Summery soup with pesto

A delicious and superhealthy summer dish

  • Prep:15 mins
  • Serves 4
  • Easy

Nutrition per serving

  • kcal 176
  • fat 5g
  • saturates 2g
  • carbs 25g
  • sugars 0g
  • fibre 4g
  • protein 9g
  • salt 1.4g

Ingredients

  • 1 courgette, halved and thinly sliced
  • 200g frozen peas, defrosted
  • 1 vegetable or chicken stock cube or concentrate
  • 250g bag of ready-cooked basmati rice (or left-over cooked, cooled rice)
  • 100g bag baby spinach
  • 4 tbsp pesto (fresh from the chiller cabinet has the best flavour and colour)
  • olive oil for drizzling (optional)
  • grated parmesan, to serve

Tip

Make it meaty
Shred a cooked chicken breast and add to the soup with the rice.Make it zingy
Stir in the zest of a lemon along with the pesto.Make it different
Replace the rice with drained, canned cannellini beans.

Method

  1. Boil the kettle. Tip the courgette and peas into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl, then leave for 3 mins until the vegetables have softened slightly. Meanwhile, re-boil the kettle and make up 600ml/1pt of stock and taste it for seasoning as this is the base of the soup.

  2. Drain the veg, then put back into the bowl along with the rice and spinach leaves. Pour over the hot stock, then cover and leave for another 2 mins until heated through and the spinach has wilted.

  3. Season to taste, then ladle the soup into serving bowls. Add a swirl of pesto, olive oil, if using, and the grated parmesan. Serve with crusty bread.

Suggested recipes from this collection...