Zucchini and Basil Soup

I've been shopping at the 99cent store regularly, and trying to cook with the fruits and vegetables they have available on a particular week. Recently I bought 2 huge zucchini for 99 cents, and after I oven roasted some zucchini early in the week, I had to use up the rest of the zucchini towards the end of the week, or throw it out. Hating to waste anything, I made a zucchini and basil soup that was very good. Here it is.

Zucchini and Basil Soup

2 T. olive oil
1 1/4 lb. zucchini, crookneck or patty pan squash, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 c. vegetable stock
1/2 c. chopped basil
1 1/2 T. butter, softened
1 1/2 T. flour
freshly ground pepper to taste
juice of one lemon
dollop of plain greek yogurt as an accompaniment

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil, add squash and onion and saute for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent and squash is crisp. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and partially cover and cook for 25 minutes. Add basil during the last 5 minutes. Melt the butter, add flour, and blend to a paste. Remove 1 cupt of simmering stock and whisk in butter mixture until smooth. Add back and stir until soup is slightly thickened. Remove soup from heat to a blender and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Add a dollop of yogurt to each serving.

I love this soup. I froze the remaining soup and ate it several weeks later and it was delicious. If you want a richer soup you can replace half the vegetable stock with milk or cream. I would not freeze this soup, though. Enjoy.