Fresh Spring Pea Soup

A vivid, flavorful soup that takes minutes to make.

It sounds a little ugly to call such a bright, pretty soup a “dump and stir” recipe. But that is exactly what it is. You may not know it from how pretty and layered with flavor the final product is, but this fresh pea soup only takes less than 30 minutes to make. The recipe combines several flavorful green spring and summer elements in one bowl: tender leeks, fresh peas (though frozen peas work great . . . .shh), and tender herbs like mint and chives.

You will also like: Spring Vegetable Farrotto and Waldorf-Style Chicken Salad

Some notes on Fresh Spring Pea Soup:

This soup should be called a fresh “triple pea” soup because it combines several pea elements.

First, there is the soup base, made from a purée of onion, leek, butter, broth, butter, and the peas. This part is adapted from an Ina Garten recipe.

Then, interest and texture get added from sliced snap peas. Blanch the snap peas in water for just a couple of minutes, then shock them in cold water. This will make them tender, but they will retain their color. Then slice them very thin on a diagonal and add them to the soup bowls. Finally, some tender pea tendrils can be added as a pretty and delicate garnish.

All that said, the soup is plenty delicious just as the purée base garnished with chives, so don’t sweat if you don’t have pea tendrils or feel like the added step of blanching the snap peas.

If you want to make this spring pea soup recipe vegan, sautée the leeks and onion in olive oil instead of butter, and use vegetable broth or water instead of chicken broth. Crusty, hand-torn garlic croutons would be delicious on top.

Finally, if you can find leeks with the blossoms on top, great. They are completely edible and look gorgeous torn into small petals and scattered on the soup. I also love the blossoms in salads.

Did you make this Fresh Spring “Triple Pea” Soup? Tell us about it!

Print Recipe

Fresh Spring Pea Soup

A vivid, flavorful soup that takes minutes to make.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Course: Soup

Keywords:: fresh peas, peas, soup, spring, summer

Servings: 2 Quarts (serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 cups sliced leeks (from two leeks, white and light green parts only)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 quart sodium-free chicken stock (I like Swanson's)
• 16 ounces fresh or frozen peas
• ½ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
• 2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper
• ¼ cup sour cream or plain yogurt
• 8 ounces snap peas
• fresh minced chives, to garnish

Instructions

• Sautée the butter, onion, and leeks in a large pot over medium heat until the leeks and onions are very soft and translucent, about 6 to 8 minutes. Stir often so that nothing browns; if necessary add a tablespoon or two of water.

  Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the snap peas and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and run under very cold water to stop the cooking.
• When the onions and leeks look very soft and cooked, add the stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the peas. Lower the heat to medium and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Frozen peas take less time.
• Remove the pot from the heat. Add the mint, salt, pepper, parsley, and sour cream or yogurt. Use an immersion blender or blender to blend into a smooth purée. Note: If you use a blender, you will probably need to do this in batches.
• Slice the snap peas very thinly on a diagonal and divide among soup bowls.
• Ladle the soup into soup bowls and garnish with chives, pea tendrils, or fresh croutons. Serve warm.