marrow soup

Mildly spicy and creamy, this delicious green marrow soup is satisfying, nourishing, and substantial enough to be a main course! Naturally vegan, it’s healthy and filling thanks to cannellini beans and potatoes, which are blended in with the vegetables to make the finished soup silky smooth. The beauty of this dish lies in its versatility; it’s perfect for any season, and the flavours are easily customizable to suit your taste, whether you prefer a touch more spice or a hint of fresh herbs. Enjoy it hot, warm, or chilled for a refreshing summer variation. It’s a great way to use up oversized courgettes, aka marrow!

A marrow is basically an enormous courgette that managed to escape detection in the garden or reached astronomical proportions while you were away on holiday. This happens to me on a regular basis – it’s incredible how big a small courgette can grow in 2 or 3 days, especially in my part of the world where it’s hot and sunny. When I left to go on holiday last week, there were two tiny courgettes on the plant, which I left on because they were far too small to harvest. A week later, those two courgettes weighed 2 kilos each and had reached the monstrous length of 40 cm!

About this vegan marrow soup recipe

This recipe was born out of pure necessity. What do you do with vegetables of that size? If they’re up to 25/30 cm, I usually stuff them and roast them in the oven. In Italian, they’re called barchette (little boats) or zucchine ripiene (stuffed courgettes), and since I’ve had a vegetable garden, there have been so many accidentally large courgettes that I’ve created no less than 9 delicious vegan fillings to stuff them with!

When my companion Guido (Italian) spotted those two marrows in the garden, he called them “ocean liners” instead of his usual term “boats”. When a marrow is that big, soup is a great way of doing it justice. Because it’s HOT here right now, turning the oven on doesn’t bear thinking about, but this green marrow soup can be made on the stove using far less heat and it can be eaten warm, cold, or even chilled.

How do you season marrow soup? What ingredients do you need? As usual, I kept things simple. Onion and vegetable broth, the basic ingredients of all soups, were a must. Cannellini beans and a couple of potatoes made this soup velvety smooth, satisfying, and very nutritious. For the finishing touches, I chose coconut milk and mild Madras curry powder, which added an exotic touch. Thai green curry powder or paste would be another great option. For something completely different, omit the coconut milk and curry, and swirl in a little vegan basil pesto.

How to make green marrow soup

This delicious, mildly spicy marrow soup is super easy to make. Just chop the marrow, onion, and potatoes and simmer them in vegetable broth until tender. Then, blend the cannellini beans separately until velvety smooth. Blend the vegetables using an immersion blender, add the curry powder (if using), the cannellini bean purée, coconut milk, and seasoning and blend until smooth and creamy. That’s it – no oil, no sautéeing, and ready in less than 30 minutes with 5 minutes hands-on time!

Ingredients

You’ll find the exact quantities of each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

Marrow

I invented this recipe precisely to use up oversized courgettes or marrow that you wouldn’t know what to do with otherwise. Obviously, normal-sized courgettes (zucchini) will work just as well if you want to make this recipe and don’t have any extra large ones!

Onions

Yellow onions are best for this recipe, but feel free to use whatever kind of onions you happen to have in the house.

Potatoes

Potatoes serve to make this recipe creamy and more nutritionally complete. Any kind of potatoes will do – it doesn’t matter whether they are farinaceous, waxy, or new potatoes – because they’te going to be blended into the soup anyway.

Vegetable broth

You can use homemade vegetable broth or take the easy way out and use vegetable stock powder or cubes.

Curry powder

I chose mild Madras curry powder to confer delicately spicy and exotic notes without too much heat. You can use any kind of curry powder you fancy. Ginger would make an interesting alternative if you don’t want to use curry – either fresh ginger or ginger powder.

Cannellini beans

Cannellini beans add to the nutrient profile, providing plenty of protein, carbohydrates and fibre. Once blended, the beans thicken the soup and contribute to its velvety smooth texture. You can substitute cannellini beans with butter beans, navy beans or other similar white beans.

Coconut milk

I added coconut milk to this recipe to make it deliciously creamy and contemporarily add an exotic touch. Make sure you use coconut milk intended for cooking and not for drinking.

