Chilled Zucchini Mint Soup with Goat Cheese

Refreshing, satisfying and healthy – bookmark this recipe to make all Summer long! This chilled Zucchini Mint Soup features in-season zucchini blended with tangy goat cheese and fragrant mint: a delicious (and wildly unique) flavor combo.

It has a wonderfully creamy texture from the zucchini and goat cheese, while the mint brings a cooling freshness. This is a quick and easy recipe, perfectly suited for summer entertaining or laid-back dinners.

Picking the zucchini

This recipe is great to make do with the abundance of zucchini in the Summer.

For this soup recipe, pick small zucchini that are vibrant green and tender. These features mean the zucchini are perfectly ripe. If you can only get your hands on bigger zucchini, I recommend you take the time to slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds. The seeds tend to harden as the zucchini ripens, which can give an unpleasant taste and texture once blended.

You do not need to peel the zucchini, simply wash them very well under cold water to clean thoroughly. Then, chopped them roughly into half-rounds. The zucchini is then blended, so no need to focus on chopping it uniformly.

Common Question(s)

I’m not a fan of goat cheese, what can I replace it with?

Although I do love the taste of goat cheese in this soup, I understand some may be reluctant to using it. Goat cheese can be replaced with another milder fresh cheese, such as a plain Boursin or Madame Loïk – both of which can be found in US and Canadian grocery stores nowadays.

Another alternative is to replace the goat cheese with 1 cup (250g) of Greek yogurt or Skyr. This creates a lighter and healthier soup with gentle notes of acidity. 

How to store this Chilled Zucchini Mint Soup?

After making (and enjoying) this soup, if you have any leftover, you can store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

• In the refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
• In the freezer: store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let the soup thaw in the fridge.

Cooking notes:

• This recipe requires the use of a food mill, immersion hand blender or regular blender.
• Although this recipe is fairly simple and quick to make, you need to cool the zucchini completely before blending them, which can take up to 1 hour. 
• This recipe serves 4 medium soup bowls or 6 small bowls. It can be easily halved to serve only 2 people or doubled to serve a larger crowd. 

I hope you’ll love this Chilled Zucchini Mint Soup with Goat Cheese as much as I do!  If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment.

This soup is best enjoyed thoroughly chilled. It is so refreshing thanks to the mint, yet very satisfying with the creaminess of goat cheese. It is a great starter or a side dish. I personally love to serve it for the French “apéro” (pre-dinner drinks and snacks) along with cold drinks and more snack options.

More Summer recipes to make:

• Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup
• Crustless Quiche with Summer Vegetables
• Classic French Stovetop Ratatouille
• French-Style Potato and Green Bean Salad
• How to Make French Vinaigrette
• Roasted Red Pepper Dip from Provence
• Classic Vegetable Tian from Provence
• Cucumber Salad with Crème Fraiche
• French-Style Potato Salad

Chilled Zucchini Mint Soup with Goat Cheese

Print Recipe

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 10 Minutes 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

2.2 lbs (1.5kg) small zucchini, washed and roughly chopped
½ tsp salt
300g unripened goat cheese
2 tbsp (30ml) extra virgin olive oil + more for drizzling
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ bunch fresh mint, stemmed

Instructions

Step 1 – In a large pot over medium heat, add the roughly chopped zucchini with the salt and 1-inch of water. Place a lid on and steam the zucchini for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat once the zucchini has softened, but not yet broken apart. Let the zucchini cool completely in the pot.

Step 2 – Add 250g of goat cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, black pepper and the mint (reserve a few leaves for garnish). Blend the soup (with a hand blender or in a processor) until smooth. If the soup is too thick for your liking, add some water while you blend (1/4 cup at a time). The soup should remain fairly thick and creamy. Taste and adjust seasoning (salt, pepper) if needed.

Step 3 – Chill the soup for at least 1 hour in the fridge before serving, to ensure the flavors have melded. For serving, ladle the soup into individual bowls. Top with the remaining 50gr of goat cheese (crumbled), a few mint leaves and a drizzle of olive oil.