This Tomato Zucchini Soup is packed with veggies, it's extra creamy, and it can be ready in just 35 minutes! Zucchini and Roma tomatoes get blended into the creamiest comforting soup. It's vegan, gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and great for meal prep! It's the perfect freezer meal for late summer and fall.
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Why You'll Love This Tomato Zucchini Soup
Perfect flavor combination - If you love tomato soup but haven't tried adding zucchini to it yet, you've got to give this one a try! The zucchini helps to thicken the soup without any flour, potatoes, or anything else and it's a great way to add some extra veggies into your diet! The soup is seasoned really simply with just mixed herbs, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Most of the flavor comes from celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. It's comforting, filling, and just so good!
Easy and freezer-friendly - This soup takes only about 35 minutes to make with minimal hands-on work. It can easily be doubled and it stores and freezes really well so it's perfect for meal prep. I like making a bigger batch and freezing it preportioned for busy days. It's so easy to heat up and it makes a delicious lunch!
Ingredients
- Canned tomatoes - I recommend using canned whole Roma tomatoes in their own juices. I like to pick a brand that's organic and without any additives.
- Tomato paste - To double up on the tomato flavor, you'll need tomato paste. If you have double-concentrated tomato paste, you can use less of it.
- Zucchini - Pick fresh-looking, firm zucchini. I usually just cut off both ends and keep the peel on but you can also peel the zucchini if you prefer. Choose organic zucchini if possible.
- Carrots, celery, yellow onion, and garlic - This is the base of the soup and it adds a ton of flavor. I highly recommend using fresh garlic if you have it. You can prep all of these ahead of time and freeze them for later to save time and avoid food waste.
- Vegetable broth - To keep the soup vegetarian (or vegan if you don't add cream), I usually use vegetable broth. Chicken broth would be great as well!
- Spices - The soup is simmered with dried bay leaf and dried mixed herbs. I like using my homemade Italian Seasoning but any simple mixed herbs made with herbs like oregano and thyme works.
- Balsamic vinegar - The recipe calls for balsamic vinegar which you will add at the end of cooking. You can't really taste it in the finished soup but it ties all the flavors together and adds that little something. I highly recommend adding it if you have it but it's not the end of the world if you don't.
- Cooking oil - I always have 100% pure avocado oil on hand to use for all my cooking because it has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor but you can use any cooking oil you prefer like olive oil.
Variations and Substitutions
- Heavy cream - This is optional but you can add some heavy cream before you blend the soup to make it extra creamy. Coconut milk or other creamy dairy-free milk works as well.
- Fresh herbs - You can stir in some finely chopped fresh herbs like fresh basil, thyme, parsley, or chives after blending the soup. I like to also sprinkle them on top right before serving too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add chopped yellow onion and sea salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until glossy and slightly golden.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until just fragrant.
- Add sliced carrots, celery, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning.
- Stir to mix and cook for a minute.
- Add canned tomatoes and use a spatula to chop them up a little bit.
- Add chopped zucchini, bay leaves, vegetable broth, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional).
- Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes or until the zucchini is very soft.
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- Take the bay leaf out and add heavy cream and balsamic vinegar (optional).
- Use an immersion blender to carefully blend the soup until smooth.
- Serve as it is or with croutons, more cream, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and fresh herbs.
Tips and Tricks!
- Chop and freeze your base vegetables ahead of time! Whenever I have a lot of vegetables in my fridge, I like to freeze whatever I can to avoid food waste. You can chop your yellow onion, carrots, celery, and garlic and freeze them to use in soups. It saves a ton of time and cleanup! I like to store garlic separately but the rest can be premeasured and frozen together in ziplock bags! Just empty your freezer bag into your soup pot and you're done!
Serving Suggestions
You can serve the soup plain or top it with torn-up crusted bread, croutons, a drizzle of cream, a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, or finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or chives. I like topping the soup with my homemade Sourdough Croutons. You can also sprinkle the soup with some parmesan cheese or pecorino cheese to add extra flavor!
If you want to serve the soup with a classic grilled cheese, I highly recommend trying this Heirloom Tomato Grilled Cheese or a Feta Grilled Cheese. They're amazing with this soup!
Storing and Reheating
Fridge: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Always wait for the soup to cool completely in the fridge before closing the container with a lid.
Freezer: The soup is very freezer-friendly! You can store it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3-4 months when stored properly. I like to freeze it in these silicon souper cubes to have the soup preportioned. Once it's frozen, I transfer the cubes to a freezer bag.
Reheating: You can reheat the soup in a small saucepan either from the fridge or straight from the freezer. You can also defrost the soup in the fridge overnight first. If you're reheating it from frozen, add a splash of water to prevent it from burning. Heat until it reaches a soft simmer to make sure it's warmed through.
FAQs
No, I usually don't peel the zucchini but you can if you prefer. Zucchini skin can sometimes be bitter so to avoid that, you can peel it. I hardly ever have this issue though. Make sure you're using a fresh, firm zucchini for the best flavor.
I find balsamic vinegar and sea salt can balance the flavors and fix this issue. I've never had this issue though when I followed the right measurements.
If your tomatoes aren't as sweet as you expected, you can add a small pinch of baking soda to get rid of some of the acidity. It helps balance the flavors and prevents milk from curdling if you're adding any. Don't overdo it, you only need a small amount.
Similar Soup Recipes
Below are a few soups similar to this one you should definitely try if you like this one. The gnocchi one is one of my favorites and I also sometimes combine the two and add gnocchi to this soup instead!
If you want to see all the latest ones, head over to Soup Recipes!
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Print📖 Recipe
Tomato Zucchini Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 3-4 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This Tomato Zucchini Soup is packed with veggies, it's extra creamy, and it can be ready in just 35 minutes! It's vegan, gluten-free, freezer-friendly, and great for meal prep!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion (1 small onion)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup chopped carrots (1-2 carrots)
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 (28oz) can of whole Roma tomatoes
- 4 cups chopped zucchini (approx. 2 zucchini)
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
Instructions
- Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add chopped yellow onion and sea salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until glossy and slightly golden.
- Add minced garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until just fragrant.
- Add sliced carrots, celery, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir to mix and cook for a minute.
- Add canned tomatoes and use a spatula to chop them up a little bit.
- Add chopped zucchini, bay leaves, vegetable broth, and crushed red pepper flakes (optional).
- Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes or until the zucchini is very soft.
- Take the bay leaf out and add heavy cream and balsamic vinegar (optional).
- Use an immersion blender to carefully blend the soup until smooth.
- Serve as it is or with croutons, more cream, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, and fresh herbs.
Equipment
Notes
Storing: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
Reheating: Reheat the soup in a pot on the stove until it simmers gently. I recommend adding a splash of water if you're reheating it from frozen. You can also defrost the soup in the fridge overnight first.
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Veronika Sykorova says
This soup is easy, packed with flavor, and perfect for any time of the year! It's great for the summer with seasonal zucchini but it's amazing in the winter too.