This easy broccoli courgette soup recipe is packed with lots of healthy vegetables. I’ve paired the broccoli with courgette, as I had lots growing in my garden that needed using up, and added tarragon for a burst of fresh herb flavour.
I’ve made a vegan broccoli courgette soup as I wanted a stock based soup laden with fresh vegetables. However, if you prefer a creamy broccoli courgette soup, you can add some double cream (heavy cream) or a plant based cream if you prefer a creamier soup.
Living in North East Scotland, soup is something I cook the year round, on a cooler summers day I’m more than happy enjoying a bowl of soup. I like to use fresh produce at it’s best and I’ve used courgettes (zucchini) fresh out of my garden to make this broccoli zucchini soup.
This healthy broccoli courgette soup is gluten free, dairy free and vegan. The best thing about making homemade soup is knowing what’s going into it. I’ve used fresh vegetables and a little stock. You won’t find excess amounts of salt, and there’s zero added sugar, additives or preservatives.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A quick cook as this soup can be on the table ready to enjoy in around 30 minutes.
- This recipe is easily doubled up enjoy some now and freeze the rest for a quick and easy meal another day.
- Easy to adapt if there is a vegetable you don’t have, swap it for another vegetable you do.
- Leftover broccoli zucchini soup makes a quick and easy lunch on the go, just warm it up and place in a thermos.
Recipe ingredients
- Oil: I use regular olive oil to saute the vegetables, but you can use the light flavoured oil of your choice.
- Vegetables: I use onion, leek, celery and garlic to form the base flavours in most of the soups I cook. I’ve then flavoured the soup with broccoli and courgette, and added a couple of small potatoes to naturally thicken the soup without the need for adding flour.
- Stock: I’ve used vegetable stock in the soup to compliment the vegetables. Use a gluten free vegetable stock if you are serving gluten free diners.
- Fresh herbs: I flavoured the soup with the leaves from a couple of sprigs of fresh tarragon, discarding the woody stalks. You could also use fresh parsley, basil or thyme in this soup. If you don’t have fresh herbs, a teaspoon of dried herbs can work well in this soup too.
- Seasoning: I keep the seasoning simple with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to make broccoli courgette soup
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and celery and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Now add the broccoli, courgette and potato to the pan and sauté for a further 2 minutes, stirring to stop the vegetables from sticking.
- Add the vegetable stock, tarragon leaves and season with salt and black pepper. Now give everything a good stir to combine and reduce the heat to medium-low.
TOP TIP: I don’t like to see fresh produce going to waste. Don’t throw away the broccoli stem once you’ve take off the florets. Instead cut away any tough woody bites, then chop the rest of the stem up and add it to the soup.
- Place a lid on the pan and simmer the soup gently for 20 minutes until the potatoes have softened.
- Take off the heat and using a stick blender, or stand blender, blitz the soup to smooth.
- If you prefer to the soup a little thinner, add a little more vegetable stock or water. Check the soup for seasoning and adjust with a little more salt and black pepper to taste.
Recipe variations
- When it comes to other vegetables you can swap the broccoli for cauliflower or romanesco broccoli.
- Add in some extra vegetables like carrots, sweet potato or butternut squash, then adjust the amount of stock if required to thin down the soup.
- I’ve added fresh tarragon to the soup, but you can add other herbs, try parsley, basil or thyme.
- I’ve made a stock based soup, but to make a creamy broccoli courgette soup stir through some double cream at the end of the cook. Use plant based cream if serving vegan diners.
- Cheese pairs really well with broccoli and courgette so add some to the soup. Try crumbling in some blue cheese, cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese. For vegan diners opt for a plant based parmesan style cheese.
Serving suggestions
Zucchini Broccoli soup makes a great lunch or light dinner dish. I’ve served it here with a homemade cheese scone as I had baked a fresh batch that morning, and after all cheese and broccoli are a perfect flavour combination. Some crusty bread or warm garlic bread would be great options too.
Useful hints and tips
- Check the soup for seasoning before serving, the right amount of salt and pepper makes a big difference to the taste of the finished dish.
- Use a gluten free stock and this soup can be serve to coeliacs and gluten free diners.
- Containing no dairy this soup is suitable for dairy free and vegan diners.
- Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.
FAQs
You can add flour to thicken soup, but to keep this soup gluten free I prefer to use a couple of small potatoes when thickening soup. The starch in the potatoes will thicken the soup without the need for any flour.
Broccoli on it’s own can taste bland, so I like to add onion, leek, celery and garlic which are all great at layering up flavours as a base to any soup I make. Fresh herbs are also a great addition to soup, again adding in extra layers of flavour. I’ve opted for tarragon, but you could add parsley, basil or thyme.
If soup is too thick, the simple way to thin it down is to add extra stock or water. Add a little at a time until you achieve the desired consistency.
Once cooked and cooled, store broccoli soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. When ready to enjoy, place in a pan and warm up on the stove.
Yes, broccoli courgette soup freezes really well. Once cooked and cooled, place into an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Additional recipe suggestions
If you like this recipe then try some of my other vegan soup recipes:
- Sweet Potato, Coconut & Chilli Soup
- Potato & Leek Soup with Chickpeas (just swap butter for olive oil when sauteing the leek)
- Tomato & Vegetable Soup with Harissa
- Vegetable Barley Broth
- Tomato & Basil Soup
- Spicy Bean & Vegetable Soup
- Simple Curried Chickpea & Lentil Soup
- Spicy Tomato & Lentil Soup
Have a look at my Simple Soup Recipes post which has all my favourite soup recipes in one place, along with lots of useful hints and tips for making the best bowl of soup.
Broccoli Courgette Soup
Equipment
- Large saucepan or stockpot
- chopping board
- Sharp kitchen knife
- Measuring jug
- Stick blender or stand blender
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (peeled and diced)
- 1 leek (sliced)
- 1 stalk celery (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1 head broccoli (cut into florets and chop the stem)
- 2 medium courgettes (chopped)
- 2 small potatoes (peeled and chopped)
- 1 ltr vegetable stock
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon (leaves removed, discard woody stalk)
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, leek and celery and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute more.
- Now add the broccoli, courgette and potato to the pan and sauté for a further 2 minutes, stirring to stop the vegetables from sticking.
- Add the vegetable stock, tarragon leaves and season with salt and black pepper. Now give everything a good stir to combine and reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Place a lid on the pan and simmer the soup gently for 20 minutes until the potatoes have softened.
- Take off the heat and using a stick blender, or stand blender, blitz the soup to smooth.
- If you prefer to the soup a little thinner, add a little more vegetable stock or water. Check the soup for seasoning and adjust with a little more salt and black pepper to taste.
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Meagan
Friday 9th of August 2024
What an excellent soup recipe, perfect for boosting the amount of veg in my diet and it tasted great too.
Lesley
Monday 19th of August 2024
Thank you Meagan, this is a great recipe for getting more veg into your diet.
Chloe
Thursday 8th of August 2024
I bought a load of 5p courgettes a couple of weeks ago because I have no chill and I am quite honestly a bit sick of cooking them in all the usual ways (although your courgette pasta featured early and with great job!). But this was a little different so we all really enjoyed it!
Lesley
Monday 19th of August 2024
Glad you enjoyed it, and yes my courgette pasta does feature a lot when cooking for my family over the summer months.