Creamy Zucchini Pesto Soup

This Creamy Zucchini Pesto Soup is a super healthy vegan soup that requires just 10 ingredients and less than an hour. The creaminess comes naturally from the tender zucchini being blended – no cream necessary. And the vegan pesto adds a bright, fresh, herby flavor. The orzo adds some heartiness. It is a great summer soup when you need to use up all of that zucchini in your garden…or if you just want a simple, delicious dinner!

Step One: Cook Down the Veggies

The key to getting that creaminess in this soup, is cooking down the zucchini until it is super tender. Once blended, it has a naturally creamy texture.

Heat some olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, garlic, zucchini, Italian seasoning and pepper. Cook down for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently.

Pour in the broth and bring to a boil. Partially cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the zucchini is tender.

TIP: I used vegan chicken broth and I recommend you do the same. It has wayyyy more flavor than veggie broth, and since this soup is simple, you need the broth to add flavor.

Step Two: Add Some Flavor

Once the veggies are tender it is time to blend them up. You can do this two ways – with an immersion blender or a standing blender. The immersion blender is easier, since you can leave everything in the stock pot, but both work great.

Once the soup is blended and creamy, stir in some vegan pesto – you can buy this pre-made or make your own from scratch. I have pesto recipes here, here and here.

Bring the soup to a gentle boil and add the dry orzo. Cook until the orzo is tender, making sure to stir often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom.

Step Three: Serve

Once the orzo is done, give the soup a taste and add lemon juice, salt & pepper if needed. I like lots of extra pepper in mine!

Serve the soup hot and top it off with some fresh parsley, red pepper flakes and a drizzle of oil. Be sure to serve the soup with some crusty bread on the side for dunking!

For leftovers, the orzo will continue to absorb the broth as it sits in the fridge. You can either reheat the leftovers as is, add more broth, or cook the orzo separately and add it to each bowl as you eat.

This soup is simple, healthy and super tasty!