Spring is in full bloom and with all the amazing fresh produce I’ve been enjoying lately, peas are amongst the best of them. Green peas are incredibly delicious, which is hard to believe coming from someone who used to dislike them so much growing up. Peas have a flavor and texture profile I’ve learned to love and appreciate especially in the plant-based lifestyle. This Spring Green Pea Soup highlights those very flavors I adore, slightly sweet, thick, creamy, nutty, and buttery all in the same bowl. Pair this Spring Green Pea Soup with crunchy and fresh pea shoots, pumpkin seeds, fresh chives, or garnish with Classic Cashew Cheese.
This soup is also fantastic to make ahead of time for the week ahead when you need a quick yet nourishing lunch, dinner, or side to a meal. The star of this soup are the obvious, green peas! Peas are one of my favorite vegetables this spring, which I think is rather amusing because I used to dislike them so much as a child. They’re incredibly nutrient dense with both vitamins and minerals, but even more so with protein! All of which are so important when practicing a healthy lifestyle, but especially my fellow plant-based eaters.
More peas please. So why am I loving peas lately and think you should too? Reason numero uno, flavor and texture. Give peas a chance when it comes to flavor and using them in ways you’ve never thought before. For example, most of us are familiar with using peas in soups, stews, or as a “boring” side dish; but have you thought about turning peas into a mash? What about into a hummus or dip? Dessert? Peas are greatly versatile because of their starchy texture and slightly sweet flavor, just some of the reasons why I love using peas in my cooking and hope you give them a try as well. Peas also have a buttery and nutty flavor that’s unique to any veggie I’ve tried.
Peas pack a punch. The second and most important reason I adore peas is nutrition! The nutrition behind these little green beauties is amazing. Peas are loaded with vitamin K, B vitamins, minerals; and as I mentioned earlier plant-based protein, so much quality protein that plant-based protein powder companies have more recently started incorporating peas into their powder mixes. Most of my favorite brands of plant-based protein powders incorporate pea protein mixed with others such as brown rice and hemp. Just 1 cup of peas yields a whopping 8g of protein, that’s awesome in my book especially for one of the most underused vegetable protein sources out there!
Besides protein, peas also provide antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, help with blood sugar regulation and type 2 diabetes because of the great fiber content, and may help with some types of digestive cancers including stomach due to the polyphenol content. Overall these peas pack a punch of nutrition, flavor, coupled by great texture. As much as I recommend fresh and raw produce with most of my recipes and living a healthy lifestyle, frozen peas are perfectly fine to use, I actually prefer the frozen varieties for convenience but also the nutrient value doesn’t decrease/suffer because they’re frozen.
Nutrient breakdown of PEAS | *per 1 cup
- Vitamin K } ~40% DV
- B vitamins } B1, B2, B3, B6
- Vitamin C } 26% DV
- Manganese } 36% DV
- Magnesium } 14% DV
- Iron } 12% DV
- Zinc } 15% DV
- Copper } 27% DV
- Potassium } 11% DV
- Fiber } 9g per 1 cup of peas
- Protein } 9g of protein per 1 cup peas
- Carbohydrates } 25g of carbohydrates per 1 cup peas
- Contains omega-3 fatty acids in the form of ALA
I really enjoyed the entire process of making this simple pea soup for you all, especially in our new kitchen (I’ll show more pictures soon!). It was a simple process that took me under 20 minutes from start to finish. As I mentioned I like using frozen peas for this, but you can use fresh green peas bought already shelled, or buy snap peas and shell them from start to finish. We started the garden a little late this year, but next year I plan on growing plenty of peas to use!
- 5 cups fresh shelled peas or 20 ounce bag of frozen peas
- 2 cups vegetable stock (low sodium, organic)
- 2 cups filtered water
- 1 cup chopped sweet onion
- 1/2 cup pea shoots (for garnish)
- 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped (for garnish)
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- In a large saucepan add the coconut oil and onion, cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until softened.
- Add the vegetable stock and water and increase the heat to allow the mixture to come to a boil.
- Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes (very quick cooking), until the peas are tender. If you’re using frozen peas it will only take 2-3 minutes.
- Taking the pot off of the heat, add in fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and adjust for seasonings.
- Next, pour half of the mixture into the blender (or divide the mixture in thirds) and puree/blend a little at a time until the entire mixture is creamy.
- Garnish with fresh cut chives, classic cashew cheese (recipe on blog), pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, or pea shoots.
- Enjoy!
Serve with // Nourishing Nut & Seed Bread with a spread of Classic Cashew Cheese or roasted garlic rubbed on the toasted bread with a light drizzle of olive oil. I also enjoy garnishing this soup with fresh cut chives, pumpkin seeds, pea shoots, red pepper flakes, cumin, or other fresh herbs.
I hope you all enjoy this spring inspired recipe as much as I have been! I’d love to hear how you’re liking this recipe in the comments below or even how you would enjoy this with the topping suggestions. Stay tuned for some really fun questions I have for you all tomorrow!
xx McKel
