Courgette Pea and Pesto Soup (Printable format)

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

# List of ingredients:

→ 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 and Seasoning

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

→ Pesto

10 - 4 tablespoons basil pesto, store-bought or homemade

→ Garnish

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

# How to make it:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, sautéing for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and fragrant but not browned.
02 - Add diced potato and courgette to the pan, stir well to combine with aromatics, and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
03 - Pour in vegetable stock and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes until potato is tender.
04 - Stir in peas and continue simmering for 5 minutes until heated through.
05 - Remove pan from heat. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. Alternatively, carefully transfer soup in batches to a countertop blender and blend until desired consistency is reached.
06 - Stir in 3 tablespoons of pesto and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls and swirl remaining pesto across surface. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve hot, accompanied by crusty bread if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It comes together in under 40 minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinners when you want something that tastes like you tried.
  • The pesto swirl at the end feels like a small act of generosity toward yourself, turning something simple into something special.
  • It adapts beautifully whether you're cooking with fresh garden vegetables or frozen staples from your pantry.
02 -
  • Blend the soup when it's still hot, not cooled, because the heat helps create that silky texture you're after—if it's too cold, you'll end up with something grainy.
  • Add pesto to the hot soup slowly, tasting as you go, because store-bought pesto varies wildly in saltiness and intensity, and you don't want an overpowering basil bomb.
03 -
  • Make a double batch and freeze half in portions; it reheats like a dream and tastes even better the next day when the flavors have melded together.
  • Keep the pesto separate if you're freezing, because basil loses some of its magic in the freezer, then swirl in fresh pesto when you reheat.
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