'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, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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, she is now our Senior Food Producer, overseeing testing and editing to ensure that every recipe tastes great, is straightforward to follow and works without fail. In her home kitchen, Tamsin creates fuss-free flavour-packed food for friends and family, with baking being her ultimate form of comfort cooking
See more of Tamsin Burnett-Hall’s recipes
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.
