Summer Garden Soup

One night after my wife and I were newly married, we were looking through our cookbooks to decide which recipes to make, and we saw a recipe for a vegetable soup that looked appetizing. We tried it, along with a few changes of our own, and decided that it was a keeper. I love this recipe because it is so different from other soups that I make. It's very light, but very flavorful. It has a fresh flavor from zucchini, tomatoes, and a splash of lemon juice. And, as I recently discovered, it is filling without being Calorie-dense. The entire batch of soup has fewer than 1000 Calories!
Another reason my wife and I love this soup is that it doesn't take all day to prepare. It's not quite as fast as cooking up a packet of Ramen noodles, but few things are. We always have this soup with Cheesy Garlic Biscuits, which remind me of the Cheddar Bay Biscuits sold at Red Lobster.

Skip the tutorial and go straight to the recipe.

Step 1:

 Dice a medium red onion and sweat in 1 Tbsp butter and a heavy pinch of salt over medium heat. Allow onions to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Step 2:

 Cut 2 medium zucchini into 1/2" pieces. Add to pot and saute until pieces are slightly soft, about 2 minutes.

Step 3:

 Add 1 Tbsp each dried basil and dried parsley to the pot. Stir to combine.

Step 4: 

 Add 1 can evaporated milk and 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups water.

Step 5:

Disperse 2 Tbsp flour in 1 cup COLD water.

Step 6: 

Add the flour slurry to the soup and bring to a boil until slightly thickened.

(Be careful: milk-based soups have a tendency to boil over)

Step 7: 

Add 1 can corn, drained, and 1 tsp lemon  juice.

Step 8: 

Right before serving, garnish with fresh, diced tomatoes.

As mentioned above, this soup goes perfectly with Cheesy Garlic Biscuits. Unlike some other soups, this one does not tolerate freezing well, but it does stay good for a week in the fridge.

Summer Garden Soup:

1 medium red onion, diced

1 Tbsp butter or oil

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2" cubes

1 can evaporated milk (fat-free or regular)

2 bouillon cubes (any variety)

3 cups water, divided

2 Tbsp flour

1 can corn, drained

1 tsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper

1 medium Roma tomato, seeded and diced

Caramelize onion in butter with a heavy pinch salt over medium heat. Add zucchini and saute for 2 minutes, until slightly softened. Add evaporated milk and bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups water. Make of slurry of flour and 1 cup water. Add to soup and bring to a boil. Boil until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in corn and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish soup with fresh tomato.

Nutrition Facts