Quick courgette and basil soup

Quick courgette and basil soup: a delicate, creamy recipe with courgettes, basil, garlic, onion and lemon juice – fresh, green and ready in no time.

At a glance

• Serves 4
• Prep time: 5 min
• Cooking time: 10 min
• Total time: 15 min
• Calories: 120 kcal per serving
• Protein: 4 g
• Fat: 8 g
• Carbs: 8 g

Ingredients

• 4 courgettes
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 handful of basil
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · stick blender · chopping board · knife · ladle

1. Wash the courgettes and chop them roughly. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and briefly soften the onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant.
3. Add the courgettes, pour in the vegetable stock and bring everything to the boil once. Then simmer only briefly so the soup stays green.
4. Add the basil and blend the soup until smooth.
5. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper, and warm it through briefly again if needed.
6. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve with a little olive oil and basil. It tastes good warm or cold.

Good to know

This soup is uncomplicated and surprisingly delicate. It tastes fresh yet still well rounded. Just right when it needs to be quick and something warm would be welcome.

Swaps

Basil → parsley (also provides vitamin K, with a fresh, slightly bitter flavour); courgette → broccoli (also provides fibre and vitamin C); olive oil → avocado oil (a similarly mild fat with monounsaturated fatty acids); vegetable stock → homemade stock (lets you control the salt, usually a fresher flavour).

Allergens

The recipe is naturally vegan and contains few common allergens; sensitive people sometimes react to garlic or onion. For children, the soup can be mildly seasoned; in pregnancy, well-washed herbs and a carefully prepared stock are important.

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