This Fresh Pea Soup Recipe is healthy and comforting, but also packed with flavor. This soup is still veggie forward, but has added protein and richness from the pancetta. I’ve perfected this recipe and will walk you through the expert tips for making a restaurant quality soup in the comfort of your own kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Healthy Soup: This is not your average, fresh pea soup recipe, it’s loaded with green peas, onions, carrots and kale making it extra healthy and nutritious! The added protein and healthy fats of the pancetta round out this meal for the perfect lunch or light meal when you are looking for healthy recipes.
Restaurant Quality: Have you ever had a delightful soup at a restaurant and wondered how they packed so many flavors into a simple soup? I will walk you through these expert tips like roasting the veggies beforehand and adding layers of salt throughout the cooking process for optimal flavor.
Easy Recipe: This recipe is SO easy to follow, you will feel like a master chef after making this easy soup. If you are looking to impress guests coming over for a dinner party, but don’t want to spend hours preparing a meal, this soup is a great way to show off your cooking skills! You can also easily roast the veggies ahead of time or prepare the soup in advance to save time. The flavors will only get better as the soup sits in the fridge overnight.
If you are looking for other great soup recipes, try my Creamy Chicken Noodle or my Tomato Basil Bisque Recipe, they are flavorful and easy to make!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Carrots: Orange or tri-color carrots can be used.
- Fresh peas: Can substitute for frozen peas or split peas.
- Yellow onion: A white onion can easily be used instead of a yellow onion.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I primarily use extra virgin olive oil when cooking, I also love using other healthy fats like coconut oil, avocado oil, beef tallow or ghee.
- Kale: Adding extra nutrition and flavor to the soup, pairs great with fresh peas!
- Pancetta: can substitute for crispy bacon
- Garlic cloves: For the perfectly pungent and garlic layer of flavor!
- Vegetable broth: Can also use vegetable stock or substitute with beef or chicken broth.
- Flaky sea salt: To bring out the flavors in your chicken and liven up your dish.
- Black pepper: I like to use a pepper grinder for my savory dishes, it tastes so fresh!
- Heavy cream: The perfect add for a creamy soup, you could also use whole milk or half & half.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Step 1: Cut the carrots and onions into large pieces and place on a baking sheet. Roast the carrots and the onions in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and tender.
Step 2: Roughly chop your kale into 1-2 inch pieces and roast the kale on a baking sheet for 10 minutes until golden brown.
Step 3: Sauté the pancetta and for 3-5 minutes until crispy and set aside.
Add the roasted carrots, onions, fresh peas, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and vegetable broth to the dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the kale and 2 additional teaspoon of salt and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Blend the soup using an immersion blender or stand blender and pour back into the dutch oven.
Turn on the soup back to medium-low heat, add your heavy cream and simmer for 1-2 minutes to meld the flavors together.
Serve your soup with your crispy pancetta on top!
See recipe card for detailed instructions.
Top Tip
Taste As You Go: The amount of salt needed in soups can vary! I've made this soup many times and have found if I am using fresh english peas instead of frozen sweet peas, I typically need more salt!
Once your soup is blended, before adding the heavy cream, have a taste. Does it need more salt? Add 1 teaspoon at a time and let simmer for a minute or so before determining if you need to add more.
Check Sweetness: You will find depending on if you are using sweet peas or english peas, the sweetness of soup will vary. I find a touch of sweetness pairs really well with the carrots and soup here. If the peas you are using are not sweet, add 1 tablespoon of sugar or honey to really bring together the flavors in this green pea soup!
Looking for a light and healthy dessert to serve with this Fresh Pea Soup Recipe? Try my Almond Olive Oil Cake!
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or Stand Blender: You could also use a large food processor if you do not have a blender on hand.
- Dutch Oven or Large Soup Pot
- Baking Sheet
Storage
You can store this soup for 3-4 days in fridge. I love to make a batch and split into bowls for an easy and healthy lunch to grab during the week.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Dinner Ideas
These are some of my other favorite dinners:
Flavorful Fresh Pea Soup Recipe - with Pancetta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs orange or tri-color carrots ends trimmed
- 1 lb fresh peas or frozen peas
- 1 large yellow onion can substitute with white onion
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 8 kale leaves about 1 bunch or 10.5 oz package, chopped
- 8 oz chopped pancetta can substitute for crispy bacon
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 5 c vegetable broth or vegetable stock can substitute with beef or chicken broth
- 3 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper about 6 pepper grinds
- 1 c heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Peel and chop the yellow onion into large quarters. Wash and trim the ends of the carrots. Leave the carrots unpeeled and cut into large pieces, about 3 inches.
- On a baking sheet, add 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and toss your onions and carrots evenly in the oil. Roast the carrots and the onions in the oven for 30 minutes until golden brown and tender.
- Roughly chop your kale into 1-2 inch pieces, removing the stems. On a baking sheet, add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and roast the kale for 10 minutes until golden brown.
- In a dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the pancetta and sauté for 3-5 minutes until crispy, remove from the dutch oven and set aside.
- Once the vegetables have finished roasting, add the roasted carrots, onions, fresh peas, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and vegetable broth to the dutch oven over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce to medium-low heat and let simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the kale, 2 additional teaspoon of salt and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, using an immersion blender, blend the soup mixture until roughly blended. I prefer my soup to be smooth, but not over blended.
- If using a stand blender, let the soup cool for a few minutes before carefully pouring the soup into the blender. Be sure to only fill your blender pitcher up halfway to prevent overflow of the soup. You may have to blend the soup in two batches depending on the size of your blender. Pulse for 5-10 seconds at a time, until roughly blended and pour your soup back into the dutch oven.
- Turn on the soup back to medium-low heat, add your heavy cream and simmer for 1-2 minutes to meld the flavors together.
- Remove from the heat and serve your soup with your crispy pancetta on top!
Leave a Reply