'Pesto' pasta soup
Serves: 2, easily doubled
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Recipe photograph by Emma Guscott
'Pesto' pasta soup
A super-quick and easy soup using frozen veg as the base, with lots of fresh basil and a little Parmesan to give that pesto vibe
Serves: 2, easily doubled
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
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Nutritional information (per serving)
Calories
449Kcal
Fat
16gr
Saturates
5gr
Carbs
46gr
Sugars
6gr
Fibre
13gr
Protein
24gr
Salt
2.6gr
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Tamsin Burnett-Hall
Tamsin learned the tricks of the trade from cookery legend Delia Smith. A trusted recipe writer for the magazine for over 25 years, in her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
Ingredients
- 1 stock cube of your choice
- 80g added-fibre macaroni*, or other dried pasta*
- 300g frozen peas
- 180g frozen whole leaf spinach
- 1 x 30g pack fresh basil, shredded
- 20g finely grated Parmesan*, plus 10g shavings to serve
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tsp to drizzle
Step by step
- Add the stock cube and 750ml boiling water from the kettle to a pan and stir to combine. Add the macaroni and a pinch of salt and cook for 6-8 minutes or until the macaroni is tender.
- Put 50g of the peas in a heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water to defrost. Set aside.
- Drain the pasta into a colander set over a bowl. Return the stock to the pan and add the remaining peas and the spinach. Bring back to the boil and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add about two-thirds of the basil, the grated Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of olive oil then blitz until smooth. Season to taste, and add extra boiling water if the soup seems too thick.
- Divide the soup between two bowls and add the pasta and the drained peas. Serve topped with the rest of the basil, the Parmesan shavings and a drizzle of olive oil. *Use gluten-free pasta and vegetarian cheese, if required.
