Make this very simple broccoli and zucchini soup to amp up your nutritious veggie intake. No Cream, no cheese - just a healthy soup perfect for any time of year!
If you are looking for the humblest soup ever, this zucchini and broccoli soup is the one for you. It is even simpler than this detox broccoli soup or healthy broccoli cheddar soup.
This is one soup which you can make any time of the year. If you have abundant fresh zucchini harvest in the summer or broccoli harvest in the spring, or if you are just looking for some warmth in the winter, this soup is your best friend.
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What is special about this soup
- Simple and easy-to-make recipe.
- Healthy and hearty soup perfect to warm up on chilly nights.
- This soup is a great option to use abundant garden harvest during their seasons.
- Loaded with green vegetables.
- A quick dish with simple seasonings that needs less than 30 minutes to prepare.
- You can also make it in the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- Zucchini - Buy firm, medium-size, green fresh zucchini for this soup. Small to medium size zucchini tastes better. However, if you have grown zucchini that you forgot to harvest on time, this recipe is perfect to use them as well.
- Broccoli - Buy organic broccoli whenever possible. Veggies from the brassica family, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, etc, have common pest problems. Therefore, pesticides are widely used to control pest issues. Do not throw away broccoli stalks. Trim and peel them to use in the soup.
- Onion and celery - They add depth of flavor, create a nice soup base, and add nutrition to the dish.
- Garlic - Use fresh garlic cloves to flavor the soup. Avoid store-bought preserved chopped garlic as it lacks flavor.
- Seasonings - For this simple soup, just salt and pepper is enough. However, you can add thyme or parsley, paprika, etc., for more flavors.
- Liquid - Make the soup delicious by using chicken bone broth, stock, or veggie broth. Or add a mix of broth/stock and water.
Recipe variations
- Make creamy broccoli and zucchini soup - Add whole milk, whole cream, or coconut milk to the soup to make it rich and creamy. Adjust the quantity of broth or stock accordingly.
- Make cheesy soup - Add shredded cheddar cheese or your favorite cheese blend to the soup at the end of cooking. Kids will enjoy this version.
- Add more veggies - Consider adding more veggies like grated carrots, spinach, or kale to make the soup even more nutritious and to give it a deeper color.
- Protein-rich soup - Add cooked shredded or diced chicken pieces. Perfect to use leftover roasted chicken or Air fried whole chicken in this soup.
Prep tips
- Zucchini and celery - Wash, trim both ends and cut them into 1-2" pieces.
- Onion - Peel, trim ends, cut in quarters, and dice into 1-2" pieces.
- Broccoli - Cut the broccoli head from its stalk, then separate large florets. Trim the stalk ends and cut into 1-2" pieces. Trim the end of the stalk, peel and dice the same way.
- Garlic - There is no need to chop the garlic. Just peel it and use the whole clove.
How to make broccoli and zucchini soup?
Step 1: Sautéing garlic and onion
Heat some oil in a medium size pot. Add garlic cloves and onion and sauté until translucent.
Step 2: Cooking veggies
Add broccoli florets and zucchini to the sautéed onion and garlic. Add chicken broth (or use veggie option) and water. Season with salt and black pepper. Mix everything well and bring to boil. Cover and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes.
Step 3: Blending the soup
Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender (or regular blender) blend the veggies until it gets to your desired consistency. Serve warm!
Step 4: Optional-Roast zucchini to garnish the soup
Dice some extra zucchini into small pieces and roast them in a frying pan with little oil until they turn medium dark brown. Use them to garnish the soup before serving. This will add a nice flavor to the soup. Serve crispy bread croutons with the zucchini soup for the crunch.
Instant Pot zucchini soup
Sauté garlic and onion with oil on sauté mode in the Instant Pot. Then add broccoli florets, diced zucchini, celery, and broth (or mixture with water). Season with salt and black pepper. Mix well and cook the soup on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release the steam, blend the soup and serve warm.
Serving suggestions
- Serve this zucchini broccoli soup with toasted homemade dinner rolls or bread slices.
- Sandwiches - prepare a shredded chicken and pesto sandwich, mushroom veggie sandwich, or any other healthy sandwich to pair with the soup.
- Pasta dishes - pesto and green peas pasta, simple healthy kale pasta or artichoke and olive gluten-free pasta.
- Rice dishes - pair it with one pot taco rice casserole, easy pumpkin risotto, or healthy spinach brown rice.
- Flatbreads - make flatbreads like whole wheat focaccia bread or healthy zucchini flatbread to dunk in the soup.
- Salads - consider making turkey burrito bowl salad, brown rice and lentil salad, or quick Italian lentil salad to go along with this soup.
Helpful tips
- Cut onion and veggies to about the same size for even cooking.
- It is convenient to use an immersion blender if you have one to blend the cooked veggies with the liquid.
- Use a deep pot to cook the veggies and soup base. This will make it easy to blend the soup using an immersion blender later.
- Do not throw away the broccoli stalks. Just trim the end, peel, cut it into pieces, and use in the soup. Less wastage!
FAQs
Yes! You can use frozen broccoli to make the soup. If you have time, thaw before using them, although it is not necessary to.
Yes! You can freeze it in an air-tight container for a few weeks. However, I prefer to make it fresh using fresh veggies as this soup is very quick to prepare.
You can use yellow squash instead of zucchini. It has a slightly different taste. And it might change the color of the final soup.
More Soup Recipes To Try
- White Beans Pesto And Vegetable Orzo Soup
- Instant Pot Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- One-Pot Healthy Potato Soup
- Detox Broccoli Soup
- Healthy Lemon Chicken Soup With Orzo
- 30-Min Instant Pot Vegetarian Lentil Soup
- Easy Vegetable Pasta Soup
More Zucchini Recipes You Will Love
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📖 Recipe
20 Min Easiest Broccoli And Zucchini Soup
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 medium broccoli head
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 2 celery stalks
- 4 cup broth or 2 part water plus 2 part broth
- 1 teaspoon cooking oil
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot on medium heat.
- Add garlic cloves and onion, cook for 2 minutes or until translucent.
- Add diced zucchini and broccoli, mix with onion.
- Then add broth, salt and black pepper, mix well and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the veggies are tender.
- Turn off the heat, blend the mixture using an immersion blender. Serve warm.
Notes
- Instant Pot version - Follow the steps from 1-4 on high sauté mode in an Instant Pot. After adding broth and seasonings cover and cook the veggies on manual high pressure for 3 minutes. Quick release the steam and blend the soup. Serve warm.
- Don’t have an immersion blender? No worries! Let the mixture cool down slightly. Transfer it to the blender jar and blend it.
- Use additional small zucchini to prepare the garnish. Dice or slice into small pieces and then roast them in a frying pan until they get to golden brown in color. Use it to garnish the soup before serving. This also makes the soup more delicious.
- You can use chicken broth or stock or vegetarian options to cook the soup base. Most of the time I use a mixture of broth and water.
- Taste test the soup after blending and add more seasonings, if necessary.
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