This 5-ingredient pea and leek soup is not only delicious, but it’s super healthy too. Cook it in a soup maker or on the hob, either way it’s the perfect blend of leeks and peas for flavour and potato for body and velvety smoothness. No fat required for the recipe, though you can add a drizzle of olive oil at the end if liked.
As Veganuary draws to a close, I’m finishing with a warming soup. It’s the time of year when you can’t have too many soup recipes. I’ve enjoyed the vegan challenge and learnt a few things, as I always do. This year, because of this vegan butter recipe, it’s been even easier than it has in previous years.
I shall endeavour to create ever more easy, interesting and useful vegan recipes. I already have a lot on the blog, but there’s always room for more. And each time I take part in Veganuary, I eat even more vegan food throughout the rest of the year.
Dive Right In
- Pea, Leek And Potato Soup
- Ingredients
- How To Make Pea And Leek Soup
- Dress-It-Up
- Other Pea Recipes You Might Like
- Keep In Touch
- The Recipe
Pea, Leek And Potato Soup
I call this pea and leek soup, but really it’s pea, leek and potato soup. The three ingredients work together splendidly. It’s a blended soup with only five ingredients, not including water and salt. And it’s both healthy and delicious. It’s also fat-free. And don’t you just love the colour?
Although this pea and leek soup makes an ideal lunch for four people, CT and I often divide it between us for a quick and easy supper. We have a large bowl each, with bread and a good drizzle of my turmeric tahini sauce.
A soup maker is ideal, if you have one, as it produces a beautifully smooth and flavoursome soup. Mine runs on a 30 minute cycle. However, if you’re cooking it on the stove top, it will only take twenty minutes for the veg to cook.
Pea And Leek Soup: Ingredients
There are four main ingredients in this soup and they all add up to make it a perfect bowl of nutritious goodness. The salt and garlic are mostly there to enhance the flavour.
Peas
Peas, whether fresh or frozen are little power houses of green goodness. They’re actually a legume rather than a vegetable and are in the same family as lentils, beans and chickpeas. They’re a good crop to cultivate as they produce their own nitrogen fertiliser. And in the UK, they grow really well.
When it comes to nutrition, peas are a good source of protein, calcium and iron, which makes them an excellent food for those on a vegan diet. They’re also high in fibre and various antioxidants, including vitamins A, C, and K.
They taste good too.
Leek
Leeks are a member of the allium family and the national food of Wales. They have a sweet and mild oniony flavour and are delicious in their own right.
Just like peas, leeks are low in calories yet high in vitamins and minerals. They’re a good source of vitamins A and K. These are good for boosting the immune system and maintaining strong bones respectively. (ref: Healthline)
Manganese is also present in high proportions as are a number of antioxidants. The former helps to reduce premenstrual symptoms and promote thyroid health. And the latter are good for all sorts of reasons.
Potato
I use one large baking potato for this soup, but if you don’t have a large one use two medium sized ones or three smaller ones. Soups are very forgiving and quantities don’t have to be exact.
There’s no need to peel the potato. Once blended, you won’t notice it and most of the goodness lies in the peel.
Potatoes are good for vitamins C and B6 along with a number of minerals and antioxidants. The skin also contains lots of fibre. They keep you fuller for longer too. In this soup, the potato starch helps to thicken the soup and give it a velvety and creamy texture.
Garlic
I’ve added garlic to this pea and leek soup, mostly for flavour. But there are lots of other good reasons to add it too. It’s been used as a medicine for centuries. One of the main benefits is the presence of allicin, a healthy sulphide compound which is good for the gut.
Top Tip
Tim Spector, well known microbiome scientist, tells us to chop the garlic ten to fifteen minutes before we start to cook with it. This, apparently, greatly increases the allicin and other sulphide compounds. I’ve started to do this when I remember, which isn’t often enough.
Miso
Miso is the hidden gem in this soup. It provides umami and boosts the flavour of the other ingredients. It’s a Japanese fermented bean paste and you can find it easily in the world food aisle of most supermarkets.
Make sure you buy unpasteurised miso. This contains lots of probiotic live enzymes which are particularly beneficial for gut health. It’s not a cheap product, but a jar keeps really well and as you only need a little, it lasts a long time too.
It’s important that you add the miso after the soup has finished cooking. Boiling it kills the beneficial bacteria.
If you can’t get hold of any, you can use veg stock instead, but it won’t have quite as good a flavour. Just swap the water for veg stock.
How To Make Pea And Leek Soup
You can make pea and leek soup in a soup maker or on the stove. Either way it’s super easy. Just chop, cook and blend.
Step 1. Wash Leek
Use a large leek for this recipe or two small ones. It’s really important to make sure you’ve washed all of the dirt and grit out of the leek as you really don’t want this in your soup.
To do this, trim the top and bottom off the leek and discard into the compost bin. Cut it into quarters and hold under running water to wash out any debris. The tops are the bits most likely to be muddy, but you can get soil trapped further down too.
Slice the leeks if cooking on the stove top. However, you only need to chop them roughly if using a soup maker. Either put them into a large lidded saucepan or into your soup maker.
Step 2. Prepare Potato
Take a large baking potato or two smaller ones and give it a good scrub. There’s no need to take the peel off unless it’s particularly manky. The peel holds much of the potatoes nutrition and you won’t notice it once blended.
Cut it into rough chunks if using the soup maker or small ones if cooking on the stove. Add them to your pot or soup maker.
