Prepare a bit of Finnish cuisine in your own home! Finnish Summer Vegetable Soup is a traditional recipe that you will have no problem making on your own. Ingredients that are common in every cuisine, but with a flavor that is definitely Nordic – YUM!
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Undoubtedly one of the easiest vegetable soup recipes I have in the blog – no sauteing, no blitzing, and you don’t even need to use any stock.
You just have to rely on the natural flavor coming from the vegetables.
You can serve a bowl of this summer soup as an appetizer or a light meal on its own.
If you intend to serve it as a meal, serve it with a platter of mixed cheese and some bread — exactly how the locals do it.
Ingredients
- Vegetables – you can use any vegetables that you have in season. Although personally, I always use carrots, peas, and potatoes, then I just add whatever else I have on hand.
- Cream – I know some people use heavy cream while others like to keep it light, so they use milk instead.
If you’re not sure which way to go, use a light cream (half & half) instead — which is exactly what I used in this recipe.
Instructions
Using a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil and add the potatoes. Cook the potatoes until they’re slightly tender.
Add carrots, green beans, green onions, butter, salt, and pepper (photo 1).
Mix the vegetables, cover the pan with a lid and bring to a boil again. Simmer and cook until the carrots and beans are slightly cooked.
Combine cream and flour in a bowl and mix until the flour has dissolved (photo 2).
Add green peas into the pan with the rest of the vegetables and mix (photo 3).
Add the flour mixture into the pan and mix to combine (photo 4).
Bring vegetable soup to a boil. Taste and adjust seasoning, if needed.
Remove the pan off the heat and serve.
Helpful tips
- Use fresh green peas if you have them; otherwise, frozen peas will do just fine.
- You can use vegetable stock if you prefer. I use water in this recipe because that is how the Finns traditionally make this summer veggie soup.
- Try not to chop the vegetables into small bits. The vegetables should remain intact when serving the soup.
- Do not skip the butter. It makes a noticeable difference to the flavor of this summer vegetable soup if you do. You can try this yourself if you don’t believe me. 🙂
For more ideas for soups, check out my soup collection!
Finnish Summer Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into about 1&1/2 inch length
- 1/2 cup green beans, halved (about 20 pcs)
- 1/4 cup green onions (scallions/spring onions), sliced (about 3 to 4 stalks, white part only)
- 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
- 1 & 1/2 cup light cream (or half and half)
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 & 1/2 cup peas
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- In a medium pan, bring water to a boil.
- Add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are slightly tender.
- Add carrots, green beans, green onions, butter, salt, and pepper. Mix. Cook until carrots and beans are slightly tender.
- In a bowl, combine light cream and flour. Mix until the flour has dissolved.
- Add peas into the pan with the rest of the vegetables.
- Add the flour mixture. Mix to combine.
- Bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning by adding more salt and pepper.
- Take the pan off the heat.
- Serve.
Notes
- You can add or replace the vegetables with whatever you have in season.
- If you have fresh vegetables, like fresh green peas, use them instead of frozen ones.
- Feel free to use heavy cream (double cream) or milk to replace the dairy in the soup, depending on the creaminess you prefer.
- You can use vegetable stock if you want. However, the traditional summer vegetable soup recipe only uses water.
- Do NOT skip the butter. It elevates the creaminess and brings out the sweetness of the vegetables to another level.
Sandi says
This looks delicious and healthy! Can’t wait to try.
Claudia Lamascolo says
I have never seen a healthier looking or pretty and fresh soup as this. I love the amazing flavors and colors just beautiful!
Karly says
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try!
Natalie says
I love soup anytime – winter or summer you name it 🙂 Looks so delicious and perfect with the air condition on!
Dannii says
That looks delicious and really healthy with all the vegetables too.
Cirsten Eggers says
This is an old recipe from the northern part of Germany/Southern part of Denmark as well. There it’s called Snüsch or Snysk. We cook the vegetables in salt water and then replace the water with milk though. And no butter. But everyone gets a plate with some smoked ham as a side dish.
Neriz says
Ooooh, smoked ham. I am going to try your way and serve it with smoked ham as well. But alas, I think I can only get Swedish smoked ham here. I will try looking for German ones, the last time I checked, we have Black Forest ham in some supermarkets here in Stockholm.
Thank you so much for sharing Cirsten! 🙂