chefspencil: Mint & Pea Soup with Bacon

Nothing beats a bowl of this cool and comforting mint & pea soup with bacon on a scorching summer afternoon. And it’s pretty much a lazy recipe, so you don’t need to spend too much time in a hot kitchen either.

We start off by frying the bacon in a pan with a bit of oil. If you don’t have bacon in your pantry you can try these bacon substitutes, including some vegan options.

Place the bacon on some paper towels when done. This removes the extra fat and keeps the soup nice and light while still bringing that awesome salty savory taste of the bacon.

Fresh peas are great, but frozen work just as well, and you won’t taste much of a difference. This also means it can be made any time you get a craving. Sauté the diced parsnip for a couple of minutes, then add the peas along with about 2 liters (slightly over half a gallon) of water. Boil and then let simmer for the peas to soften up.

The heavy cream and the mint go in at the end. Use a food blender to purée to your desired consistency. Hopefully you haven’t eaten all the bacon yet, because it’s needed to garnish when serving.

As a tip, mint easily grows on a window sill, and you’ll have the added benefit of imbuing the whole room with a sweet herbal scent.

Hearty and delicious, minty pea soup with bacon is an amazing recipe to have in your cooking arsenal.

Please find below the detailed recipe for this delicious mint and peas soup with bacon.

Mint & Pea Soup with Bacon

A flavourful and easy-to-make cream soup.

Course Soup

Cuisine International

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Author Razvan Stupar

Ingredients

500 g frozen peas
120 g bacon diced
200 ml heavy cream
1 large parsnip peeled and diced
30 ml oil (such as vegetable or olive oil)
10 large mint leaves

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Cut the bacon into pieces and fry in a pan with some oil until it becomes crispy. Remove the bacon from the pot and set it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Preheat a pot and add a drizzle of oil. Cook the diced parsnip for a few minutes until slightly softened, then add the peas and about 2 liters of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for about 10 minutes until the peas and parsnip are tender.
Add the heavy cream and the chopped mint leaves to the pot and stir well to combine.
Using a blender or immersion blender, purée the mixture until smooth and creamy. It can also be strained through a fine sieve.
Remember to season as you go!
Serve the soup in bowls, garnishing each portion with the crispy bacon pieces.
Optionally, you can also top the soup with additional mint leaves for a fresh touch.