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PEA AND PESTO SOUP

PEA AND PESTO SOUP

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Makes: 2 hearty bowlfuls

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  • Express Recipe
  • Gluten Free
  • Nigella Recipe
  • Vegetarian

While you can make it with pesto from a jar, the difference when you use the "fresh" stuff in a tub that you can find in chiller cabinets in the supermarkets is astonishing. I think soup tastes better made in a blender rather than a food processor, and it's best to use a blender which has a central plug in the lid that you can remove to stop the pressure building up - which, in turn, prevents you getting soup all over you or your walls.

This recipe evokes all the feelings of Spring-time. For other Spring recipe inspiration try Nigella's other delicious Spring food ideas. 

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Ingredients

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  • 750 ml water
  • 375 grams frozen peas
  • 2 spring onions (trimmed but whole)
  • 1 teaspoon Maldon salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
  • ½ teaspoon lime juice
  • 4 tablespoons fresh pesto (fresh from tub not jar)
  • 2 tablespoons pinenuts (optional)
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Method

  1. Fill a kettle and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure the amount you need into a pan, or the small Flameware Marmitout, and put on the hob to come back to the boil.
  2. Fill a thermos (if using) with the remaining hot water.
  3. Add the frozen peas, spring onions, salt and lime juice to the pan/Marmitout and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.
  4. Discard the spring onions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.
  5. If using a thermos, then empty out the hot water and then pour in the soup, making sure you screw the top on securely.  Otherwise, our the liquidised soup back into the Marmitout and keep warm over a gentle heat until you are ready to ladle into bowls.
  6. If using, tip the pinenuts into the Marmitout lid, or a small frying pan, and toast over a medium heat until they begin to colour.  Sprinkle over each bowl of soup.

Additional information - for vegetarians check the ingredients in the pesto as some brands may use cheese containing rennet.

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  • I love this soup, it's easy, comforting and healthy as much as tasty. I use to add a piece of robiola cheese and some bread, to obtain a complete dinner.

    Posted by SaraS on 24th Oct 2011 at 20.27

  • We love having this on a cold day. My wife isn't a pesto fan but she loves this.

    Posted by richardbunn on 25th Feb 2013 at 0.35