NO Fat Leek & Zucchini Soup
With Fall approaching, it’s a great time for soup. Truth be told, I like soup year-round!
This soup is perfect to get your greens in, when leeks and zucchinis are plentiful (and affordable!) in the grocery store! It’s so simple to make and is a very satisfying, lovely, delicious tasting smooth blend that has a delicate earthy flavour. My Mom used to make a homemade ‘Fines Herbes’ soup that this is very reminiscent of. A dash of coconut milk or cream (or dairy cream) and a sprinkle of nutritional yeast (or parmesan) finishes this soup off with a gourmet touch, making it worthy of a light dinner or a fancy starter course when company is over.
You will not miss that there is no fat in this soup. The veggies are initially softened in a little water – which works just as well here as with oil!
Leeks are part of the Allium family of veggies, along with onions, garlic and chives. An antioxidant, these alliums contain VitC, VitB6 and manganese, and iron, folate, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous and sulphur. Leeks also contain higher amounts of fibre.
Zucchini is technically a fruit but is always treated as a veggie, zucchini contains many important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, has a high fiber content and a low calorie count, is rich in Vit B6, beneficial for blood glucose levels, Vit A, lutein and zeaxanthin all which are important for eye health, rich in potassium for heart health, and provides immune system support.
As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your NO Fat leek & zucchini Soup goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!
Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 30 minutes / Serves: 4 – 6
Ingredients
½ Cup Water
½ Large Red Onion – diced
4 Garlic Cloves – sliced
2 Leeks – trimmed of roots, cut in half lengthwise, rinsed well, then sliced in 1-inch pieces
3 Zucchini – trimmed of stem and chopped
3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme or 1½ teaspoons Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Dried Parsley
1½ teaspoon Dried Basil
1 teaspoon Ground Rosemary
Generous Pinch of Herbed Seasoned Sea Salt or Plain Sea Salt
Generous Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper
5 Cups Veggie Bouillon or Vegetable Broth
Coconut Milk or Cream or Dairy Cream– to drizzle over the served soup in the bowl
Pinch of Nutritional Yeast or Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese – for serving
How It’s Made
In a large pot, over medium-high heat, bring the ½ cup water to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes to soften.
Add the leek and zucchini, then the herbes and season with the herbed seasoned sea salt or plain sea salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper. Stir.
Add the veggie bouillon making sure the veggies are covered by the bouillon liquid. If the veggies aren’t covered, add more bouillon or water.
Bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer the veggies until they are very soft – 20-30 minutes.
Test the veggies by piercing with a sharp knife. It should easily go through. If not, simmer longer and test again in 5 minutes.
When the veggies are soft, turn off the heat. Either with a hand-held immersion blender or in batches in a blender (being very careful as the mixture will be hot), puree the mixture until smooth.
Taste and adjust for seasoning to your taste.
Serve in a pretty bowl or mug, with a drizzle of coconut milk or cream, or dairy cream, and a generous pinch of nutritional yeast or grated parmesan cheese. Garlic toast sticks (recipe below) go nicely with this soup, croutons on top work deliciously too.
Enjoy!
Garlic Toast Sticks – toast your bread, and when toasted, spread butter (either plant based or dairy or even brush with some olive oil), sprinkle with some garlic powder (not garlic salt, make sure it’s powder), cut into sticks and put one in the soup just before serving! Have more available to serve with the soup as these are delicious and go so well with this soup!
