School has started and with all my best intentions my plans for weekly meals sometimes falls apart. For example, I was all set to make chicken tacos until I looked in the refrigerator and realized…I had no chicken. Really? Who forgets to buy chicken at the store when you’ve planned for chicken tacos. A person shopping with small kids, that’s who.
No problem, I’ll just stop by the store after I drop the kids off at school. Well, then my daughter woke up with some issues turning into a 2 hour urgent care visit, a prescription fiasco taking half the day to resolve, and a whole lot of grumpy sibling fighting, making it a no-visit-to-the-store-kind-of-day. Whether you have kids or not, some days just don’t go as planned.
Thanks to frozen peas in my freezer and my fresh herbs growing in pots on my windowsill, dinner still happened. It was quick, painless and yummy. I keep certain fruits and vegetables on hand in the freezer at all times so I can still make a meal if all else fails. With a little crusty bread, Melba toast or grilled cheese to dip into this yummy pea soup you’ve got a healthy delicious meal that you can make with ease.
This recipe is brimming with Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Folate, Magnesium, and fiber not to mention a great profile of other minerals and Phytonutrients. Flavor and health all rolled up into one.
This version of pea soup is a bit different than the traditional kind. I found a recipe in an old 1960’s cookbook where they used lettuce in the pea soup. I thought that seemed very strange but spinach…spinach seemed like a good alternative to me.
I also wanted to omit the savory ham flavor in this version and opted for floral undertones of Rosemary and Thyme. If you don’t have fresh herbs you can easily replace with the dried variety. Adding a touch of Greek yogurt makes this soup a little extra creamy and oh so tasty.
Make yourself some crusty bread or grilled cheese or just eat it solo. It’s a simple solution for dinner when you need to depend on freezer foods in a jiffy.
PREP TIME: 5 mins
COOK TIME: 15 mins
TOTAL TIME: 20 mins
SERVES: 6 to 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
- 2 one-pound packages of frozen peas
- 2 cans vegetable broth (can use chicken broth)
- 1 cup packed spinach leaves
- 6 green onions, sliced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 Tablespoon fresh Rosemary, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place all ingredients in a large pot over medium high heat and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to low and simmer for about 12 minutes until vegetables are softened.
- Turn stove off. Using an immersion blender, or using batches in a stand up blender, blend soup until desired thickness. If you like chunky blend shortly, if you like smooth blend thoroughly.
- Bring back to the pot (if using stand up blender) and add yogurt. Mix the yogurt in with a spoon.
- Serve.
