For more low acid recipe, be sure to check out my no-tomato, low acid pasta sauce and my low acid salad dressing with tahini and ginger and low acid, tomato free, BBQ sauce.
Is Zucchini Acidic?
Zucchini is very mildly acidic. Cooked zucchini has a pH of 5.69-6.1 & (7 and above is alkaline) which makes it a low acid food. So it is considered safe for those following a low acid diet.
Ingredients
Fresh zucchini works best for this recipe. About 6 lbs (6-8 large) of zucchini will give you at least six servings with some leftover. I recommend leaving the peel on. There’s tons of nutrients and it gives the soup a beautiful green color.
Like many soups, celery and carrot provide a lovely base flavor.
Onion is almost always included in soups but onions are acidic. Green onions are the least acidic of the family. So just one stalk will be simmered with the soup, then removed, to infuse a little zingy onion flavor.
Fresh ginger – You could use the powdered stuff, but I am a huge fan of the zing and flavor of fresh ginger. See my post how to use fresh ginger for a quick tutorial on peeling and grating ginger so that it disappears into whatever you are making.
Fresh ginger also adds a bright fresh flavor that an acidic ingredient would add. I I use it in so many of my low acid recipes for just this reason.
A little bit of fresh parsley, fresh cilantro and a dried bay leaf round out the flavors in this soup. I know that cilantro is a controversial ingredient. People seem to either love it or hate it. If you are not a lover, it is ok to leave it out.
Creamy Soup without Cream
Once all the ingredients are cooked (about 15 minutes cook time), the mixture will go into the blender and get pureed. This makes it a lovely creamy soup. Be sure to puree it until it is super smooth. If you see even a little graininess, keep pureeing.
I normally love to add a rich ingredient to my creamy soups to give them an extra boost. Most rich ingredients are high in fat but I found a perfect alternative! Not Pods Dairy-Free Creamer is vegan and only 1 g of fat per tablespoon. Just a third cup in this soup gives it a silky, rich texture and flavor. Regardless of which brand you use, be sure that the creamer is unsweetened and unflavored.
Make Ahead Soup
This is a great soup to make ahead of time. It will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. This soup can also be frozen for at least 2 months. It will thin out a little bit once thawed but will still be creamy and thick.
Low Acid Zucchini Ginger Soup
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Ingredients
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 small-medium sized carrot, peeled
- 1 stalk green onion
- 3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 3 lbs zucchini ( 6-8 large zucchinis)
- 1Β½-2 tsp fresh grated ginger (grated on a microplane or fine grater)
- 3Β½-4 c warm water
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Finely dice the celery and carrot. Cut the stalk of green onion into 3 large pieces, do not chop.
- Cut the zucchini in four pieces lengthwise then cut into Β½ inch slices the other direction. Don't worry about being too exact about your cuts because this will all go in the blender once cooked.
- Peel a 1 inch piece of the ginger using a spoon. The edge of the spoon is a great way to peel the ginger which has too many curves and crevices for a vegetable peeler. Use the finest side of your grater or better yet, a microplane to grate 1Β½-2 tsp of ginger. If you like a lot of zingy ginger, use the higher amount.
- Add one tablespoon of oil to a large soup pot and heat over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes. Heavier pots will need the longer amount of time.
- Add the chopped celery and onion to the pot and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, for 4 – 5 minutes or until they start to soften.
- Add the zucchini and parsley and cook stirring often for 10 minutes or until the zucchini starts to get a little mushy and break down. It doesn't have to turn completely to mush, but the edges of the chunks should start to break down.
- Add the green onion and cilantro and cook stirring, for one more minute.
- Add 3Β½ cups of the water and turn up the heat to high. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Remove the pieces of green onion.
- Be sure to take the center piece out of the blender lid to allow steam to escape. Otherwise you'll have a soup explosion! Pour some or all of the soup into your blender – depending on the size of your blender bowl, you may need to do it in two batches.
- Run the blender on high for 1 minute. Add the grated ginger and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Run for a minimum of 2 more minutes or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. It should not be grainy.
- If the soup is too thick, add another ΒΌ – Β½ cup water and blend
- Add Β½ tsp of the salt, stir and taste. If it tastes a little blah and the other flavors in the soup are not coming through, add more salt until you are satisfied with the flavor.
- This soup will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least 5 days. The soup can also be frozen but might thin out a little bit once thawed.
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