This Corn and Zucchini Soup Recipe Is:
- Bright
- Zesty
- Flavorful
- Loaded with Vegetables
- Made with Good-For-You ingredients
- A Great Meal Prep Summer Lunch Recipe
- Vegan, Gluten Free, and SO Yummy!
Easy Recipes with Garden Zucchini and Corn!
This corn and squash minestrone recipe is the perfect way to use those extra garden veggies. Throughout the summer our garden is overloaded with zucchini plants all ripening at once. I make this garden fresh corn and zucchini minestra (italian soup!) recipe with my extra veggies and a healthy meal is ready in no time. Enjoy that summer garden bounty with this bright and fresh soup recipe all summer long. There’s nothing better than seasonal produce right out of the garden – if not your garden, then get fresh corn and zucchini at your local farmer’s market stand!
What’s In This Vegan Zucchini Corn Soup Recipe?
- GF Pasta Shells: Use gluten free if GF. I used a box of small ridged shells, and I loved the fun texture of these noodles. I like these small shells for soups, they make the perfect bite!
- Zucchini: straight outta the garden!
- Olive Oil: I like to use this fruity Zoe olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s really inexpensive online here, so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. For the quality of oil you get, it’s an excellent value, I would highly recommend!
- Corn: you can use fresh, frozen or canned corn for this recipe (I used fresh). If using canned, make sure you buy a no salt added corn.
- Garlic
- Onions
- Carrots: for some color and sweetness
- Potatoes: adds a little heartiness and thick texture to the chowder
- Herbes de Provence: my favorite spice blend! This French blend has a mix of rosemary, thyme, sage, and savory for a wonderful and complex flavor.
- Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans. If you haven’t read about the dangers of consuming foods stored in BPA cans, head over to Nutrition Facts to read more.
- Red Chili Pepper Flakes: for a little heat! I like to add a few shakes to this recipe to give this dish a nice complex depth of flavor.
- Pink Himalayan Sea Salt: I like to use a pink Himalayan Sea Salt in my kitchen, which has more natural minerals than plain processed table salt. It’s fairly inexpensive, so I’d recommend this salt if you’re looking for an easy way to level up your spice pantry.
- Tellicherry Peppercorns: Like the salt, it’s amazing the flavor difference you can get with really good tellicherry black pepper. Amazon has a generic brand tellicherry peppercorn which is the same price is buying pre-ground, and has a million times more flavor… so I use these really great tellicherry peppercorns, which I would definitely recommend.
- Basil: fresh chopped basil is so amazing stirred into this soup! It gives the soup a bright, fresh finish.
- Reduced Sodium Vegetable Stock or Bouillon: I love this low sodium vegetable base for my recipes because it has a great flavor and is lower in sodium. I only develop my recipes with low sodium ingredients so the ingredients shine. You can always add salt to a recipe if it needs it, but it’s almost impossible to take it out! By starting with a low sodium broth or bouillon, you can build bright vibrant flavors and add more salt later if needed.
Summer Meal Prep Recipes For the Win!
This corn and zucchini minestra soup is the perfect recipe for healthy homemade meal prep. I am a huge fan of meal prepping, batch cooking, and making recipes ahead. I love the convenience of cooking once and being able to enjoy healthy homemade meals during the week when I don’t have time. There’s a whole section of TheHerbeevore.com dedicated to my favorite tried & true meal prep recipes. With just a little planning and prep, you can have a week’s worth of recipes ready in the time it would take to make one portion. Just batch cook, divide into individual containers, and place in the fridge or freezer for later! I also made a list of my favorite meal prep products on Amazon that I use weekly. They make cooking easy peasy.
How Do I Make This Corn and Zucchini Minestra Soup Recipe?
- Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- In a dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot, heat the oil over a low burner. Add the onion and garlic and saute on low heat for 6 or 7 minutes until veggies become soft.
- Add the carrots, zucchini, potatoes, corn, diced tomatoes Herbes de Provence, Vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and chili flakes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes until potatoes and carrots are fork tender. Add the coconut milk and stir in the fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve over cooked pasta shells, and enjoy.***
How To Cook Pasta For Soups
For most of my noodle soup recipes, I cook the pasta separately from the soup broth. If you add dried pasta directly to a hot soup, you run the risk of having the dried pasta soak up all the broth and overcook the noodles (turning it soup into a mushy mess). I’ve found that cooking the pasta separately, then serving the broth over the noodles in a bowl works best. I allow the soup to cool, then add the cooked pasta after. That way you’ll have perfectly cooked pasta that holds it shape and a delicious brothy soup.
Other Vegan Summer Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
Get the Same Ingredients For This Corn and Zucchini Minestrone Soup:
As always, if you make this vegan and gluten free summer minestrone soup recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag me @theherbeevore on Instagram so I can feature you. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!
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Corn and Zucchini Minestrone (Minestra)
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce box small pasta shells gluten free
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 sweet onion
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 large zucchini diced
- 3 potatoes diced
- 1.5 cups sweet corn
- 1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence or you can substitite dried thyme
- 1 14 ounce container No-Salt-Added Diced Tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 8 cups No-Salt-Added Vegetable Stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells according to package instructions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- In a dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot, heat the oil over a low burner. Add the onion and garlic and saute on low heat for 6 or 7 minutes until veggies become soft.
- Add the carrots, zucchini, potatoes, corn, diced tomatoes Herbes de Provence, Vegetable stock, salt, pepper, and chili flakes, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes until potatoes and carrots are fork tender. Add the coconut milk and stir in the fresh basil. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve over cooked pasta shells, and enjoy.***
Notes
Nutrition
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