Chilled Summer Broad Beans, Peas, & Mint Soup

I live in a messy climate (the U.K) where summer can mean a hot and sunny 80 degrees in the shade when everyone heads to the lido, or a cold, wet and windy 55 degrees when we all sit inside in our sweaters with the heating on.

Whatever it is doing outside, I’m always home working and have to make healthy lunches to pull from the fridge in between conference calls. I love preparing batches of soups and salads that I can graze on throughout the week. To change it up in the summer, we’ve got some favorite soups that are great chilled or hot, and since I’m plucking broad beans fresh from my garden this week they are the inspiration for the recipe below. 

I have a smoothie maker permanently sat on my kitchen counter which I use to blend the soup in and store in the refrigerator. I can grab a cup or two for lunch during the week without having to cook. The parmesan crisps are an added extra if you have time, otherwise wholegrain toasted croutons spread with black olive tapenade adds a good salty and savory kick.

I’ve included directions for both fresh, and frozen peas and beans and I wouldn’t slow cook this recipe since the vegetables will lose some of their vitality.

Don’t forget our other chilled soup recipes for the summer:

haricot bean soup with crispy breadcrumbs

curried cauliflower coconut soup. 

garden beetroot soup with feta

Print Recipe

Broad Beans, Peas, & Mint soup

Pressure Cook: Prep Time: 5m , Cook Time: 4m, Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion / 1 cup diced
• 2 cloves / 1 tsp garlic minced
• 8 oz / 230 g frozen peas fresh is 1kg in their pods
• 8 oz / 230 g frozen / canned fava / broad beans 1.5kg in the pod
• 4 cups vegetable broth plus 1 cup water
• 1/2 tsp each of salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup mint / 5 g / 0.2 oz chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley / 5 g / 0.2 oz chopped

Parmesan Crisps

• 6 tbsp parmesan cheese

Instructions

Soup

• heat the oil in Instant Pot on high sauté function
• add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes until softened
• turn off sauté function & stir in garlic, pea, beans, broth, water, salt, pepper
• secure Instant Pot lid & set pressure valve to Sealing cook on Manual / Pressure Cook for 4 minutes
• once cooked turn the dial to Venting to Quick Pressure Release, add the mint and parsley and blend with an immersion blender

Parmesan Crisps

• line a baking sheet with parchment
• preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit / 180 degrees c 
• heap 1 tbsp mounds of grated parmesan on the parchment, with enough space around them for the cheese to melt
• place the tray in the oven for oven 10 minutes, remove and cool

Zen Moment

The sower may mistake and sow his peas crookedly; the peas make no mistake, but come up and show his line.