Friday, August 16, 2013

Pesto Soup

The first thing I've made with the recent batch of pesto was pesto soup.  I actually found a lot of recipes online for pesto soup in a wide range of styles, and found out that apparently it's traditional to finish some french soups with a garnish of pesto.  Huh!

This particular pesto soup recipe was one I already had all the ingredients for, so I decided to give it a try.  I did change a few things from the recipe - I added a garnish of chopped bacon to convince Jack to give it a try, and a dash of freshly cracked pepper and sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

I thought it was really good, but would strain a little more of the water out before blending next time since I like a thicker texture to my soups.

This seems to be a good candidate for those times when you need a quick and easy dinner - the peas and pesto were both frozen and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples.

On those nights when I'm tired and don't know what to cook (or even just don't feel like messing with it) it's so easy to turn to convenience foods like frozen pizza or boxes of macaroni with the neon orange powder that's supposed to be cheese.  I love finding recipes for HEALTHY food that would be just as easy to always have on hand for those times.

Pesto Soup Recipe 
(based on this recipe)

2 cups water
3 cups frozen peas
3 cloves garlic
splash of cream
1 teaspoon salt
juice from 1 lime
1/4 cup fresh pesto

Directions
Combine peas and water on stove, bring to a boil.  Blend peas and rest of ingredients together, adding just enough of the warm cooking water to get the consistency you like.  Once it's blended, pour back into the pot and simmer for a few minutes to meld the flavors.  If you like, garnish with Parmesan cheese and bacon.

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