Chilled Pea and Mint Soup Recipe for an Easy No-Cook Cold Summer Soup

5 from 1 vote

Chilled Pea and Mint Soup Recipe for an Easy No-Cook Cold Summer Soup

This chilled pea and mint soup recipe makes an easy no-cook cold summer soup – which can be eaten year-round if you turn up the heating! Fresh and fragrant, and cooling thanks to the cucumber and mint, it can be served in big bowls for a light yet filling lunch, spread across small bowls for appetisers for six, or poured into shot glasses as an amuse bouche. Dilute with water, puree for longer and strain, and you can drink it out of a glass. A healthy vegetarian soup, it can be made into a vegan soup if you leave out the sour cream.

Prep Time30

Cook Time0

Total Time30

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Australian

Servings: People

Calories: 221kcal

Author: Lara Dunston

Ingredients

250 g peas fresh or frozen and defrosted
2 slices white bread crusts removed
Water to cover bread
180 g cucumbers chopped
Pinch of salt
125 g onion chopped
10 g garlic cloves finely chopped
50 g fresh mint leaves only
20 g fresh basil leaves only
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt or to taste
1 tsp black pepper or to taste
2 tbsp sour cream optional

Garnish

Fresh mint and basil

Instructions

If using frozen peas, defrost for a few minutes, but don’t cook them, then set aside.
Remove bread crusts, slice the bread in quarters, and soak in enough water to cover the pieces.
Chop the cucumbers, evenly sprinkle the pieces with a pinch of salt, and set aside. Only remove the skins if they’re bitter or if you are planning on straining the soup.
Chop the onions and garlic, remove the mint and basil leaves from the stalks (discard stalks), and add to the blender, along with the peas, cucumbers, soaked bread, and 200 mls of water.
Blend for 3 minutes until smooth, then taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary. If using sour cream, now is the time to add it, then blend again for another 2 minutes. If you like this dense texture, refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, but 2-3 hours is even better.
If you prefer a lighter soup, add water and blend again for another minute (you could also strain the soup if you like), then refrigerate for 30 minutes minimum or 2-3 hours if time.
When chilled to your liking, stir, then serve into individual bowls or glasses, garnish with a few small mint and basil leaves, some dots of extra virgin olive oil, and – optional – a dollop of sour cream.

Nutrition