring your soup to a simmer. I use vegan stock cubes in my soups, but feel free to substitute for real stock if you prefer. If using chicken stock cubes, please check the label to ensure you add enough cubes for the amount of water you use. From experience I find that this recipe only needs one vegetable and one chicken flavoured cube, but if making a larger amount, you will need more. Try to aim for half vegetable, half chicken flavour.

Reduce to medium heat and allow your soup to simmer for 15 – 20 minutes or until the courgette is soft. Turn the heat to low and add the fresh basil without the basil stalks. Simmer the soup on low heat for another 2-3 minutes before turning off the heat. 

Stir the sherry vinegar through the soup. If using a stand blender or food processor, transfer your soup into the blender, otherwise leave it in the pot. Blend your soup until smooth and season to taste if needed. 

Serve your courgette and basil soup with fresh sourdough bread and some more fresh basil. For those a little more adventurous, try a topping of grated parmesan cheese or a little lemon zest. Whatever you serve this dimple courgette soup with, leave a comment with a picture of your delicious soup creation. 

Tips for making courgette and basil soup

• Cooking is always quickest when preparing all vegetables in advance. Try and slice the onion and courgette before heating the oil.
• Boiling water in the kettle is a great way to save you time when cooking your soup as the water is already hot.
• If you have a stand blender like a Vitamix, use this for blending instead of a hand blender. It makes the soup a lot smoother.
• Zucchini basil soup can be stored in the freezer. It‘s a super simple way to preserve the delicious flavours of this vegetarian soup recipe for the winter months. Simply add a little extra water to the frozen soup when re-heating it. 

Frequently asked questions

Can you substitute zucchini for cucumber in soup?

Only if your recipe doesn’t ask to be cooked. For cold soups, the subtle flavour of cucumber might be the closest you will get to the flavours of zucchini. For cooked soups, other vegetables such as squash might be better suitable, although they may turn the recipe into something completely different. 

Why is my zucchini soup bitter?

Zucchini soup recipes are great recipes for first time soup cooks. Sometimes, not cooking zucchini long enough can however cause for a slightly bitter taste in your soup. The seeds can also contribute to a bitter flavour. If in doubt, remove the seeds from your produce before putting the dish together.

Which tastes better, zucchini or cucumber?

In my opinion, zucchini and cucumber each have a very different purpose in life. I love recipes such as this courgette and basil soup and frequently add zucchini to my pasta sauces and stir fries. Cucumber on the other hand is made for snacking raw or an ingredient in salad in my house. As such, I wouldn’t want to miss out on either of the two.

Is there a difference between zucchini and courgette?

Zucchini and courgette are both words to describe the same vegetable. While the English call it courgette, Americans have chosen to adopt the word zucchini.

What is a good substitute for zucchini in soup?

Depending on your soup recipe, zucchini can be swapped for yellow squash, pumpkin or possibly eggplant. Saying this, I would only substitute for those if the zucchini isn’t the main ingredient, but used in very small amounts. For a simple courgette soup where zucchini is the star of the show, such as this one here, it might be best to just find another recipe and put zucchini back on the shopping list to cook with another day.