This roasted zucchini poblano soup is creamy, smoky and a little bit spicy. The creaminess comes from the zucchini instead of heavy cream. Poblano chiles naturally have a smoky flavor that's amplified when roasted. Since poblano chiles are pretty mild, one jalapeno is added for a touch of heat.
The soup is pretty healthy as well since it's mostly just pureed vegetables and broth. A 1.5 cup serving is only 116 calories filled with vitamins, fiber, and the only fat comes from olive oil.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 poblano chiles
- 1 jalapeno
- 4 medium zucchini about 2 pounds
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoky paprika black pepper as substitute
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- paprika tortilla strips
- fresh lime juice
- toasted pepitas
- ½ cup heavy cream very optional
Instructions
ROAST THE VEGETABLES
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Cut poblano peppers and jalapeno in half. Cut zucchini into large 1-inch chunks. Quarter onion. Peel garlic cloves. Toss all vegetables with olive oil salt, and paprika. Place peppers cut side down on baking tray along with other vegetables.4 poblano chiles, 1 jalapeno, 4 medium zucchini, 1 yellow onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
- Roast vegetables for 15 minutes, or until soft. Poblanos might char on top and that is ok.
- Cool & peel: Remove peppers from tray and set aside in a large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap to make the peppers sweat. This will help separate the skin more easily. Once cool enough to handle, peel off the skin from the poblano and jalapeno peppers. Chop peppers, set aside.Taste a bit of the jalapeno: jalapeno peppers can vary dramatically in heat. Give it a taste. Cut back it it is too hot, and/or remove the seeds.
MAKE THE ZUCCHINI SOUP
- Puree vegetables: If using a countertop blender: add vegetables to the blender in batches, with a little bit of chicken broth. Process until smooth then add to a soup pot. If using an immersion blender: add vegetables to the soup pot along with 1-2 cups of broth. Blend until smooth. (A countertop blender will produce a smoother soup).1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon smoky paprika
- Simmer: Add the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time and stir. Continue until desired consistency is reached. Serve once warmed all the way through.4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS
- To make paprika tortilla strips: brush olive oil (or use olive oil cooking spray) on both sides of 2 tortillas. Sprinkle with paprika and a pinch of salt. Bake in an oven at 350℉ for 5-10 minutes, until crispy. If they puff up, poke with a fork to deflate them. Cut into strips.paprika tortilla strips
- A splash of lime livens out the soup quite a bit, and I highly recommend it.fresh lime juice
- Stir in heavy cream at the end for an extra creamy, rich soup. I normally don't do this as I prefer dairy-free soups, but on the occasions I have, it's delicious.½ cup heavy cream
Notes
- Tortilla strips: use ½ of a tortilla per bowl ads 50 calories (including olive oil for toasting)
- Heavy cream: adds 100 calories per bowl
Nutrition
A healthy, low-calorie summer soup
Creamy soups most often get their texture from a good amount of heavy cream, like a silky tomato soup or a classic chowder. For dairy-free soups, potatoes easily boil down and puree into a smooth soup as well. These soups are absolutely delicious of course, but zucchini can also make a creamy soup without the addition of those other ingredients.
Zucchini soups are naturally low in calories as long as a bunch of heavy cream, potatoes, or cheese isn't being added to them. Zucchini and other summer squash flesh softens fairly quickly when simmered and purees into a pretty creamy base. It won't be as rich as a heavy-cream based option or have the same texture as a potato soup, but it's still quite delicious for a soup that's under 100 calories per cup.
The nutrition in the recipe card was calculated using a standard bowl that fits 1.5 cups, for 116 calories. A 1-cup serving is 76 calories. It was also calculated without the optional toppings. If you include them, add the following calories to your calculation:
- Tortilla strips: assume ½ of a tortilla per bowl, including a smidge of olive oil for toasting. Add 50 calories per bowl.
- Heavy cream: for a small amount per bowl (2 Tbsp), add 100 calories. If you want a really creamy soup, add ¼ cup per bowl, for 200 calories.
