Courgette Pea and Pesto Soup (Print Version)

Vibrant spring soup with fresh courgette, sweet peas and herby pesto swirl. Ready in 40 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 medium courgettes (zucchini), diced
02 - 1 medium onion, chopped
03 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
04 - 1⅓ cups frozen or fresh peas
05 - 1 medium potato, peeled and diced

→ Liquids

06 - 4 cups vegetable stock

→ Herbs & Seasoning

07 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
08 - ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
09 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

→ Pesto

10 - 4 tablespoons basil pesto

→ Garnish & Serving

11 - Fresh basil leaves for garnish
12 - Crusty bread for serving

# How to Make It:

01 - Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sauté for 3–4 minutes until softened but not browned.
02 - Add the diced potato and courgette, stir well, and cook for another 3 minutes.
03 - Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until the potato is tender.
04 - Add the peas and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
05 - Remove from heat. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a countertop blender in batches to blend the soup until smooth.
06 - Stir in 3 tablespoons of pesto, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Ladle into bowls, swirl in the remaining pesto, and garnish with fresh basil. Serve hot with crusty bread if desired.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • The combination of sweet peas and savory courgette creates this incredible balance that even my vegetable-skeptical friend Mark requested the recipe after trying it.
  • You can throw this together in under 40 minutes, but everyone will think you spent hours developing those layers of flavor.
02 -
  • The order of adding peas matters - I once threw them in at the beginning and ended up with a duller color and less vibrant flavor.
  • Let the soup cool slightly before blending or use the pulse function on your blender to avoid hot soup explosions, which I learned about the hard way during a dinner party preparation.
03 -
  • For the silkiest texture, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve - an extra step I save for special occasions that elevates this from homely to restaurant-quality.
  • Save the prettiest basil leaves for garnish and blanch them for 3 seconds in boiling water then into ice water for a glossy, vibrant presentation that wont turn black.
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