Step 3. Add Garlic And Peas
Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Add it to the pot or soup maker along with the peas.
You can use either fresh or frozen peas. If using frozen ones, it’s fine to add them straight from the freezer.
Step 4. Cook Soup
Add the salt and water to the pot or soup maker. As you can see I use my fancy pants blender, which also acts as a soup maker. It has a thirty minute blended soup programme and produces soup with a super velvety texture.
Follow manufacturer’s instructions for your soup maker.
If cooking on the stove top, bring the pan to the boil. Clamp the lid on, then turn the heat down and simmer for fifteen minutes or until all of the veg are soft. Take the pan off the heat.
Step 5. Add Miso And Blend
Once the soup has stopped bubbling, add the miso. If using a soup maker, give it a quick pulse or two to blend in the miso.
For the pan of veg, add the miso then blend it. You can use a hand-held stick blender for this or a jug blender. The finer you can make your soup, the better the texture and flavour will be.
Pour into bowls, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if liked and serve whilst hot.
Top Tip
If you’re not using miso, use a well flavoured veg stock instead. Swap it for the water and cook the veg directly in it.
Dress It Up
This pea and leek soup is perfectly tasty on its own, but toppings and garnishes can raise it up a level or two. They not only make the soup look more appealing, but they can also add extra nutrition and/or bulk. Here are a few suggestions. Serve with crusty bread, if liked.
Tahini Sauce
My lemony turmeric tahini sauce works a treat with this pea and leek soup. It’s my favourite way of serving this hug in a bowl. Just drizzle over the soup once you’ve ladled it into bowls. It adds a little additional protein as well as flavour and zing.
Olive Oil
A drizzle of well flavoured extra virgin olive oil floating on the soup adds interest and richness.
Peas
Keep a few peas back before blending, or boil a few additional ones separately. The bright green peas look really pretty scattered over the green soup and provide a bit of texture too.
Leeks Or Shallots
Cut a small leek into thin slices and fry slowly in oil until caramelised. This works well with shallots and onions too.
Fried Potatoes
A few small cubes of fried potatoes add a nice touch. An air-fryer is excellent for this.
Croutons
Croutons are always a firm favourite. Crisp crunchy bites make a lovely contrast to the smooth soup. They’re a great way of using up stale bread too.
Just cut a slice of bread into cubes and shallow fry in oil until crisp. You’ll need to stir them a few times so that they’re crisp all over.
Toasted Seeds
Seeds are a great way to add a healthy crunch. They contain additional protein along with a whole host of vitamins and minerals. Just dry fry a few pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds or a mixture until nicely toasted.
Fresh Herbs
Parsley, mint, chives and basil all work well as a garnish for this soup. Chop the fresh herbs and scatter over the top. Alternatively, make a green herb oil and use as a drizzle.
Dairy
If you’re not vegan, swirl some plain yoghurt or crème fraîche through the soup. Or use vegan versions to the same effect. These both work well and bring a touch of tangy freshness to the bowl.
Other Pea Recipes You Might Like
- Asparagus & pea frittata
- Asparagus risotto with peas & wild garlic pesto
- Creamy pea dip
- Green vegetable galette
- Lettuce & pea soup with new potatoes
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this pea and leek soup, please let me know how it went in the comments. I’d also appreciate it if you could rate the recipe. Do you have any recommendations or advice for soup making? If you post pictures of your creations on social media, please use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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If you’d like more soup recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Pea And Leek Soup. PIN IT.
Pea And Leek Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large leek
- 1 large potato
- 1 plump clove of garlic
- 250 g peas (frozen or fresh)
- 700 ml water
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp brown miso paste
Instructions
- Trim the leek and wash out any dirt under running water. Particles often get trapped between the leaves. Chop if finely if cooking on the stove top, or in chunks if using a soup maker. Place into a large lidded pot or soup maker.1 large leek
- Scrub the potato well, but no need to peel it. Cut into small chunks if cooking on the stove top or larger ones if using a soup maker. Add to the pot or soup maker.1 large potato
- Peel and roughly chop the garlic and add to the pot or soup maker along with the peas.1 plump clove of garlic, 250 g peas
- Add the water and salt. Place the lid on the pot and bring to a boil. Then turn down the heat and simmer for fifteen minutes by which time the vegetables should be soft. For a soup maker, follow the manufacturer's instructions.700 ml water, ¼ tsp sea salt
- Once the vegetables are cooked, remove from the heat and add the miso. Blitz the whole lot with a stick blender or in a jug blender until smooth. If using a soup maker, add the miso after the programme has finished and give it a quick whizz.2 tsp brown miso paste
- Ladle into bowls and add toppings, if liked. Serve with crusty bread.
Louise says
I love how easy this soup is to make, but with such a delicious light flavor. Perfect for Spring !
Choclette says
Simple soups are so good at this time of year. Cleansing food after the dark days of winter. So pleased you liked it.
Holly says
This is a lovely soup! And I agree, good crusty bread is all that’s needed to complete the meal.
Choclette says
Good crusty bread is a bit of a life saver for these situations I find 😀
Katie Jacques says
This pea and leek soup is so good! Super creamy and the directions were easy to follow!
Choclette says
Thank you for commenting Kate, I’m glad the recipe went well and you enjoyed it.
Erin says
This pea and leek soup is so good! I loved that it’s packed with flavor but uses simple and just a few ingredients … thanks for the recipe!
Choclette says
Glad you liked the soup Erin and thanks for letting us know.