If you've got a large garden marrow and are wondering what to do with it, this easy, healthy marrow soup is one of the best marrow recipes you can make. It uses a lot of marrow and is naturally creamy without cream. It also freezes beautifully and is ready in just 30 minutes.
At a glance
Recipe Summary: Easy, healthy marrow soup
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
Key ingredients: Marrow, onions, stock
Nutritional highlights: Marrow is rich in antioxidants, minerals and fibre
Allergy info: Gluten-free, nut-free, easily made dairy-free and vegan
Convenience: Quick and easy marrow recipe, great for meal prep and freezing
I regularly grow courgettes, and at the end of the season I always let a couple turn into marrows. Because the skin of a marrow is much tougher, it can store very well without needing to be kept in the fridge or freezer. I store mine in a cool conservatory, and they last for a couple of months. Then I can make up a batch of this easy, creamy marrow soup whenever I fancy.
Marrows have a mild, slightly sweet flavour which definitely benefits from spices and seasoning in this healthy recipe.
If you've got more marrow to use up, this delicious fragrant marrow curry is another great option. The spices give the marrow plenty of flavour and it's particularly good as a side dish. You can also use marrow in this courgettes braised in tomato sauce recipe.
Jump to:
Why make marrow soup:
- Easy to make. Just one pot and a stick blender, and a very simple process.
- Tasty. Just a tiny bit of butter and a few extra seasonings, and this marrow soup is quite delicious. Cooked marrow is naturally quite creamy, so this soup has a lovely texture without actually using cream.
- Healthy. The soup is basically a mix of vegetables and stock, so it's a great healthy way to fill up without too many calories, and get an extra portion of veg. Try a mugful of soup as a healthy snack.
- Uses lots of marrow. Marrow is the hero ingredient! It's a great recipe for using up garden marrows.
- Easy to scale up. I've purposely laid out the measurements for this recipe so that they can easily be scaled up depending on the size and quantity of marrow that you have.
- Great for meal prep. Homemade soup is ideal for meal prep, and is really quick to reheat.
- Budget-friendly. Marrows are generally pretty cost-effective (and are even given away for free!), and this soup will help to fill up hungry tummies.
Ingredients
A full list of ingredients along with metric and US measurements can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Marrow. It really doesn't matter about the size of the marrow for this recipe, as you'll be using it by weight. You can also use an overgrown courgette to make this easy, healthy marrow soup.
Onion and garlic. These are essential to add a sweet, savoury note to the soup. It's important to sauté them first before adding the other ingredients as the caramelisation will add a much better flavour. You could use either white or red onions.
Olive oil/butter. If you're not vegan, then it's good to use a mix of butter and olive oil for the recipe. This will allow the onions to brown more easily, and give them a good flavour. If you'd prefer all olive oil or another healthy oil, that will also work well however. The amount of fat in the recipe is fairly low.
Stock is an important ingredient in the recipe. You could use either vegetable or chicken stock. Of course, homemade stock would be great, but a stock cube will also work perfectly well in this easy marrow recipe.
Seasoning and spices. You'll want to season your marrow soup well, as marrow isn't naturally very flavoursome.
However, you may not need extra salt and pepper, as bought stock is often quite salty. Make sure that you taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as you go. Three alternative spices which work well in this creamy marrow soup are:
- Nutmeg, which adds a sweet nuttiness. Either use a quick grating of fresh nutmeg, or a quarter teaspoon of ready ground.
- Ginger. Marrow and ginger soup is a classic combination. If you want to use fresh ginger, then grate about 1 cm of ginger into the onion mix as you are cooking it so that the flavour mixes in well. Alternatively you could use a quarter teaspoon of powdered ginger.
- Curry powder. For a spiced marrow soup, add a teaspoon of curry powder, either mild or strong, as you prefer. Add the curry powder to the onion mix.
You can also add other flavoursome herbs such as sage or thyme. If you prefer you can also use roast garlic for a sweeter, garlicky flavour.
The best way to use up a giant marrow
For each 500 g of vegetable marrow, you'll need 1 onion, 1 clove of garlic, 500 ml of stock, plus spices. That quantity will make 3-4 servings. You can easily double or triple the amount of soup that you are making. Just remember that you'll want plenty of space in the pan as you are cooking and blending, so get out your largest pan if you are planning on scaling up!
