Pea and celery soup

Meat-free version of classic pea soup

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25 minutes
Serves 4
2.5 of 5 a day

Nutrition: Per serving

Kcal211
Fat2.2g
Salt0.1g
Sugar10g

Recipe by: Sarah Drabble | Nutritionist

I love the sweet flavour of peas but pea soup often contains ham. Processed meat is a cause of bowel cancer, so best to avoid. This veggie soup means you can enjoy the delicious pea flavour but without any meat.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 large potato, peeled and diced
4 sticks celery, trimmed and sliced
700ml reduced-salt vegetable stock (made from 1 stock cube)
480g frozen petit pois
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced or ¼–½ teaspoon crushed chillies (optional)
Small handful fresh mint, leaves only (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, potato and celery, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring regularly, until the onion has softened. Add a splash of stock if needed to prevent burning.
Add the petit pois, garlic and chilli, and stir before adding the stock.
Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked.
Stir through most of the mint, saving a few leaves to garnish.
Blend the soup in a food processor or using a handheld blender. Add extra water if needed to give you the consistency you prefer.
Return the soup to the pan to reheat if necessary. Season with pepper and garnish with the remaining mint before serving.