Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup

Today I'm sharing a new favorite soup recipe - Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup.

Zucchini, potatoes, pasta and pesto create a winning combination in this tasty soup. The aroma of the pesto when it is stirred into the hot soup is simply irresistible. Good any time of year, but especially in summer when zucchini and basil are at their peak.

Recipe Notes

This Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup Recipe is slightly adapted from 1,000 Italian Recipes (affiliate link) by Michele Scicolone, a cookbook I find myself turning to more than any other at the moment. I love the simplicity of its recipes.

A light and healthy recipe already, the only change I made to the soup was to decrease the oil called for by a couple of tablespoons.

Fresh Basil Pesto

The recipe calls for making your own pesto, but you could always substitute your favorite jarred pesto instead. I like the refrigerated pesto from Costco best.

I used chicken broth, which the recipe calls for, but you can make this vegetarian by substituting a vegetable broth (affiliate link) or water. If you prefer a creamier soup, cool the soup slightly, then puree it in batches prior to serving.

We happily enjoyed this soup three nights in a row without complaint. Because we are headed off on a weeklong cruise to Mexico Saturday we have been trying to keep our eating extra light this week.

Soup is one of my favorite strategies for lightening up and slimming down without feeling the least bit hungry or deprived.

Cheap & Easy Tossed Green Salad

Served with crusty Italian bread and chopped salad it made for a light yet satisfying meal.

How Many Calories and WW Points in this Italian Soup?

According to my calculations each serving has 147 calories and:

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

To see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site, Click here!

Additions & Variations:

Creamier?
Cool the soup slightly, then puree it in batches prior to serving.

Fewer Points?
Substitute cauliflower florets for the potatoes and use less oil in the pesto.

Low Carb?
Substitute cauliflower florets for the potatoes and white beans for the spaghetti.

Quicker?
Substitute your favorite jarred pesto for fresh. I like the refrigerated one from Costco.

Vegetarian?
Substitute vegetable broth (affiliate link) for chicken broth.

Not Soup Season?
Serve this soup the way Italians do in summer, just warm instead of steaming.

WW Friendly Italian Zucchini Soup with Pesto

Are You Ready To Slim Down With Soup?

If you like this recipe for Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers friendly soup recipes including: Slow Cooker Tuscan Vegetable Soup, Stove Top Summer Vegetable Soup, Healthy Slow Cooker Vegetarian Minestrone, Simple Garden Vegetable Soup, Skinny Curried Zucchini Soup, WW Cauliflower & Zucchini Soup

If you've made this Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

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4.10 from 11 votes

Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup Recipe

Simple and delicious, the star of this zucchini soup is the pesto.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings (adjustable): 8

Calories: 147

Author: Martha McKinnon | Simple Nourished Living

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 2 medium onions, chopped
• ▢ 1.25 pounds zucchini (about 4 small), cut into bite-size pieces
• ▢ 3 medium waxy potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth
• ▢ 4 cups water
• ▢ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup broken spaghetti
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• ▢ ½ cup fresh basil
• ▢ ¼ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
• ▢ ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving if desired
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

• Pour the oil into a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and golden, about 10 minutes. 
• Add the zucchini, potatoes, broth and water. Bring the liquid to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. 
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the pasta and simmer until the pasta is tender, 10 to 15 minutes more.
• Meanwhile prepare the pesto: In a food processor, chop the garlic, basil and parsley until very fine. Add the cheese an gradually drizzle in the olive oil to make a thick paste. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1 cup of hot soup into the pesto. Stir the pesto into the pot with the rest of the soup. Let rest about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve with additional grated Parmesan if desired.

Equipment

5-Quart Pot

Chef Knife

Soup Bowls

Recipe Notes

Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup Additions & Variations:

Creamier? cool the soup slightly, then puree it in batches prior to serving

Fewer Points? substitute cauliflower florets for the potatoes and use less oil in the pesto

Low Carb? substitute cauliflower florets for the potatoes and white beans for the spaghetti

Quicker? substitute your favorite jarred pesto for fresh. I like the refrigerated one from Costco.

Vegetarian? Substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth

Not Soup Season? Serve this soup the way Italians do in summer, just warm instead of steaming.

Serving size: 1 cup

Click here to see your WW PersonalPoints for this recipe and track it in the WW app or site.

5 *SmartPoints (Green plan)

5 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)

3 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)

4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)

Nutrition Facts

Italian Zucchini Pesto Soup Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 147 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Carbohydrates 12g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Protein 5g10%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: easy zucchini soup with pesto, italian pesto soup, vegetable pesto soup

Did you make this recipe?Mention @simplenourishedliving on Instagram and tag #simplenourishedliving - we love to see your creations!

Source: Slightly adapted from 1,000 Italian Recipes (affiliate link) by Michele Scicolone.

*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.

More Easy + Healthy Zucchini Soup Recipes

• Zucchini and Tomato Soup with Sausage (Slender Kitchen)
• Cream of Zucchini Soup (SkinnyTaste)
• Creamy Zucchini and Coconut Milk Soup (Cookin'Canuck)
• Slow Cooker Veggie Zucchini Noodle Soup (Hungry Girl)
• Vitamix Zucchini Soup (Snack Girl)

Weight Watchers 2019 Freestyle Program Changes

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