Favorite Summer Soup Recipes

A collection of my favorite summer soups from gazpachos to summery chowders to fresh-vegetable soups and stews, served chilled or warm, all light and refreshing. It's a great companion to my other summer collection, Favorite Summer Salad Recipes.

Homemade Soups Especially for Summer & Packed with Fresh Vegetables. Many Are Simply Prepared, "Plain" But Perfect, All Made from Scratch, All Fresh & Seasonal. Some Are "Raw" & Require No Cooking At All. Many Are Not Just Vegan, But Vegan Done Real. Many Are Not Just Easy, But Summer Easy. Many Are Served Chilled, Some Are Delicious Both Cold and Hot. Most Are Weight Watchers Friendly & Naturally Gluten Free. Scroll On In, Your New Favorite Summer Soup Awaits!

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Blame the Gazpacho.

It was gazpacho – ugh, served cold on a wet and windy November day at a conference in the dank basement of a Kansas City hotel – which turned me into a seasonal eater.

I remember the moment so well: the morning session was in an over air-conditioned room, we were all shivering. So when we walked into lunch and spied soup on the table, we quickened our steps, ready to slip our spoons into steamy soup.

But no. The soup wasn't hot, it was chilled-cold-icy gazpacho. Who in good gracious serves gazpacho on an early-winter day? Who in good conscience makes gazpacho when summer tomatoes are long past?

But on a hot summer's day, when all you want to do is snooze stretched out on a hammock? Nothing invigorates like gazpacho. So wipe the sweat off that brow and let's get on with life, heat or not.

What a lesson! Summer soups are different than cold-weather soups!

10 Ways Summer Soups Are Different.

• Summer soups are lighter, leaning heavily on fresh vegetables and even fruits.
• Summer soups rarely include meat, though seafood pops in occasionally.
• Summer soups are often 100% plant-based or easily switched to vegan.
• Summer soups some times rely on raw uncooked vegetables, a blender does the "cooking".
• Summer soups may be served chilled, at room temperature and sure, some times warm.
• Summer soups may be served in small servings, a quick side to a light meal or a salad.
• Summer soups welcome pretty garnishes, fresh herbs, tiny bits of diced vegetables, edible flowers, swirls of cream or pesto.
• Summer soups may be playful and fun, rich with color, vibrant with unexpected ingredient combinations.
• Summer soups may need a vegetable broth like No-Big-Deal Vegetable Stock instead of No-Big-Deal Homemade Chicken Stock which has too much gelatin for serving chilled.
• Summer soups may become extra special when the flavors have time to meld, watch the recipes for tips like, "better after 24 hours" or "flavors improve after several hours in the refrigerator".

So here's to soup, summer soup, that is.

Stay cool, everyone!
~ Alanna
PS Let's not forget the
Favorite Summer Salad Recipes!

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How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe collection inspires you, please do save and share! I'd be honored ...

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Summer Soups Galore!

SERVED COLD
~ Gazpacho ~
~ Summer Vegetable Soups ~

SERVED WARM
~ Summer Chowders ~

SERVED WARM or COLD
~ Colorful Summer Soups ~
~ Tomato Soups Especially for Summer ~
~ Summer Vegetable Stews ~
~ Nordic-Style Fruit Soups ~

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Gazpacho:
Spain's Chilled Tomato-Based Soup ... & More

What is gazpacho [guz-PAW-cho] anyway? Gazpacho is the chilled Spanish soup made of finely chopped best-of-the-season summer vegetables (tomato, cucumber, bell peppers) plus dried bread, garlic, onion and olive oil. It's often served as a starter but also as a light meal.

For a history of and collection of authentic Spanish gazpacho recipes, I turn to My Kitchen in Spain: 225 Authentic Regional Recipes (affiliate link).

My most traditional gazpacho recipe is the wonderful Tomato Gazpacho. It is a bit of a production, albeit a worthy one at least once every summer. Good juicy tomatoes are essential!

But as you'll see, I also embrace an expansive definition of gazpacho, including ones with melon, sour cherries, avocado and more.

• THE RECIPE Tomato Gazpacho Worthy of an occasion, a summer meal in itself.
• ANOTHER TAKE Tomato & Sour Cherry Gazpacho A whimsical, delicious interpretation of Spanish cuisine.

• THE RECIPE Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho A slightly fruity vegetable gazpacho.
• ANOTHER TAKE Fruity Gazpacho A starter, entrée or dessert!

• THE RECIPE Fruity Gazpacho A starter, entrée or dessert!
• ANOTHER TAKE Cantaloupe-Tomato Gazpacho A slightly fruity vegetable gazpacho.

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Light & Lovely:
Summer Chowders

Chowders are the soups where vegetables and often seafood swim in a creamy base – the tomato-based New England clam chowder is an exception, not the rule.

But summer chowders, at least my recipes, are lighter than the usual thick 'n' heavy glops of cold-weather cream chowders. In summer, the light milky broth is almost silky, especially when there's a little corn to sweeten the milk.

A timing note: chowders really blossom with time, allow 24 hours between making and serving, then gently rewarm unless serving chilled or at room temperature.

• THE RECIPE Finnish Summer Soup (Kesäkeitto) Milky broth with the freshest, newest vegetables from the garden. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer Seafood Chowder Shrimp and scallops in a milky broth, with barely cooked tomato, corn and my favorite vegetable this summer, okra.