Salt and pepper

I rounded off the seasoning with unrefined sea salt and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.

How to make green marrow soup

Instructions

You’ll find step-by-step instructions with photos in the recipe card at the bottom of this page.

• Cut the marrow in half and remove the seeds. If the skin is very tough, you can peel it. Otherwise, just leave the skin on. Cut the marrow into chunks.
• Put the chunks of marrow, chopped onions, and potatoes in a large pan. Add the vegetable broth, bring to a boil and then simmer gently until everything is tender.
• Put the cannellini beans and their juice in a blender beaker and blend until smooth. Blending the cannellini beans beforehand ensures that the soup is silky smooth and there are no bits of bean skins.
• Blend the soup with an immersion directly in the pan. When perfectly smooth, add the curry powder, cannellini bean purée, and coconut milk. Blend briefly to amalgamate. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

How to garnish and serve green marrow soup

I recommend serving this soup with a garnish that complements the flavours. Fresh, aromatic coriander (cilantro) leaf is an excellent choice. Chopped chives, mint, or parsley are equally valid alternatives, and a swirl of coconut milk also looks very pretty.

This vegan marrow soup can be served hot, warm, or cold. I love it chilled, straight from the fridge, along with a slice of my favourite sourdough seed bread. Alternatively, you could serve it with tempeh sticks for extra protein, bread croutons, or crusty bread rolls. Although this curried marrow soup is hearty enough to be a main course in its own right, you could serve it with something like Indian kofta or sautéed seitan chunks, for example.

How to store marrow soup

Any leftover soup should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, where it will keep for 4 – 5 days.

Can you freeze marrow soup?

Yes, this green marrow soup can be frozen. I recommend making a large batch and freezing it in portions for when you’re in a hurry and haven’t got time to cook. It will keep in the freezer for at least 3 months.

How to reheat marrow soup

Pour the soup into a saucepan with a lid and heat it up slowly on low heat until it reaches the desired temperature.

To reheat from frozen, first allow the soup to defrost at room temperature and then proceed as above.

I’m sure you’ll love this vegan green marrow soup recipe! If you try it, I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comments below, or take a quick pic and share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook @vegan_hot_stuff – I love seeing your re-creations!

Frequently asked questions

How healthy are marrows?

Marrows, like courgettes, are low in calories and a good source of fibre. They are also rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and B-group vitamins like riboflavin, thiamin, niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate. The minerals present in marrow are potassium, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, calcium, iron and copper. Marrow is also rich in beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant.

What’s the difference between a marrow and a courgette?

Marrows and courgettes are both members of the Cucurbitaceae family and types of summer squash, but they differ primarily in size and maturity. When left to grow longer, courgettes become marrows​. Therefore, a marrow is simply the mature form of a courgette, which can reach a length of 40 cm or more. Marrows have a denser, more fibrous texture, and the skin is thicker. Marrows are often stuffed and baked or used in soups. Courgettes are harvested while they are still young and tender, typically around 15 cm long. They are the immature form of a marrow. Courgettes have a delicate, slightly sweet flavour with a crisp, tender texture. The skin is thin and edible, making them suitable for stir-fries, salads and raw dishes like carpaccio di zucchini.

Does marrow taste like courgette?

Yes, marrow and courgette (zucchini) have similar flavours, but there are some differences due to their size and maturity. Courgettes have a mild, slightly sweet flavour and tender texture. Marrows have a more diluted flavour that is still mild but less sweet than courgettes. The taste can be described as more neutral, with a higher water content and a slightly more fibrous texture.

Do you peel a marrow before cooking it?

There is generally no need to peel a marrow before cooking it. For stuffing and roasting, the skin is actually necessary to hold everything together, and it usually softens up nicely when cooked. In soups, it’s absolutely unnecessary to peel them, especially when the soup is blended.

I hope you liked this recipe for vegan marrow soup! If you did, it would be great if you could give it 5 stars and leave a comment below! It helps other readers to find my content and posts and ultimately makes my blog more successful! Thank you so much for your support! Deborah xx

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