Courgette Pea and Pesto Soup (Printable)

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

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 2 medium 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 Seasonings

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

→ Optional Garnish

11 - Fresh basil leaves
12 - Crusty bread

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, cooking for 3 to 4 minutes until softened but not browned.
02 - Add diced potato and zucchini to the pan, stir well, and cook for 3 minutes.
03 - Pour in vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes until potato is tender.
04 - Add peas and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
05 - Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth, or blend in batches using a countertop blender.
06 - Stir in 3 tablespoons of basil pesto and season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Ladle soup into bowls, swirl remaining pesto on top, and garnish with fresh basil leaves. Serve hot with crusty bread if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd expect, making weeknight dinners feel less like a chore and more like a small gift to yourself.
  • The pesto swirl isn't just pretty—it transforms a simple vegetable soup into something that tastes like you spent hours on it.
  • You can make it creamy or keep it light, serve it hot or chilled, depending on what your kitchen and mood are telling you.
02 -
  • Don't skip the step where you cook the onion and garlic first; rushing into adding everything at once creates a flat-tasting soup instead of a layered one.
  • Blend it while it's still hot—cold soup is thicker and harder to get smooth, and you'll lose the vibrant color.
03 -
  • Cut your vegetables roughly the same size so they cook evenly and blend into a consistent texture.
  • Keep the pesto swirl for serving time—stirring it in before blending dulls the color and flavor.
Return