Chilled Summer Squash Soup with Fresh Herbs
Chilled summer squash soup with fresh herbs: a silky cold soup of zucchini, crookneck, and pattypan squash pureed with basil, parsley, and buttermilk. A summer lunch or starter for six.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
25 minREADY
6 hrsWhen summer squash starts multiplying faster than anyone can eat it, this chilled soup offers a graceful exit. A trio of zucchini, yellow crookneck, and pattypan simmers briefly with onion, garlic, and chicken broth, then gets pureed with fresh basil, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon before buttermilk stirs in for tang.
The three squashes bring subtle differences: zucchini does the heavy flavor work, crookneck adds its golden color and mild sweetness, and pattypan brings a firmer texture that keeps the pureed soup from going entirely velvet-smooth. Use all of one if that’s what you have, but the blend is the payoff.
Buttermilk is what separates this from a dozen other cold squash soups. It adds a bright, almost yogurty tang that plays against the green herbs and cuts through the mild squash without adding heavy cream weight.
Chill a full 6 hours or overnight. Cold soup needs time for flavors to marry, and a warm-ish version tastes flat.
Chef Tips
- Cut squash into even 1-inch pieces so they cook uniformly. Mixed sizes give you some mushy pieces and some still crunchy ones when blending.
- Let the cooked soup cool slightly before blending with buttermilk. Hot liquid can curdle the dairy.
- Puree in batches if using a standard blender. Filling the jar too full can blow the lid off and scald you.
- Use fresh herbs only. Dried basil and parsley turn this into something flat and slightly musty instead of bright and summery.
- Whisk before serving. The soup separates during the long chill and needs re-emulsifying.
Variations
- Swap buttermilk for Greek yogurt thinned with a splash of water for an even tangier, thicker soup.
- Add a finely chopped jalapeno to the cooked vegetables for gentle heat.
- Garnish with a drizzle of good olive oil, a swirl of sour cream, and edible flowers for a dinner-party presentation.
Ingredients
Directions
In a large saucepan place all the squash.
Add the onion, garlic, broth and salt and pepper; bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender.
Allow to cool slightly; purée in a food processor or blender with the basil, parsley and lemon juice until smooth.
Stir in the buttermilk.
Place in a container, cover and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, whisk until smooth and adjust the seaoning with salt and pepper.
Serve chilled, garnished with chopped basil and parsley.
This soup can be prepared as below or varied by using all zucchini, all crookneck, or even all pattypan squash.
Pattypan squash, also known as cymling or scallop squash, is a tiny saucer-shaped vegetable with a scalloped edge.
It should be firm and without blemishes.
It is best to use fresh herbs for this soup.
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