Spicy Summer Soup takes the bounty of the summer season and transforms a light and refreshing soup that has a nice kick of heat, of course. This soup is satisfying with being heavy and makes for a great light meal or lunch to have on hand.
Soup isn’t relegated just to the cold depths of winter, it is a great way to combine a bunch of ingredients and have a one-pot delight of a meal.
While carrots and potatoes aren’t technically summer vegetables, they’re a great filling base to let the other ingredients like corn and tomatoes shine through.
To start, a mirepoix of celery, carrots, and onion are sautéed until fragrant and slightly softened. Next, the chili flakes get sautéed on their own, this will bloom the spice of the flakes and create a deeper flavor.
All of this is followed by the stock and hearty root vegetables. Shucked corn is added alongside the cob, which still has lots of sweetness left to seep out and flavor the brother. Tomatoes and zucchini are also added as well.
A quick simmer to cook the vegetables until tender is all you need to do! After prepping, it’s a set-it-and-(almost)-forget-it recipe.
Garnished with fresh herbs, this soup is ready to go!
If you want a more protein-packed soup, you could add in shredded chicken, but this Spicy Summer Soup stands alone on its own!
The standout features of the soup are the bright, sweet pieces of corn and tomatoes.
Root vegetables give it a great satisfying base while the onion, celery, corn cob, and bay leaf build an aromatic base to the broth.
Spicy Summer Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 stalks of celery, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 pound potatoes, peeled and chopped into small to medium cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes, diced
- 2 ears of corn, with the kernels removed from the cob and cobs broken in half
- 1 to 2 zucchinis, chopped and quartered
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups water
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- In a large pot heat the olive oil and then add in the onion and celery, cooking for 5 to 6 minutes until fragrant and slightly soft.
- Add in chili flakes, stirring to combine and bloom the spice.
- Add in garlic, stirring until fragrant about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add in carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, corn kernels, corn cobs, zucchinis, bouillon cube, bay leaf, and water. Stir to combine and dissolve the bouillon cube.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cooking until the vegetables are softened, about 25 minutes.
- Remove bay leaf and corn cobs. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately, enjoy!
Recipe adapted from The Matbakh.
