Italian Summer Soup
Italian summer soup is loaded with fresh summer produce simmered into a rich, tomato based broth. This summer garden vegetable soup lets you enjoy soup season even in the warm weather!
During the summer months, my garden absolutely overflows with zucchini and summer squash.
We’re talking so much of it that I don’t quite know what to do with it all.
So any recipe that uses summer squash and zucchini?
Yes please!
And this Italian summer soup is basically squash and zucchini vegetable soup so it helps me use up the bounty from my garden in a light, family friendly dish.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Butter– Either salted or unsalted to cook to saute the aromatics in
- Onion– Diced yellow onion
- Garlic– 20 cloves of garlic roughly chopped
- Celery– Thinly sliced
- Summer squash– A large yellow summer squash cut into 1/2″ slices and quartered
- Zucchini– A large zucchini cut into 1/2″ slices and quartered
- Spices– Dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper
- Canned, diced tomatoes- Undrained
- Tomato sauce– A 15 ounce can
- Chicken broth or stock– To keep it vegetarian you could substitute vegetable broth or stock
How to Make
This Italian summer soup is very easy to make after you have chopped all your veggies!
To do it, melt the butter in a large pot set over medium heat.
Once the butter melts, stir in the onions, garlic, and celery.
Saute the veggies just until softened and the onions are translucent.
Once the onions and celery are soft, stir in the squash and zucchini.
Season the veggies with the dried basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and crushed red peppers.
Then stir in the can of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and broth.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, just until the squash is tender, roughly 10-15 minutes.
Serve warm with crusty bread and enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I freeze this?
Yes, you can freeze summer vegetable soup.
Just cook it as instructed above and let it cool.
Transfer the cooled soup into an airtight, freezer safe container and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating in the microwave or on the stove until warm.
Tips and Tricks
- You can fill this soup out with other veggies. Canned, drained white beans, fresh spinach leaves, cut fresh garden green beans, and even diced bell peppers would all be delicious additions to this soup.
- Aside from adding other veggies, you could also stir in small pasta like orzo or even rice for a heartier soup.
- Serve it with a sprinkle of Italian cheese.
Other Ideas for Using Summer Squash
Italian summer soup is a take on garden vegetable soup that turns all that summer squash into a delicious dinner.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other ways to use up your summer squash?
Try these:
- Southern Squash Casserole
- Air Fryer Hibachi Chicken & Vegetables
- Ground Beef, Zucchini, & Rice Skillet
- Chocolate Zucchini Bread
- Creamy Zucchini Soup
If you’ve tried this ITALIAN SUMMER SOUP, or any other recipe on the site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Italian Summer Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 cups diced yellow onion
- 20 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 cups celery thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow summer squash cut into 1/2" slices, then quartered
- 1 large zucchini cut into 1/2" slices, then quartered
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
- 4 - 4 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large pot set over medium heat. Stir in the onions, garlic, and celery then saute them just until softened and the onions are translucent.2 tbsp butter, 2 cups diced yellow onion, 20 cloves garlic, 2 cups celery
- Add the squash and zucchini to the pot and stir them to combine.1 large yellow summer squash, 1 large zucchini
- Add the seasonings to the pot, again stirring them in to evenly incorporate.3 tsp dried oregano, 3 tsp dried basil, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground pepper
- Add the tomatoes, sauce, and broth- again stirring until everything's evenly combined.1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, 1 15 oz can tomato sauce, 4 - 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, just until the squash is tender, roughly 10-15 minutes.
- Serve warm with crusty bread and enjoy!
Notes
- You can fill this soup out with other veggies. Canned, drained white beans, fresh spinach leaves, cut fresh garden green beans, and even diced bell peppers would all be delicious additions to this soup.
- Aside from adding other veggies, you could also stir in small pasta like orzo or even rice for a heartier soup.
- Serve it with a sprinkle of Italian cheese.
Nutrition
