Sometimes simple is better. And this highly customizable Zucchini soup is not the exception to the rule. It’s a tasty, healthy meal that’s perfect for starting your dinner and only takes 20 minutes to make.
• The base ingredients of the soup.
• Steps to follow when mixing the ingredients together.
• Customization options.
• Nutritional value.
Many amateur and professional cooks tend to over-complicate recipes. Add a splash of condiment here, a few cubes of cheese there, fresh slices of tomatoes after the dish comes out of the oven, and so on.
But while Melissa D’Arabian, an expert from the Food Network and occasional columnist for the Washington Post, was exercising uncharacteristic restraint, she may have stumbled upon the greatest soup in the world as her entire family crowned it winner of the taste test.
The soup is based on Zucchini, a vegetable that can be found at the market in almost every month of the year. It’s rich in vitamins (B6 and C), minerals (calcium and iron), fiber, folate, and even has a few grams of protein.
So what do you need for this magnificent treat? Four (4) main ingredients. And to make it even more family friendly we’ll give you the version of the recipe for four (4) servings:
– three (3) medium-large zucchini, each weighing 1 1/2 pounds
– ground black pepper and Kosher salt
– two (2) cups of low-sodium chicken broth or two (2) cups of vegetable broth
– two (2) tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
– one (1) tablespoon lemon juice
Start by heating the oven to 400F and lining a baking sheet using kitchen parchment. Take the zucchini and cut them in half lengthwise, but don’t forget to throw away the nubby ends. Place the pieces of zucchini on the baking sheet and season them with pepper and salt. Now roast them for 15 minutes, or until they’re tender. Don’t forget to turn them on the other side halfway through.
Last thing you need to do is grab your blender and mix the roasted zucchini with the chicken broth (make sure it’s hot when you put it in the blender), the chopped chives, and the lemon juice. Turn on the blender and let it do its job until the composition becomes creamy and smooth. Ideally, you should serve it immediately.
And the best part is that the soup is highly customizable. Guests, family members and colleagues can add a variety of toppings to make the meal more appealing to them – browned turkey, chicken sausage, mini toasts, plain bread, plain Greek yogurt, sauteed winter, delicata squash, chopped fresh herbs, and everything else you can think of.
The base ingredients of the Zucchini soup mix deliciously with pretty much everything.
The nutrition value of the core ingredients is as follows:
– 35 calories per serving, 5 of which are from fat
– 0.5g fat per serving
– 0 mg cholesterol per serving
– 170 mg sodium per serving
– 5g carbohydrate per serving
– 1g fiber per serving
– 3g sugar per serving
– 3g protein per serving
If you’d like to learn more about healthy food choices, on recipes that you can prepare with a limited budget, you may try reading Melissa D’Arabian’s cookbook, Supermarket Healthy.
Image Source: pixabay.com
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