How can you not love zucchini? Especially when you have the combo of Zucchini Basil & Feta in this incredibly delicious soup.
Zucchini has a beautiful subtle buttery flavour when cooked. It’s low carb. It doesn’t cause problems for my Irishman’s IBS. It’s easy to grow.
Repeat after me… ‘Zucchini is YUMMY!’
I first made this soup for lunch at my Dad’s place just before we went into COVID lock down.
It was the beginning of autumn so I still had masses of basil in the garden. They were practically giving away zucchini at the farmers market. And I had some chicken stock that wouldn’t fit in the freezer.
It felt like the universe was telling me to make a zucchini soup. And so I did.
Zucchini Basil & Feta Soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg zucchini (courgettes) about 8 small
- 2 cups chicken or veg stock
- 1 large bunch basil
- 100 g feta
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
-
Slice zucchini into coins about 1/2cm (1/4 inch) thick. Place in a medium saucepan with the stock and a big pinch of salt.
-
Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until zucchini is tender.
-
While the soup is cooking separate basil leaves. Discard the stems. Dice or crumble the feta.
-
When the zucchini is cooked remove the pot from the heat. Add most of the basil leaves to the pot (keeping a few to serve). Puree carefully using a stick blender. Or leave the soup chunky.
-
Taste and season with more salt if needed. Divide between two bowls. Scatter over the feta chunks and the reserved basil leaves. Finish with a good drizzle of peppery extra virgin olive oil.
NET CARBS: 23g/serve
Variations & Substitutions
no stock – water is fine. Be prepared to add more salt and possibly a little grated parmesan (actually if you have some parmesan rinds floating around the fridge you can add them to the pot).
Keto / ultra low carb / low FODMAP – replace half the zucchini with baby spinach (add at the same time as the basil).
dairy-free – replace feta with chunks of avocado, roast almonds, roast walnuts, roast pine nuts, cooked chickpeas, poached eggs or chopped pitted olives or dairy-free pesto.
different cheese – shaved parmesan, ricotta or goats cheese will work.
more substantial (carb lovers) – serve with crusty bread or add cooked pasta, chickpeas or white beans.
more substantial (low carb) – more feta, nuts or avocado, cooked chicken.
different vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus or eggplant (aubergine), kale, spinach, chard or collard greens.
more fancy / for entertaining – serve with little almond breads + butter. If you want to be really fancy serve with pesto or feta AND pine nuts.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
zucchini – will keep for 2 weeks or longer in a plastic bag in the fridge. To keep it even longer, cook sliced zucchini in a little butter until just soft then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
chicken or veg stock – freeze it.
basil – make basil oil by packing washed and dried leaves in a clean jar and covering with extra virgin olive oil. Or you can freeze the leaves, they’ll wilt but will still be delicious.
feta – keeps for months unopened in its packet. Or can be frozen.
extra virgin olive oil – keep it in the pantry.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt! Next time use smaller zucchini – the larger ones tend to be more watery. Also consider a different type of stock.
too dry – overcooked omelette. Next time get it out earlier. For now a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil will help.
no stick-blender – use a spoon to crush the cooked zucchini and serve a chunkier soup. Finely dicing the zucchini at the beginning if you prefer. Or carefully transfer to a food processor or blender to blend the soup – being super careful not to overfill and cause an explosion.
too watery – add some finely grated parmesan or almond meal (almond flour) to thicken things up.
Prepare Ahead
Yes! Just cook as per the recipe but keep the feta and extra basil separately. If I’m making it for my Dad I just store everything together. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or can be frozen. To serve, bring back to simmer and top with basil, extra basil and extra virgin olive oil.
Recipes Similar to Zucchini Basil Feta
- Zucchini Pizza
- Spinach Feta Burgers
- The Good Greens
- Zucchini Parmigiana
- Beef, Broccolini, Basil
- Mushroom, Sausage & Feta Hash
Have fun in the kitchen!
BIG love,
Jules x
I just made this with one tablespoon of Roasted garlic better than bullion (so I did not add salt) for my stock with water in instant pot on soup setting for 15 minutes. I could not find basil at the store but I did have some basil sprouts I just got at farmers market dos use them. Just delicious!!!! I put feta and basil sprouts on top and tasted…delicious. I added a few drops OD White Truffle oil and it was even better. Since I had some Amish blue cheese in the refrigerator I tried it with that. Both cheeses are great! Had some precook end bacon in refrigerator added that. Even better! I am taking some over to my sister-in-law who is having challenges eating (cancer). I also have some yellow squash in Instant pot now to make more soup. Love The sprouts on top as well as blended into the soup. Very tender and delicious. When I get squash Again, I am definatly making more. Will try Parmesan cheese next with the yellow squash soup. Thank you for this recipe as it takes care of all the squash easily so it does not go bad in refrigerator Anne
Love all your additions Anne!
I made this zucchini basil and feta soup last night. It was pretty good and also delicious.
So glad you enjoyed Albertina :)
I like to read your blog. It is lively.
But I think you should warn everyone that it is dangerous to keep basil leaves in oil more than a few days even in the fridge. There is a risk of botulism. Anaerobic bacteria from the earth can remain on the basil leaves even washed and multiply in the oil.
Thank you for all your recipes.
Thanks for the warning Sophie.