How to prepare a large marrow
Vegetable marrow is super easy to prepare. Just give it a wipe, and cut it into slices. Then lay each slice on its side and cut into cubes.
I don't think it's necessary to peel the marrow as the skin softens down as it cooks, but if you are worried that it will be too hard, then peel the skin off with a vegetable peeler.
If it's a very large ripe marrow, there may be some seeds inside. If so, remove these as they will remain chewy even when cooked. (You might be able to save them to grown more marrows next year!)
How to make marrow soup
Start by sautéing the onion in hot oil/butter. It's important to get a good colour on the onions as the caramelisation will add a lovely flavour and richness to the soup. About 5 minutes should give a deep golden colour. Add the garlic and your choice of spice and fry for another minute or so.
Add the stock and diced marrow. If you are using a stock cube, you can just crumble the cube into the pan and add 500 ml of boiling water. Cover the pan and bring up to a gentle simmer.
Simmer for about 15 minutes until the marrow is soft.
Blitz with a hand (immersion) blender until completely smooth. You could also use a blender or food processor if you prefer. I like to use a hand blender as it means less washing up! If you've left the skin on the marrow, the soup will be flecked with green.
Serving suggestions
You can serve marrow soup immediately, or prepare it ahead and reheat it through on the stove. It will store well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and you can also freeze it in airtight tubs.
Marrow soup goes really well with this flourless seed bread, or gluten free savoury cheese scones for a quick healthy lunch. Add some chopped nuts or chopped boiled egg for extra protein.
Frequently asked questions
Marrow is a low calorie vegetable which is part of the squash family. Marrow is high in fibre which can help to benefit your digestion. It is also a good source of vitamins A, B and C along with a number of other vital vitamins and minerals.
In this soup recipe, the skin will soften as the marrow cooks, so there's no need to peel your marrow. But if you feel the skin is particularly tough, you can peel if you prefer.
Marrows and courgettes are both from the same family. Courgettes are smaller, and marrows are larger. Generally, a marrow is a courgette that has been left on the plant for longer. However, if you are growing marrows or courgettes yourself, you'll see that different varieties are recommended, depending on whether you are planning to harvest them as courgettes or marrows.
Yes, you can freeze marrow, but it will have a much softer texture once defrosted, which only really makes it suitable for recipes such as this easy marrow soup. I simply cube the marrow and pop it in a sealable freezer bag.
other healthy vegetable soup recipes
A bowl of soup makes a quick, filling, healthy lunch, and is a great way to include extra veggies in your diet. Why not try some of these other recipes, or browse the healthy soups category.
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Recipe
Easy Healthy Marrow Soup
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 10 g butter or use an extra ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion peeled and finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic peeled and very finely chopped or minced
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or use ginger or curry powder
- 500 g marrow cut into 1.5 cm cubes
- 500 ml vegetable or chicken stock fresh or use 1 stock cube plus 500 ml water
Instructions
- Heat a large pan on a medium heat, and fry the onion in the olive oil and butter for 5 minutes. The onions will take on a lovely golden colour.½ tbsp olive oil, 10 g butter, 1 onion
- Add the garlic and spice and fry for another 2 minutes.1 clove garlic, ¼ tsp grated nutmeg
- Add the marrow and stock. If you are using a stock cube, just crumble it into the pan and add 500ml boiling water. Cover the pan, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes. After this time the marrow will be soft.500 g marrow, 500 ml vegetable or chicken stock
- Blitz the mixture in the pan with a hand blender until completely smooth. You could also use a blender or food processor if you prefer.
Notes
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- 1 cm grated fresh ginger
- ¼ teaspoon dried ginger powder
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
Nutrition
Please note nutritional information is per serving and is provided for guidance only.
Guy says
Probably the best home made soup I've ever made. Did some last year with curry powder. Am planning on doing a few variations this time around. A beautifully creamy soup to die for.
Wendy Faulkner says
Thank you for your comment - I'm glad you loved the marrow soup:)
Kristin says
Very impressed, definitely the best marrow recipe I've tasted!