Pea soup is something I have made time and time again, partly because it’s so easy but also because the kids like it and I can put some spinach in for those extra vitamins without them realising!
But now, I’ve started adding more bits and pieces resulting in this pea, fennel and leek soup and they still love it. The leek and fennel make a fabulous addition to an already perfect soup. I have mentioned the nutritious benefits of fennel before (see my recipe on Cod and Fennel here) but now with the leek and spinach too, I’m happy that we are getting 3 of our 5 a day!
Nutritious and Delicious!
Gorgeous food and it’s vegan too which is a bonus. I find it hard to eat vegetarian food all week because I grew up in an carnivore household – I don’t think we ever had a meal without some form of meat or fish! It’s quite strange really as my parents hail from Sri Lanka and when I visit I prefer to only eat fish and vegetables. Still, that’s the way it was, and I have found it hard to make the transition to eating more vegetables. I did try super hard last year, after I’d watched a Netflix show called The Game Changers, but within a few months I’d returned to my old ways. If you haven’t watched it, you should – but my warning is you really will be put off eating meat!
With this pea soup, I added a few bits of ham hock on top, but clearly you don’t need that if you’re vegan/vegetarian!
I think I just need to build more vegetables gradually into our family’s diet rather than going cold turkey, so to speak! It’s a long process though, so forgive me if a year from now, I haven’t really changed much!!
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this super easy soup – from fridge to table in 30 minutes – not bad at all!!
Pea, Fennel and Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 leek – chopped
- 2-3 cloves garlic – grated
- 30 g butter OR 20 ml olive oil if you're vegan
- 550 g frozen peas
- 80 g fresh spinach leaves
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 100 ml water
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground fennel
Instructions
- Add the butter or oil to a large saucepan and then add the leeks and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft
- Add the peas, stock and water. Then add the salt and fennel.
- Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and simmer for 2-3 minutes more.
- Turn off the heat. and using a stick blender, blitz until smooth. You can pass through a sieve if you want it extra smooth, but blitzing should be smooth enough.
- Garnish with croutons, pumpkin seeds or anything you prefer.
