Courgette soup in the Thermomix® is ready in 40 minutes and makes 4 servings. 800 g courgette with 150 g potato as a binding agent gives a creamy texture without cream as the main ingredient. Add crème fraîche and crispy bacon bits with toast croutons as a topping and you have a complete summer lunch.
We make it regularly in summer, when courgettes are cheap or coming in from the garden. One serving (roughly 350 ml) has 195 kcal with topping, 130 kcal without. Compared with a carton of ready-made soup (often full of additives), the homemade version is simply better.
Thermomix® Zucchini soup
Ingredients 0 / 14 ✓
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 20 grams rapeseed oil
- 150 grams potatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Vegetable broth powder or 3 tbs vegetable paste
- 800 grams water
- 800 grams zucchini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 squeze lemon juice
- 2 slices toast
- 50 grams bacon dices
- 50 grams crème fraîche
Instructions 0 / 6
-
1
Zwiebeln.
Peel onion and cut in half. Peel the garlic. Put both in the mixing bowl, chop for 5 seconds/speed 5 and push down with the spatula. Add the oil and braise for 3 min./VAROMA/speed 1.
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 20 grams rapeseed oil
-
2
Kartoffeln.
Peel potatoes, cut into pieces, add vegetable paste and water and cook for 15 min./100 °C/speed 1.
- 150 grams potatoes
- 1 1/2 tsp Vegetable broth powder
- 800 grams water
-
3
Zucchini.
Meanwhile, wash the zucchini and cut into pieces. Add zucchini with salt, pepper, thyme and lemon juice to the mixing bowl and cook for 10 min./100 °C/speed 1.
- 800 grams zucchini
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 squeze lemon juice
- 1 tsp dried thyme
-
4
Brot und Speck.
Meanwhile, cut toast into small pieces and fry with bacon cubes in a pan until crispy.
- 2 slices toast
- 50 grams bacon dices
-
5
Kochen.
Add 30 g créme fraîche to the mixing bowl and purée the soup in ascending order up to speed 6. Season to taste.
- 50 grams crème fraîche
-
6
Servieren.
Pour soup into plates and serve garnished with remaining créme fraîche, bacon and bread cubes.
Tip: Of course you can also leave out the bacon and serve your soup vegetarian, only with bread cubes.
Nutrition per serving
Potato as a binding agent: creamy without cream
150 g potato is the key trick for creaminess. The potato starch releases during cooking and thickens the soup without any cream needed. The classic Vorwerk version (Cookidoo) uses 200 g potatoes plus 50 g crème fraîche. Both methods work well.
If you prefer not to use potatoes: 100 g red lentils work as an alternative. They soften in 10 minutes and bind in a similar way. If you want to skip thickeners entirely: use 200 g extra courgette and 50 g additional crème fraîche.
Courgette to potato ratio: 5 to 1
800 g courgette to 150 g potato is the optimum ratio. More potato makes the soup too filling and overpowers the courgette flavour. Less potato (e.g. 100 g) makes the soup too thin and watery.
Which variety of courgette? Both green and yellow work. For a vibrant colour, try 700 g green plus 100 g yellow courgette. If you have older, oversized courgettes from the garden, scoop out the soft seeds in the middle, otherwise the soup turns watery.
Order matters: potatoes first, courgette later
Potatoes need 15 minutes to cook through; courgette only needs 10 minutes. So the order is: potatoes for 15 minutes at 100 °C on speed 1, then add the courgette and cook for another 10 minutes. This keeps the courgette slightly firm and preserves its colour.
If you cook everything at the same time: the potatoes become very soft (not a disaster), but the courgette turns mushy and loses flavour. If you are in a hurry, you can cook both together for 15 minutes, but the texture will be noticeably softer.
The topping makes the difference: bacon and toast
50 g diced bacon with 2 slices of toast, fried until crispy in a pan, is the topping that turns this soup into a proper meal. The bacon adds saltiness and a smoky note; the toast cubes (croutons) add crunch. Make both at the same time as the soup.
Vegetarian version: skip the bacon and fry the toast in 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Vegan version: use smoked tofu cubes instead of bacon.
Crème fraîche: 30 g stirred in, 20 g on top
The crème fraîche is used in two stages: 30 g goes into the soup and is blended in, 20 g is added at the end as a topping (a small white dollop in the centre). The first 30 g makes the soup creamy and softens the acidity. The 20 g on top gives it a restaurant finish.
No crème fraîche to hand? Soured cream or smetana work in a similar way. For a lighter result, use 50 g natural yoghurt as a substitute. For a really rich result, use 50 g single cream (not as thick, but creamy).
Four flavour variations
With mint (Zaubertopf variation): add 5 to 6 fresh mint leaves at the end. Light and summery, with a slightly Middle Eastern feel.
With curry: add 1 teaspoon of mild curry powder with the onion. An Indian-inspired variation that goes well with naan bread.
With Parmesan: stir in 30 g grated Parmesan at the end. Italian in style, and more substantial.
With chicken skewers: 200 g chicken breast cut into cubes, seasoned with olive oil and herbs, grilled on skewers in a pan for 10 minutes. Turns the soup into a complete main course.
Keeps for 3 days in the fridge, and freezes well
Stored in a sealed container in the fridge, the soup keeps for 3 days. When reheating, add a splash of stock or cream as the soup thickens as it sits. Warm over a medium heat, stirring.
Freezing works well: up to 3 months in freezer-safe containers. Prepare the topping (bacon, croutons, crème fraîche) fresh after defrosting. It does not keep well frozen.
Goes well with: bread rolls.