However, poblano chiles pair especially well with heavy cream and other dairy. So if it fits into your dietary goals, try adding some heavy cream - it's a delicious option for this particular zucchini poblano soup.
Using zucchini & summer squash
One of the great things about using zucchini in soup is that it's very forgiving and flexible. You can use any variety, any color, and any size.
Every type of fresh zucchini or summer squash works for this soup. I've made zucchini soup with green tiger stripe, black beauty zucchini, yellow zucchini, and yellow summer squash - all of which I grew in my garden.
Green zucchini will make a green soup, whereas yellow summer squash (or yellow zucchini) make a lighter colored spring-green-yellow soup. Yellow summer squash will make a yellow soup, just not when blended up with green poblano peppers!
Small, medium, and large zucchini can be used. I often use giant overgrown zucchini from my garden for soups. When using oversized zucchini, scrape out the seeds before adding them to the soup. When zucchini continue to ripen on the plant, the seeds grow from a barely noticeable size and texture, to large and firm.
The recipe calls for about 2 pounds of zucchini. If you use more or less, adjust the amount of broth up or down as needed. There's also no need to peel the zucchini - just be sure to scrub the outside well to remove any dirt.
Using poblano & jalapeno peppers
Poblano peppers taste earthy and smoky with a hint of heat. They are about half as spicy as the mildest jalapenos, with a scoville rating of 1,000-2,000 compared to 2,500-8,000 for jalapenos.
The flavor of jalapenos is pretty different from poblanos - they are bright and grassy. They vary dramatically in heat levels so it's worth tasting each pepper before adding them to a dish.
Jalapeno seeds contain a lot of capsaicin, the chemical that gives the peppers their heat. It will get on your fingers and if you rub your eye, you're going to regret it! Be sure to keep your hands away from your eyes, or wear gloves.
This soup calls for only 1 jalapeno to add spice without imparting too much of its flavor. The soup is meant to be a little smoky from the natural poblano flavor, roasting the vegetables, and adding smoked paprika.
Lastly, be sure to peel the skin from the peppers. The charring process turns the skin into a texture that is unappetizing in a soup. If not peeled, the skin will separate into the soup and become long, chewy strips. A counter-top blender might pulverize them, but it will still be noticeable in the smooth-textured soup. An immersion blender definitely doesn't break them up enough.
Standard vs immersion blender
A standard blender (the kind that sits on your countertop) is the best tool for a silky smooth soup. They are very high powered and blend the ingredients effortlessly. The downside is having to work in batches, only filling the blender to the max liquid fill line (or risk a hot mess exploding all over).
An immersion blender, on the other hand, in incredibly convenient. Stick it in the soup pot and blend while moving it around. The soup purees well enough, but lacks that silky smooth consistency. I use my immersion blender for almost every soup I make, unless I want it to be extra fancy for guests or a special occasion.
The picture of the soup was made using my immersion blender. I have this breville blender kit and love it (affiliate link). I use the whisk attachment all of the time to make whipped cream, and the container it comes with has a blade attachment to act as a mini food processor. I haven't tried other immersion blenders, so I can't compare.
Storage & freezing
A batch of this zucchini poblano soup will keep for several days in the fridge and can be reheated on the stove top. Alternatively, you can freeze it for long term storage.
Soups with milk and heavy cream don't freeze as well - the cream can separate out. Since this recipe uses zucchini for creaminess, it freezes without any problems.
I often make a double batch of this in August when zucchini are winding down and peppers are at their peak season. This soup recipe is easily doubled and will fit in a standard 6-quart dutch oven.
If you're gardening or shopping at a farmers market, this is an efficient way to use up vegetables that are in season at the same time in July, August, and September.
I also make this soup in an afternoon of cooking when I need to use up a lot of zucchini. In just 2 hours, you can make 3 different soups to use up a dozen zucchini.
Other ideas for zucchini soup
I grow zucchini in my garden every year, so I have an abundance that inevitably end up in a soup. Try one of these other zucchini soup recipes, each one has a different flavor profile.
Leave a Reply