Healthy Zucchini Almond Soup

I guarantee you will be surprised by how nutty and delicious this Healthy Zucchini Almond Soup is!

Adding ground almonds is an old Spanish cuisine technique used to boost body and flavour in soups. Toasting the ground almonds and the sliced almond garnish help to add a depth of flavour.

Simmering a bit of parmesan rind in your soup is an old Italian trick to add flavour and body.

So - how can you go wrong with this?

This makes a delicious meal with a light salad or a hearty slice of bread. I served it with this Spicy Cheese Bread and it was very filling for a light supper!

Healthy Zucchini Almond Soup

Healthy but it takes rich and nutty and is full of flavour!

Author: Carolyn Hetke

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

Soup

• ▢ ¾ cup ground almonds
• ▢ 2 Tbsps olive oil divided 1+1
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 cups chicken stock use vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ 4 medium zucchini yellow or green, washed, trimmed and cut in to chunks
• ▢ pinch saffron
• ▢ 3 oz Parmesan rind
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper

Garnish

• ▢ 1 cup fresh grated parmesan
• ▢ ¼ cup almonds
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Soup

• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the bottom of a pot large enough to hold the finished soup.
• Add the ¾ cup ground almonds and cook over medium heat until golden brown. Stir often to avoid burning. Tranfers ground almonds to a separate bowl.
• Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pot and when hot, fry garlic about 1 minute. Add stock, water, zucchini, saffron and Parmesan rind. Simmer 20 minutes. Remove the Parmesan rind and discard, add the ground almonds and blend soup with a stick blender or in a blender.
• Soup can be made upto 3 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to reheat and serve.

Garnish

• Toast almond slices in the bottom of a non-stick pot or skillet. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently til golden brown. This may take 5-7 minutes. Transfer almond slices to a separate bowl. When cool, crush coarsely.
• Add the grated parmesan to the non-stick skillet and spread out. Sprinkle the crushed, toasted almonds evenly over the cheese. Let cook over medium heat, undisturbed until cheese is melted, lacy and golden. Remove skillet from heat and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over it immediately. Allow cheese to cool.
• When cool, transfer to a dish and break in to large pieces.
• To serve, sprinkle fried almond/cheese crumbles in the middle of the hot soup.
• Store leftover fried cheese in a separate container in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 1348mg | Potassium: 1064mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 596IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 441mg | Iron: 3mg

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