Just because it’s summer, that doesn’t mean that it can’t still be soup season. When the temperatures rise, I love a nice chilled soup to cool me off. While gazpacho is probably my most frequent repeat, this Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup definitely hits all the right notes for a cool, fresh taste of summer. It’s a great make ahead recipe for a chilled food dinner party or a perfect meal prep choice. The fact that it happens to be a healthy, veggie-filled dish is really just a bonus.
What You Need
Equipment
- Chef’s Knife
- Cutting Board
- Mandolin – Optional for slicing the zucchini. You could also just use a chef’s knife. However, the advantage of the mandolin is that it’s faster and the slices have a uniform thickness. Just don’t forget to use the hand guard (and a kevlar glove if you have one).
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven – I use a 7-quart Dutch oven. If you are making this recipe at the full scale listed below, you will have a pretty significant volume of zucchini before it cooks down so make sure your pot is big enough.
- Large Rubber Scraper or Other Stirring Utensil
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Sealed Airtight Container – For chilling and storing in the fridge.
Ingredients
- Zucchini – The number you need depends on the size of the zucchini. I use the scale at the grocery store to get to around 48 ounces.
- Spanish Onions
- Cubanelle Peppers – I chose cubanelle peppers to give this soup a flavor boost without heat / spiciness. However, in the future, I would also be interested to swap these for poblanos instead.
- Garlic – Minced. I buy pre-minced garlic in bulk.
- Sherry Vinegar – This might take a little searching to find, but I strongly encourage the effort. It adds a little complexity and some depth to the flavor of the soup.
- Stock or Broth – I used Chicken Stock, but you can also use Vegetable Stock if you prefer to keep this vegetarian.
- Kosher Salt – I would suggest that you start with the amount listed and then add more to taste AFTER you puree the soup.
- Ground Black Pepper – As with the salt, start with the amount listed and add more to taste AFTER blending.
Getting Started with Making Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup
If you’ve been following along with me for any length of time, you’ve probably concluded that I really like recipes that can be made in advance or prepared in stages. I don’t always have the time or energy for marathon-style cooking extravaganza on a weeknight. If I can break the work down into discrete steps or chunks so that I can finish the work piecemeal, I consider it a win. For making this Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup, I recommend breaking down the work as follows:
- Veggie prep
- Cooking
- Pureeing
- Chilling
Veggie Prep
First, we’ll get all of the vegetables ready to cook. Start by slicing about 48 ounces of zucchini into uniform rounds. You can use a knife, but a mandolin (if you have one) will speed up the process and give you nice even slices.
After you’ve finished with the zucchini, roughly chop 2 Spanish Onions. I use relatively large ones.
Then remove the seeds and membranes from 3 – 4 Cubanelle Peppers and then roughly chop them too.
Cooking
Now that we have that all done, heat ¼ cup of stock or broth in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, cubanelle peppers, and garlic to the liquid in the pot and cook until they are all soft. There is a pretty large volume of vegetables, so this is going to take a little while. Expect about 20 minutes give or take. By the time everything is soft, there will be more liquid in the pot from the veggies and it will likely be bubbling a bit.
Add the remaining 3 ¾ cups of Stock and bring it to a boil. If you were bubbling before, it won’t take too long to get to a boil. Once you reach a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and allow it to cool to roughly room temperature. Basically, you need to be able to ladle it and / or pour it without getting burned. This will likely be about 30 – 60 minutes. I suggest moving on to something else on your to do list in the meantime. 😀
Pureeing the Soup
Once the “soup to be” has cooled, you’re going to puree it in either a food processor or high speed blender. Using the volume of ingredients as listed in the recipe takes me at least 3 batches. While a batch is blending, add some of the Sherry Vinegar. I like to add about 2 teaspoons per batch so that I have that flavor in the mix when I taste test as I go.
Pour each completed batch into a large airtight container. Once all batches are in, give it a good stir. Then taste test and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Chilling
Because you want the Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup to be nice and cold, chill it for at least 4 hours or overnight. Then just take it out of the refrigerator when you are ready to serve.
Related Recipes
If you’re wondering what to serve alongside this Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup, check out my Keeping Cool Summer Dinner Party page for some menu ideas.
This recipe was loosely inspired by: Zucchini Soup from Allrecipes and Best Gazpacho from New York Times Cooking
Chilled Zucchini Cubanelle Soup
Ingredients
- 48 ounces Zucchini Sliced
- 2 Spanish Onions Chopped
- 3 – 4 Cubanelle Peppers Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Garlic Minced
- 1 quart Stock or Broth Divided: ¼ cup for the initial cooking of the vegetables; remainder after they are softened. I used chicken stock, but you can use vegetable stock if you prefer to keep this recipe vegetarian.
- 6 teaspoons Sherry Vinegar Divided: Add some to each batch as you blend it to make taste testing easier.
- 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt Plus more to taste
- 1.5 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper Plus more to taste
Instructions
- Slice approximately 48 ounces Zucchini into relatively uniform rounds. Roughly chop 2 Spanish Onions and 3 – 4 Cubanelle Peppers.48 ounces Zucchini, 2 Spanish Onions, 3 – 4 Cubanelle Peppers
- Heat ¼ cup of the Stock or Broth in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the zucchini, onions, cubanelle peppers, 1 tablespoon Garlic Minced, 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt, and 1.5 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper. Cook until all of the vegetables are softened. About 20 minutes.1 tablespoon Garlic, 1 quart Stock or Broth, 1.5 teaspoons Kosher Salt, 1.5 teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
- Add the remaining Stock or Broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking to the bottom.1 quart Stock or Broth
- Reduce the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool to roughly room temperature. About 30 minutes to an hour.
- Working in batches, add the vegetable and broth mixture to either a food processor or high speed blender. For me this was 3 batches. Add the Sherry Vinegar and blend until smooth. I divided the Sherry Vinegar out across the batches, adding 2 teaspoons per batch.6 teaspoons Sherry Vinegar
- Combine all batches in a large airtight container. Check flavor and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
Equipment
- Mandolin Optional
- Dutch Oven Or Large Pot
- Large Silicone Spoon Or Other Stirring Utensil
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Sealed Airtight Container
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