Garden Pea and Rocket Soup with Pesto
Garden Pea and Rocket Soup with Pesto

Garden Pea and Rocket Soup with Pesto

  • Prep time:

  • Cook time:

  • Total time:

  • Portion/Yield:

    Serves 6 as a starter or serves 4 as a light lunch with crusty bread

  • Difficulty:

    Easy

This vibrant green garden pea and rocket soup is delicious served either hot or chilled. Garnished with natural yoghurt and dollops of fresh-tasting garden pea and rocket pesto, it’s a lovely soup that celebrates fresh seasonal produce.

Watch the video on how to make the soup, plus some top tips on how to keep its vibrant green colour.

photo of garden pea and rocket soupphoto of garden pea and rocket soup

Ingredients & Method

For the garden pea and rocket soup

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 60g (prepared weight) potato, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 60g (prepared weight) onion, finely sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 100ml dry white wine
  • 600ml vegetable stock
  • 150g (podded weight) fresh garden peas (see Cook’s Note)
  • 30g rocket leaves
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the garden pea and rocket pesto

  • 30g rocket leaves
  • 50g (podded weight) fresh garden peas (see Cook’s Note)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 10g finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 20g toasted pine nuts
  • 80ml olive oil

To garnish

  • about 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt
  • olive oil

First make the soup. Heat the oil in a saucepan over a high heat until hot, then add the potato, onion, garlic and salt and pepper and sauté until golden brown, about 8–10 minutes. Add the wine and cook until absorbed, stirring. Add the stock, bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat, then cover and cook for 10–15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the pesto. Place all the ingredients in a clean blender and blend until smooth and combined. Add seasoning to taste.

Remove the cooked soup from the heat and cool slightly, then transfer to a blender, add the rocket and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Serve the soup either hot or cold. If serving it hot, return the soup to the rinsed-out pan and reheat gently until hot. If serving the soup chilled, cool it quickly over ice and then chill before serving.

Ladle the soup into bowls and then garnish each portion with a drizzle of yoghurt, small dollops of the pesto and a few drops of olive oil.

Cook’s Note

You can use frozen (defrosted) peas instead of fresh peas for the soup and pesto.