Pea Soup Recipe

I am going to share with you my absolute favourite pea soup recipe. It’s low fat, high protein (21% of calories from protein) and has a huge amount of fibre.

I have played with the recipe a lot and THIS is the one for me. I will give you some options for different spices and it’s nice to mix it up but the base, remains the same.

You can also choose to dice the vegetables as chunky or as thin as you’d like, I opt for 1/4’s and if I’m not sharing my soup, I blend 50% of the soup with an immersion blender. If I am eating with someone who likes a chunkier soup, I dont blend it at all and it’s still quite smooth.

I know I may sound like a weirdo, but I absolutely LOVE cold pea soup too. I used is as a dip, as a spread and I even eat is as a cold soup.. Pea soup feels like an extra hearty hug on the inside.

So without further ado, here it is!

Felicia’s Low Fat, High Protein, Pea Soup Recipe (serves 6, about 1.5 cup servings)

1 tbsp avocado oil for sautéing (could also use canola/rapeseed or olive oil)

3 medium celery stocks (no leaf), diced

3 medium carrots, diced

1 medium leek, diced

1/3 medium sweet onion, diced

2 cups dried peas (rinced)

1 cup frozen peas (I normally eyeball this and sometimes it ends up being 2 cups but its fine because you don’t add them till near the end)

2 cloves garlic pressed or shredded (we want all the flavour!)

2L boiling water

1 bay leaf (a must!)

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tbsp dried thyme (if you have fresh thyme, I use A LOT because I’m obsessed, but use your nose and you can always add more at the end)

Optional spices: Herbs de Provence, red pepper flakes, bergamot

Sometimes, I will boil the water separately with the cuttings from the vegetables to make a more flavourful broth or you can sub 2 cups of water for a veggie broth. If I done want to wash extra dishes then I just use my kettle.

Truth be told, I just use my nose so the measurements for the spices are estimated… I typically add a lot. If you’re just getting into cooking, use your taste and smell to guide but sometimes less is better till the end. You can always add, but you can’t take away.

Instructions:

1. Chop your leeks, onion, carrots and celery

2. Sauté them in your 1 tbsp of oil this order: onion, leeks, carrots, celery. The onions and leeks should be soft before you add your carrots and then after about 2 minutes, you can add your celery. If you’re a pro, you can chop as you go, but if you’re new to cooking, it’s better to have everything set out so you dont underestimate your prep time. Sauté these vegetables together for a couple of minutes but you want the carrots and celery to remain firm.

3. Then add your pressed garlic and herbs, stir and allow to sit on medium heat for 2 minutes.

4. Once everything is fragrant and you’re feeling good about the smells, add your boiling water and then your dried peas.

5. Bring everything to a boil and stir for a minute or so, then reduce heat to medium low (so it’s not boiling) and cover for 40 minutes. Yes, it’s a long time but that’s how your flavours develop.

6. I occasionally check on the soup, give it a stir and a smell, maybe 2-3 times while I wait.

7. Once the dried peas are soft and translucent, it’s time to add the frozen peas. Stir them in and let the cook for about 10-20 minutes - this is more about preferance. I like them to still have a lot of texture so I cook them less but if you want the flavours to really take over the peas, then you may want to add them earlier on.

So there it is! I make this soup at least once a month and I seriously crave it if I haven’t had it for longer than that.

I serve this with sourdough bread normally but if I have guests I sometimes top this with roasted fennel or an arugula and fennel salad.

Each serving of this soup contains: 287 calories, 17 grams of protein, only 3.6 grams of fat and an astonishing 17 grams of fibre. Pair this with a salad and a piece of toast and you’ve got a well-rounded and beautiful meal!

I appreciate your feedback and testimonies

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