• THE RECIPE Summer's Best Corn Chowder As bright and colorful as crates of fresh vegetables lined up at the farmstand.
• ANOTHER TAKE Curried Corn Chowder with Coconut Milk For anyone with a surplus of zucchini ... here you go!

• THE RECIPE Summer Seafood Chowder Shrimp and scallops in a milky broth, with barely cooked tomato, corn and my favorite vegetable this summer, okra.
• ANOTHER TAKE Finnish Summer Soup Milky broth with the freshest, newest vegetables from the garden. (PIN This)

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When the Garden's Cup Runneth Over:
Summer Vegetable Soups

Those first zucchini off the vine are so sweet and welcome, no bigger than large fingers, many of them. And then the baseball bats arrive ... so our summer arsenal of recipes must include a collection of recipes that move past the familiar uses, you know, like summer soup!

• THE RECIPE Chilled Zucchini Soup Shooters Tastes much richer than it is. Rave reviews!
• ANOTHER TAKE Cream of Zucchini Soup (Julia Child's Recipe) What's that "creamy" ingredient? Rice!

• THE RECIPE Raw Corn Chowder Weeknight easy, weekend special.
• ANOTHER TAKE Summer's Best Corn Chowder As bright and colorful as crates of fresh vegetables lined up at the farmstand.

• THE RECIPE Cold Cucumber Soup Light but flavorful after a recipe makeover.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cool-as-a-Cucumber Avocado Soup It's made in the blender and served cold!

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Painting Our Bowls with Color:
Colorful Summer Soups

Winter food can be, well, kinda "brown". But not these summer soups!

Summer's food moves up the rainbow and back down again. One of the greatest joys of summer is its color, indoors and out, on our plates and in our bowls.

• THE RECIPE Chilled Carrot Soup with Honey Bright with spices and a small kick of cayenne.
• ANOTHER TAKE Deep Mexico Carrot Soup with Tomatillo & Lime Served hot or cold, either way it's gorgeous.

• THE RECIPE Cold & Creamy Cantaloupe Soup So simple and yet ... somehow so unusual, so comforting. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Peach & Cantaloupe Soup A tantalizing combination, served cold.

• THE RECIPE Sweet-Corn Soup with Shrimp Familiar ingredients combine into something unusual and surprising.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick 'n' Easy Shrimp Bisque Part shrimp chowder, part traditional bisque.

• THE RECIPE Yellow Squash Soup with Coconut A riff on Julia Child's master soup recipe.
• ANOTHER TAKE Yellow Squash Soup with Spinach: Early Autumn Leaves in Soup More than the sum of its parts.

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Tomato Soups Especially for Summer

Hold the grilled cheese! These soups are decidedly summery, light and extra tomato-y and deserving of a light summer sandwich or a beautiful summer salad alongside.

• THE RECIPE Summer's Tomato Soup Ripe summer tomatoes only, please. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Fresh-Tomato Chili Juicy summer tomatoes in chili? Yes, especially on top!

• THE RECIPE Slow-Roasted Tomato Soup For deep, dusky slow-roasted flavor. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Pasta with Slow-Roasted Tomatoes With roasted tomatoes, a deep, dark pasta sauce in 10 minutes. (PIN This)

• THE RECIPE Tomato Bisque Just four ingredients, dreamy good.
• ANOTHER TAKE Quick 'n' Easy Shrimp Bisque Part shrimp chowder, part traditional bisque.

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From Summer Soups to ...
Summer Vegetable Stews

These all-vegetable stews are a mélange of height-of-summer vegetables. They're heartier than soup, no broth at all, any liquid is from vegetable juices. And they are gorgeous ... whether served as a side or a light supper, definitely a celebration of summer. I look forward to these, every single summer. Do wait for good and very ripe tomatoes, all that juiciness makes the stews.

I like to make these early in the day or better yet, a day before serving. And days later, the leftovers remain vegetable-rich and delicious.

• THE RECIPE Summer Vegetable Stew A rainbow of summer vegetables, full of different flavors and colors and textures.
• MANY MORE TAKES Favorite Seasonal Vegetable Stews 10 recipes plus 10 tips & techniques

• THE RECIPE Armenian Vegetable Stew A a mélange of late-summer and early-fall vegetables.
• ANOTHER TAKE Southern Farm Stand Stew with Okra, Tomatoes & Sweet Corn Quintessential summer, that's what this vegetable stew brings to mind.

• THE RECIPE Summer Vegetable Curry Great for summer vegetables at their peak.
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew A spiced stew with many vegetables!

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And for Dessert:
Nordic-Style Fruit Soups

When I lived in Finland as an exchange student, I fell in love with clear, fruity fruit soups for dessert, often garnishes with something creamy, something fruity. I haven't yet posted my recipes (peach, cherry, rhubarb) because my preferred thickener is potato starch, an ingredient not easily found in the States.

• THE RECIPE Peach, Cherry & Blueberry Fruit Soup (or Fruit Sauce) A special three-fruit combo, served chilled in a Scandinavian-style chilled fruit soup. (PIN This)
• ANOTHER TAKE Blueberry Jam with Cinnamon Sweet, spicy, summery blueberry jam in 90 minutes.

• THE RECIPE Peach & Cantaloupe Soup A tantalizing combination, served cold.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cantaloupe Smoothies (Creamy or Frosty) 100% fruit, beautiful color.

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Seasonal Soups & Salads, Especially for Summer

~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for May ~
~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for June ~
~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for July ~
~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for August ~
~ Seasonal Soup & Salad Recipes for September ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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