Zucchini Tomato Soup

Twelve accounts now. The Kowalski Thoroughbred has settled down enough that I can move through the work without the extra hour of careful management, which means the account is finally profitable in the way it should be. There's a satisfaction in watching a nervous horse come to trust the routine — the same positions, the same voice, the same sequence of work done the same way every visit. Animals respond to predictability the way people respond to fairness. They can't tell you that, but they show it.

Been thinking about the farrier certification more seriously. If I complete the therapeutic shoeing coursework by spring and pass the exam, I can start taking rehabilitation cases that most farriers around here don't take on. The Valley Equine Clinic in Bozeman has been referring those cases to a farrier over in Big Timber and I've talked to Dr. Meyers there a couple times. She said she'd send work my way if I got the cert. That's a different kind of income — more technical, more interesting, and the horses need it in a way that regular horseshoeing sometimes doesn't have.

Started working on a new essay this week. Something about the breakup with Jen, though I'm not planning to post it — just trying to write through it to understand it. That's what the writing started as, the private version of it, before I ever posted anything publicly. I used to fill notebooks. I burned three of them the night I got sober. Not dramatically. Just quietly, in the burn barrel behind the shop, because they were from the years I was drinking and I didn't want to read them again.

Made roasted tomato soup from the end of Mom's garden tomatoes — the last big harvest before frost, everything that was going to come in has come in. I halved them and roasted them with garlic and a little olive oil for about an hour, then blended them with stock and cream. Simple. Good. I made two gallons and put most of it in the freezer. The first bowl of frozen tomato soup in February always tastes like this exact week.

The roasted tomato version I made that week was barely a recipe — more of an instinct — but I’ve landed on this zucchini tomato soup as the version I come back to when I want something that actually holds up, especially when there’s summer squash still coming in alongside the late tomatoes. It freezes the same way, fills the same space in February, and the extra body from the zucchini makes it feel more like a meal than a side. This is the one I’d hand someone if they asked.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium zucchini, chopped (about 3 cups)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes, or 3 cups fresh roasted tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
Fresh basil or parsley, for garnish

Instructions

Sauté aromatics. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant.
Add zucchini. Stir in the chopped zucchini and cook for 4–5 minutes, until it begins to soften slightly at the edges.
Build the base. Pour in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and stock. Stir in the basil, oregano, and smoked paprika. Season with salt and black pepper.
Simmer. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the zucchini is fully tender and the flavors have come together.
Blend (optional). For a smoother texture, use an immersion blender to partially or fully blend the soup. Leave some texture if you prefer it chunky.
Finish and serve. Stir in the heavy cream if using. Taste and adjust seasoning. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh basil or parsley. Freeze any remaining soup in quart containers for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Zucchini Tomato Soup — The Last Harvest Before Frost