Ingredients
- 3 1/4 lbs small zucchini, washed and roughly chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb (16 oz) unripened goat cheese, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 bunch fresh mint, stems removed
Steam the Zucchini
For this soup, it’s best to use small, tender zucchini as they have better flavor and fewer seeds.
In a large pot over medium heat, combine the chopped zucchini, salt, and about an inch of water. Cover the pot and let the zucchini steam for ~10 minutes. You’ll know they’re ready when they have softened but haven’t started to break apart. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the zucchini to cool down completely in the pot; this can take up to an hour.
Do not move on to the next step until the zucchini are cool to the touch. Blending hot soup with the cheese can cause the texture to become grainy.
Blend the Soup
To the pot with the cooled zucchini, add ~12 oz of the goat cheese, the olive oil, black pepper, and most of the mint leaves.
Reserve some mint leaves for garnish.
Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until it’s completely smooth. If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can transfer the contents to a regular blender.
The soup should be thick and creamy. If you find it’s too thick, add a small amount of cold water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Taste the soup and adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
Chill and Serve
Chill the soup in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This allows the flavors to meld together.
When you’re ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Crumble the remaining 4 oz of goat cheese over the top, add the reserved mint leaves, and finish with a light drizzle of olive oil.
Chilled Zucchini Mint Soup
Ingredients
- 3 1/4 lbs small zucchini washed and roughly chopped
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb unripened goat cheese 16 oz, divided
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 bunch fresh mint stems removed
Instructions
- Steam chopped zucchini with salt and 1 inch water in covered pot for 10 minutes until softened.
- Let zucchini cool completely in pot.
- Add 12 oz goat cheese, olive oil, pepper, and most of mint leaves to cooled zucchini.
- Blend until completely smooth using immersion blender.
- Add cold water if needed to adjust consistency.
- Chill soup for 1 hour.
- Serve topped with remaining crumbled goat cheese, reserved mint leaves, and olive oil drizzle.
