Zucchini (Courgette) Basil Soup: Easy, Creamy, Dreamy
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This easy, creamy zucchini basil soup (or if you’re British, this courgette basil soup) is a truly healthy vegetarian soup recipe.
Lots of creamy vegetarian soups pile on the cream in order to create a rich taste and silky texture. But this healthy zucchini soup doesn’t need to.
We’ve used vegetable broth, garlic and scallions, alongside just a quarter cup of low fat cream cheese to give this healthy courgette soup all the flavour and richness it needs.
Topped with fried nuts and spinach leaves, this zucchini soup (ahem, courgette soup) is a joy to behold.
It’s also a super low calorie vegetarian soup at just 269 kcal per serving (so it makes the cut for our top low calorie soups!)!
Finally, forgive us for sitting on the fence with zucchini/courgette!
Although zucchini is used around the world, courgette continues to be the only name by which this vegetable is known in Britain!
Health benefits of easy zucchini basil soup (or easy courgette basil soup)
Zucchini is a low-calorie, high-nutrient food (did you know, it’s technically a fruit?!). It’s a member of the squash family and shares their many health benefits.
Zucchini is high in vitamin B6, in turn making this zucchini basil soup great for helping to regulate blood glucose and protecting against diabetes.
Zucchinis are also rich in multiple antioxidants, which protect your body against free radical damage that can cause cataracts and other eye problems.
On top of all these health benefits, zucchinis are low in calories – just 62 kcals in one cup serving – and carbohydrates – less than 1g per cup.
So, using zucchinis as the base for this courgette spinach soup recipe keeps the calories low and the health benefits high.
If you’re interested in how to lose weight while maintaining a sustainable calorie deficit, check out our vegetarian weight loss course!
You’ve gotta be spinach to win it
You didn’t think we’d stop at one vegetable for this zucchini basil soup, did you? Good, because we certainly didn’t.
This vegetarian soup recipe also contains 3 oz of spinach; rich in iron, spinach helps keep energy levels up, and rich in nitrates, it can help improve blood flow and pressure.
If you’re on the lookout for more hearty vegetarian soups, this easy broccoli and cauliflower soup will fill you up. Alternatively, this creamy curried lentil soup is low on calories and big on flavour!
Subscribe to get our FREE 7-Day Vegetarian High Protein Meal Plan for Weight Loss
Ingredients
- 1 green onion (or scallion)
- 2 clove garlic
- 11 oz zucchini (courgette)
- 5 oz spinach
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ⅓ cup low fat cream cheese
- ½ cup basil, fresh (packed)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 4 oz wholegrain bread (3 big slices)
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roughly chop your green onion, garlic cloves and zucchini (courgette).1 green onion, 2 clove garlic, 11 oz zucchini
- In a medium size pot over medium heat add the olive oil, green onion, garlic and zucchini. Cook until veggies have a golden color. If the veggies start to stick, add a drop of hot water instead of more oil while cooking.1 tsp olive oil
- Add basil and spinach leaves, low fat cream cheese, vegetable broth and black pepper. Simmer until the zucchini (courgette) is soft and tender, about 10 to 13 minutes.5 oz spinach, ⅓ cup low fat cream cheese, ½ cup basil, fresh, 2 cups vegetable broth
- Meanwhile, cut the bread into pieces of about 1 inch. In a small pan melt the butter and add the bread pieces and seeds of choice, cook until they are golden brown and toasty.4 oz wholegrain bread, 1 tsp butter, 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- Blend the soup, you can use a hand blender and process in the same pot. Take the soup back to the stove. Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Finally, salt soup to taste.Salt and pepper to taste
- Serve soup topped with basil leaves, seeds and toasty bread pieces.
NOTES
- Make-ahead? Yes, prep the night before, it’ll be even more flavorful that way.
- Freezable? Yes, just reheat slowly.
Nutrition
Dave Bell
I’m not a foodie, although I do love eating. I believe food should serve us and our goals, not hinder. Taking control and responsibility for what I eat is important to me. Lots of veggie protein is my way forward.
Abril Macías
Creator of this wonderful recipe!
I am a culinary creator and food photographer from Quito, Ecuador. I have a Master’s degree in New Food Thinking and a Bachelor’s degree in Gastronomy, my expertise lies in crafting and capturing creative dishes. Collaborating with websites and blogs worldwide, I develop recipes and bring them to life through captivating photographs.
I dedicate my work in the kitchen and through the lens to explore food from different backgrounds, origins and diets. I would describe my style as “comfort food with a twist”. My goal is to create recipes that are homely, yet attractive, delicious and have something different and exiting to them.
This article has been medically reviewed by James LeBaigue MSc Learn More
James LeBaigue MSc
James has a Masters Degree in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, as well as an Advanced Diploma in Human Nutrition.
He loves combining his scientific knowledge along with food in the real world, and these recipes are the result.
He’s on top of all the latest evidence and guidelines to make sure our nutrition advice on the website is as accurate as it can be.
By day he works as an Advanced Clinical Practitioner in a busy NHS GP Practice.
Each recipe is tested and then eaten (much to James’ delight), many times before it is deemed worthy to be published. Bon appetit!
Comments
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5 comments
Tastes good, but how does this have 19 grams of protein as stated in the nutritional information? I specifically searched for vegan or vegetarian soup recipes high in protein. There’s no way this has 19 grams of protein per serving unless you add a protein, like pea powder, tofu, vegan meat, etc. or way more sunflower seeds than the recipe calls for or lots of hemp seeds etc. Am I missing something? Where do the 19 grams of protein come from? I added protein to it when I cooked it. I gave it three stars because although it tastes good, it doesn’t have the protein I was looking for even when you count the protein in the bread.
Hi Renee! Glad you enjoyed it. I just double-checked – the nutri info is indeed correct. Most of the protein comes from the low-fat cream cheese, the pumpkin seeds and the wholegrain bread.
This was a big hit in our house, so simple but so full of flavour. More recipes like this please x
We keep creating easy yet delicious recipes! Thanks for the feedback!
Awesome Kaz!! Really happy to hear that. Will do 😀