Nine Healthy Summer Soups Recipes

Gazpacho photo via Shutterstock

We tend to go overboard at the local farmer’s market and end up with a counter full of vegetables. No matter how many vegetables we add to our meals, there’s always a small mountain leftover just waiting to go bad. Instead of throwing everything out and wasting all that fresh produce, why not create an easy-to-make soup? The best way to get the most out of your soups is to make enough for leftovers because the longer it sits, the better it will taste. Here are nine summer-friendly soup recipes:

1. Summer Watermelon Gazpacho Recipe

 via Honest Cooking

Gazpacho is a really easy soup to whip up. There is no heat needed, just a blender and fresh vegetables. If you are looking for an exotic garnish, try pickled watermelon rind or pickled okra for an acidic kick. Be sure to take the time to let the soup fully chill; it allows the flavors to develop and deepen.

2. Green Pea Soup Recipe

via The Little Epicurean

This recipe calls for frozen peas, but if you can find fresh peas that would make this soup even tastier. You just have to cook the peas before starting the soup. When working with leeks it is very important to thoroughly rinse the sand and grit from the white and light green parts. Cut off the dark green tops and the root tip, slice in half lengthwise and pull the layers apart under running water.

3. Sweet Corn and Spicy Pepper Soup

via Naturally Ella

Sweet corn is one of the best parts of summer. This soup pairs corn with two spicy peppers, but if you aren’t into too much heat, take out the seeds and ribs. If you really are opposed to heat, only use two jalapeños.

4. Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

via Get Off Your Tush and Cook

Here’s your cure for that pesky summer cold. It’s a summer classic and if you use fresh tomatoes and basil, the flavor will be even better.

5. Healthy Chilled Yogurt Soup

via A Brown Table

Creamy yogurt soups make for a great lunch on a hot summer day. This soup will pair perfectly with a Greek salad or wrap, since the cucumber, mint, and yogurt are similar flavors in tzatziki sauce.

6. Easy Summer Minestrone Soup

via Behind the Skillet

Here’s a soup that can handle everything and still taste phenomenal. Don’t feel constrained by the ingredients list, use your favorite vegetables plus what’s listed. It will last for a while, so if you make too much, you can freeze the rest and save it for a taste of summer when fall rolls around.

7. Spicy Corn and Crab Chowder

via Cooking Light

You can’t have a list of summer soups without including a great chowder. This recipes calls for both half and half and 2 percent milk but if you want to cut some more calories use all 2 percent milk. Be careful with going too low fat with the milk because anything lower than 2 percent won’t thicken and you’ll be left with thin chowder.

8. Mexican Chicken Soup

via Ambitious Kitchen

This recipe is a simple and easy chicken and vegetable soup with a Mexican twist. For a weeknight dinner on the fly, grab a whole cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and shred the chicken from the bones.

9. Summer-Squash Soup Recipe

via Smitten Kitchen

This soup is topped with a parsley-mint pistou, which is just a fancy French word for an herb sauce which is similar to a pesto. Simply stir a spoonful into each bowl and the sweet mint and floral parsley will add another layer of flavor.