As summer draws to a slow close, many of us still find ourselves with an abundance of the season’s finest veggies – zucchini, bell peppers, corn, and even fresh garlic. What to do with it all?
That was the question I asked myself last week as I faced a refrigerator produce drawer with a bag of carrots, 1 yellow bell pepper, 1 yellow squash, 2 green zucchini, and a bag full of purple and yellow potatoes. Soup came to mind as it is a great, easy way to use up items that have just about passed their peak.
This soup is thick and creamy, perfect for the largest of spoons. It gets its name from the pops of color – mainly the potatoes and green zucchini. It tastes just like like you’d imagine late summer would: still bright but with a hint of the coming season (cinnamon and thyme round out the flavors).
My favorite part? It’s so good for you. Except for the tiniest bit of cream, this soup is all vegetables and spices.
Serves 4, Prep Time: 30 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour
Ingredients::
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 c onion, shallot, and garlic mix (buy the prepared mix in the produce section or dice up ~ 1/2 a white onion, 1 shallot, and 2 cloves garlic to make 1 cup)
- 5 whole carrots, peeled, topped, and cut into 1/2 inch rounds
- 4 small potatoes, gold, purple, or mixed, cut into quarters
- 2 green zucchini, cut into 1 inch rounds
- 1 yellow squash, cut into 1 inch rounds
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, an sliced into thin strips
- 1/3 c heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- salt, pepper, to taste
- In a heavy stock pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion mixture, saute until soft, stirring frequently.
- Add all vegetables to pan, stir to coat with oil and onion mixture. Turn down heat to medium-low. Cover. Let steam for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Remove from heat.
- Working in two batches, transfer vegetable mixture to blender or food processor. In first batch, puree vegetables until smooth, scraping down sides of blender when necessary. Transfer puree to large bowl.
- In second batch, add 1/2 cup water to vegetable mixture in blender, puree until smooth. Add to bowl. NOTE: Take middle piece out of blender lid and cover hole with a dish towel. This will transfer the heat from the hot vegetables out of the blender – rather than trapping the steam, causing an explosion – and save you a huge mess.
- Wash pot. Transfer pureed vegetable mixture back to clean pot. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring in heavy cream until warmed through.
- Add thyme, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.
