Cold soups are the perfect dishes for hot days, whether you're in Italy or north of the Alps. In this recipe, crunchy cucumbers, creamy yogurt, and fresh mint combine to create a light and aromatic refreshment. The soup is delicious as an appetizer or main dish, for lunch or dinner, and does not require a long cooking time. If these aren't the ingredients for a perfect summer culinary delight, then what is?

Cooked meets fresh

Anyone who thinks that cucumber soup with yogurt is just a 'thinner' version of Greek tzatziki is wrong. The trick of the recipe is that the onions or shallots are briefly cooked together with the cucumber. This intensifies the flavor and makes the dish more digestible. Cucumber soup can be enjoyed at room temperature or chilled, depending on the outside temperature and your mood. Next to this cold soup, a Tuscan recipe is also a welcome summer classic, served warm or cold: Pappa al Pomodoro.

Cucumber Soup Plus

If you do not like mint, choose other garden herbs for your cucumber soup. Dill and basil, for example, are an excellent match. Small pieces of tomato give the mouth an extra touch of freshness, while thinly sliced celery adds a crunchy effect. Those who like refinement can enrich their cucumber soup with pieces of watermelon or strawberries. All these combinations refresh the body while delivering essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They help us cope better with hot days.

Less is more

Unlike many hot dishes, cold soups are a lesser-known delicacy in Italian summer and vegetable cuisine. However, as temperatures rise and the heat dominates the days, these recipes offer a healthy and refreshing variety. We don't have to sacrifice flavor either. Soups captivate with the intense aromas of fresh ingredients, ideally sourced from your garden if you have one. Pleasure does not require complicated preparations. A few tasty foods, combined with flair and love, enchant the palate and remind us that the greatest joys often come from the simplest things.

📖 Recipe

Cold cucumber soup with yogurt and mint

Cucumber soup is perfect for hot days. This recipe blends cucumber, yogurt, and mint to create a light, aromatic refreshment that is quick to prepare and ideal as a starter or main course.

[en]5 from 2 votes[/en][de]5 von 2 Bewertungen[/de][it]5 da 2 voti[/it]

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Cooling time 30

Total Time 1

Course Soup

Cuisine gluten free, summer, vegetarian

Servings servings

Calories 458 kcal

Equipment

1 pan with high sides

Ingredients

500 g cucumbers , without skin and seeds in a pot
1 shallot, alternatively spring onion oder onion
6 leaves mint , alternatively basil or dill leaves
2 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
800 ml stock, vegetable
100 g natural yoghurt , with 10 % fat
1 lemon, untreated
1 pinch salt, fine
1 pinch pepper, black

Instructions

Cut the cucumber into cubes. Finely chop the mint and shallot.
Sauté the shallot in a tall, non-stick pan with 1 tablespoon of oil until golden brown, stirring occasionally to ensure even coloring. Deglaze with a ladleful of hot stock. Add the cucumbers and cook for a few minutes, stirring. Now add the rest of the stock and cover with a lid. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, then leave to cool. Add the mint.
Puree the lukewarm soup with a hand blender until a creamy consistency is achieved.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the yogurt. Mix well. Complete the dish with a sprinkle of freshly grated lemon zest and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh garden herbs to taste.

Notes

Enhance the recipe with additional herbs, diced tomatoes, basil, mint or dill leaves, watermelon pieces, or small cubes of bread toasted in butter and a pinch of salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 458 kcalCarbohydrates: 40 gProtein: 8.3 gFat: 32.4 gSaturated Fat: 6.1 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.1 gMonounsaturated Fat: 21.4 gCholesterol: 13 mgSodium: 3.279 mgPotassium: 1.07 mgFiber: 7.4 gSugar: 23 gVitamin A: 2.189 IUVitamin C: 75.8 mgCalcium: 229.8 mgIron: 2.3 mg