How an Overgrown Zucchini Turned Into The Perfect Summer Recipe

 

This summer my son planted a vegetable garden in his yard. Like many gardeners, he had a surprise or two along the way. His zucchini plants got a late start, but once they began producing, they didn’t hold back. He missed checking on them for just one day or two days—and suddenly, he had two giant zucchinis-  almost the size of baseball bats- ok not quite. 

He kept one of those zucchini and kindly handed the other over to me. The only question was: what do you do with a oversized, tough skinned zucchini?

My daughter-in-law mentioned she used hers to make ratatouille, but I was craving something simple and soothing. I decided on soup—a great way to soften up that firm flesh and let the flavors shine. But I had no intention of eating hot soup! So- read on...

Ratatouille 

I used half of the zucchini (and peeled it because the skin was tough), scooped out the enormous seeds, and chopped up the zucchini. Then I built a base with onions, celery, potatoes, and white beans, finishing it off with a generous amount of freshly squeezed lime juice and a blend of seasonings.

The result? A light, creamy, and comforting vegan soup with a gentle flavor—perfect as a starter for lunch or dinner. And here’s the bonus: it tastes just as good chilled, making it ideal for warm summer days such as tomorrow when temps will read 97 degrees here in Philadelphia area. 

Turn the vegetables into a side dish: 

 **Here's another bonus: I like this combination of vegetables. If you don't want soup- just make the sauté and omit the liquid. It's a great vegetable side dish perhaps over rice or quinoa. 

Whether you choose to make zucchini soup (hot or chilled)  or a vegetable sauté, if you’ve got an oversized squash on your hands, give it a try—you might be surprised at how delicious simplicity can be.

Ingredients :

zucchini-4 cups chopped in bite-size pieces ( peel the skin if it is tough)

onion - 3 cups of sliced 1/2 moons
potato- 2 cups of diced potato 

celery-1 cup of diced celery 

cannelloni beans-1 can, drained and washed

salt and cracked pepper to taste

3 cups water

4 cups broth  

1/4 teaspoon of cumin or herbs de province (choose one of your preference)

Juice of 1 lime

Directions: 

Sauté the onions in your Instant Pot ( or Dutch oven pan) for about 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Add remainder of vegetables and continue to sauté for about 8 minutes (adding 2 tablespoons of water to prevent sticking if needed). Add the beans, seasoning, water and broth.If using an Instant Pot, secure lid, turn off saute function, and set to pressure cook for 5 minutes.(If using the stove top method add remainder of ingredients, cover with lid, bring to a boil and then reduce heat and cook on low-medium heat for about 20-25 minutes. 

Using an immersion blender, blend to desired consistency (chunky or completely smooth) Wait at least 2 hours before eating or serving, giving ingredients an opportunity to mingle and the flavors t9 enhance. 

Taste, and add additional salt and pepper if needed. OR CHILL OVERNIGHT and enjoy chilled the next day which is what I did!!

My Notes: 

1. I do not use added oils, so I sauté my vegetables entirely in a small amount of water (about 1/2 cup for all these veggies) . I think it tastes great and does not add extra calories. If you don't think so, then sauté in oil. 

2. I use an electric coffee grinder to grind seeds to powder- such as cumin seed. I like to add my cumin powder to the soup after cooking the soup. 

3. I like cannelloni beans the best in this soup, but you can substitute any white bean such as butter beans or chickpeas. 

4. Of course this recipe is naturally gluten-free, vegan, and parve.

Hot or cold it's a good way to use up and enjoy zucchini!!

How is your zucchini doing? What are you making with zucchini ?