Description

This ultra creamy and delicious Vegan Cheesy Zucchini Soup is a fabulous summertime dish. Zucchini is the star of the show making us wish zucchini was in season all year around! Cashews, veggie broth, plant milk, and nutritional yeast help create a rich, thick, and comforting soup! Packed full of wholesome zucchini and topped with fun zucchini chips, zoodles, hemp seeds, and pumpkin seeds, this healthy and super easy soup will have the whole family chowing down. Whole Food Plant Based recipe, vegan, oil free, refined sugar free, gluten free, and no highly processed ingredients.

Ingredients

Scale

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons minced garlic
¼ cup raw cashews
6 cups chopped zucchini, small cubes, skins on (about 5–6 medium) *
1 cup vegetable broth *
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon ume plum vinegar
1 teaspoon rice vinegar
¼ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
¼ cup nutritional yeast

Herb/Spice Ingredients:

½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoon sea salt (+/- to taste) *

Optional Topping Ingredients:

Vegan Cream Cheese thinned with unsweetened plain plant milk (we used Kite Hill)
Baked zucchini chips
Fresh or Steamed zucchini zoodles (we used fresh)
Microgreens
Sprinkle of hemp seeds

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Instructions

Prep the zucchini, then set aside.
Over medium heat, add the chopped onions into an enamel/ceramic lined Dutch oven (or similarly large stock pot with a tight-fitting lid). Sauté for 5-7 minutes to soften. Then add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add the cubed zucchini and sauté for a few minutes.
Add all the remaining ingredients except the plant milk, nutritional yeast and thyme. Bring to a boil, then immediately lower to a simmer. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, then simmer for 20 minutes or until the zucchini is very tender.
Remove from the heat and transfer the zucchini mixture into a high-speed blender and pulse until completely smooth, about one minute. You may have to do this in several batches.
Transfer all the pureed soup back into the pot, then add the plant milk, nutritional yeast, and thyme. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, taste the soup for seasonings and adjust accordingly to suit personal preferences.
To serve, top with baked zucchini chips, fresh or steamed zucchini zoodles, vegan cream cheese (thinned with unsweetened plant milk), microgreens, and/or hemp seeds.

Notes

*Zucchinis: Cut the zucchini into fourths lengthwise and remove the whitish pith and seeds before cutting into cubes. This (removing seeds and pith) will create a more flavorful soup as the seeds and pith can sometimes leave a bitter note. Leave the zucchini skins on. Measure the 6 cups after cubing the zucchini. The size of the zucchinis is relative. The first time we made it we used 6 medium zucchinis; the 2nd time, we used 5 – so the key is measuring out 6 cups after cubing for consistency purposes.

*Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.

*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.

*Cashews: You can add the cashews right into the soup, you do not need to create a separate cashew cream.

*Baked Zucchini Chips: See blog post for details.

*Serving: Makes 7 cups (approx. 4-5 servings)

*Storage: Refrigerate and use within 5 days.