Disco Soup reminded me of what can happen when a community comes together around food.

When the chopping began, we didn’t have a strict recipe. We simply looked at the produce that had been donated, sorted through what needed to be used first, and started building two soups around what we had available.

The result was more than 150 bowls of soup served to the community, with the remaining soup packaged up for local food pantry families.

The recipes below are scaled back from the quantities we made at Disco Soup, where we worked through more than 200 pounds of rescued vegetables. Think of these as guides rather than rules. Feel free to measure with your heart, adjust based on what’s in your fridge or garden, and let the vegetables lead the way.

Summer Gazpacho

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Chill Time: Up to 1 hour (optional)

For the best flavor, allow the gazpacho to chill for up to an hour before serving. That said, we certainly didn’t have an hour to spare at Disco Soup. We blended, tasted, adjusted, and served. If you’re short on time, don’t let the chill time stop you from enjoying a bowl.

A refreshing chilled soup built around ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs.

Tiny Onion Note

The version we made at Disco Soup was entirely guided by the vegetables we had rescued that morning. The tomatoes were incredibly ripe, which meant they provided most of the flavor all on their own. Don’t worry about exact measurements. If you have an extra cucumber, another pepper, or a handful of herbs that need using, toss them in.

Ingredients:

• 4 large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped

• 1 cucumber, roughly chopped

• 2 bell peppers, roughly chopped

• 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a large bowl or blender.

2. Using a standard blender or hand blender, blend until smooth or leave slightly textured, depending on your preference.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, cumin, or vinegar as needed.

4. Chill if time allows, or serve immediately.

5. Serve cold with a drizzle of olive oil and additional cilantro if desired.

Roasted Summer Vegetable Soup

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes- 45 minutes

When we realized we had more vegetables than one soup could handle, we decided to roast the second batch. Roasting brought out their natural sweetness and created a rich, comforting soup using simple ingredients and rescued produce.

Tiny Onion Note

This soup was born from abundance. We had piles of summer vegetables and wanted to make sure as much of the rescued produce as possible found its way into a bowl instead of a landfill. The potatoes added body, the spinach brought freshness and color, and the roasted vegetables did the rest.

Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and diced

• 2 zucchini, diced

• 2 yellow squash, diced

• 2 bell peppers, diced

• 1 medium onion, diced

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 medium white potatoes, peeled and diced

• 4 to 6 cups water

• 2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Toss the eggplant, zucchini, squash, peppers, and onion with olive oil.

3. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, stirring once, until golden and sweet.

4. Meanwhile, simmer the potatoes in 4 cups of water until fork-tender.

5. Add the roasted vegetables to the pot with the potatoes.

6. Stir in the nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper.

7. Using a hand blender directly in the pot or carefully transferring to a standard blender, blend until smooth and creamy. Add additional water as needed to reach your desired consistency.

8. Add the spinach and blend once more until fully incorporated.

9. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving.

Serve warm and share.