Pea and Pesto Soup
by Nigella. Featured in NIGELLA EXPRESSIntroduction
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.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
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.
For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.
Ingredients
Makes: 2 hearty bowlfuls
- 375 grams frozen peas
- 2 spring onions (trimmed but whole)
- 1 teaspoon Maldon salt (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
- ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons pesto
- 2 tablespoons pinenuts (optional)
- 3 cups frozen peas
- 2 scallions (trimmed but whole)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt flakes (or ½ teaspoon table salt)
- ½ teaspoon fresh lime juice
- 4 tablespoons pesto
- 2 tablespoons pinenuts (optional)
Method
- Fill a kettle and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure 750ml/3 cups of boiled water into a pan, and put on the hob to come back to the boil.
- Fill a thermos (if using) with the remaining hot water.
- Add the frozen peas, spring onions, salt and lime juice to the pan and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.
- Discard the spring onions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.
- 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 pan and keep warm over a gentle heat until you are ready to ladle into bowls.
- If using, tip the pinenuts into a small frying pan, and toast over a medium heat until they begin to colour. Sprinkle over each bowl of soup.
NOTE:
For vegetarians check the ingredients in the pesto as some brands may use cheese containing rennet.
- Fill a kettle and put it on to boil. When it's boiled, measure 750ml/3 cups of boiled water into a pan, and put on the hob to come back to the boil.
- Fill a thermos (if using) with the remaining hot water.
- Add the frozen peas, scallions, salt and lime juice to the pan and let everything bubble together for 7 minutes.
- Discard the scallions and blitz the peas and their liquid with the pesto in a blender.
- 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 pan and keep warm over a gentle heat until you are ready to ladle into bowls.
- If using, tip the pinenuts into a small frying pan, and toast over a medium heat until they begin to colour. Sprinkle over each bowl of soup.
NOTE:
For vegetarians check the ingredients in the pesto as some brands may use cheese containing rennet.
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Show more commentsWonderful quick easy economical soup with bacon pieces chopped into it to add some texture and delicious with grated mature cheddar cheese melted into it, absolutely gorgeous with a piece of crusty bread or garlic bread on the side. It's fantastic, I hope that you enjoy it too
The most wonderful quick soup ever. I now grow my own basil to make my own pesto just so I can have this soup when the weather turns cold. It's been ten years since I first made it during an illness, and I'll be enjoying it the rest of my life.
I love this soup! One serving as detailed in the recipe above is enough to fill me up for a meal already. It's indeed a great on-the-run food that stays warm. I fry a strip of bacon then chop it up and add it to the soup, as well as the discarded spring onion that's also chopped. I also usually combine the pesto of this recipe and the mozzarella from the similar Slime Soup recipe, and replace part of the water with stock. Thank you, Nigella!
One of my top go to cold weather soups. <3 it!
Loved this soup, will be making again - thanks!!
We love having this on a cold day. My wife isn't a pesto fan but she loves this.
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.