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Some of my favorite spring days are after rain has moved through and the temperature is cooler than the day before. It's the type of day where I still want to cozy up with a good book and a cup of soup before the hot summer months hit. I usually use freekeh in grain bowls but the nuttiness and slight chewiness work really well in soups. Plus, it's quick cooking which means this pea soup comes together for a fast meal. This pea soup is best right after cooked but can be eaten the next day (you might need to add a splash or two of vegetable broth to thin out the soup).
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An easy spring soup that uses hearty freekeh paired with spring peas and herbs.
Tips & Tricks: Make your own pesto.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: freekeh, peas, vegetable broth
Nutrition: see the information.
One of the things I love most about this soup is that the peas can easily be replaced and the pesto can be switched up, depending on the amount of basil you have on hand. This soup reminds of barley soups I've made before, which means other grains (like barley, sorghum, or whole wheat berries), would also work.
Vegetables: Swap out the peas for chard, kale, sweet potatoes, or carrots.
Spinach: One of my favorite pesto recipes that doesn't require cups of basil uses spinach in place of 1 cup of basil. There's still the basil flavor but the spinach helps provide bulk.
Spice: Add a 1/2 teaspoon or so of chili paste to bring a little heat to the soup.
With a baby around, I use 90% quick cooking grains because my ability to think ahead for meals just isn't there. I love the nutty flavor from freekeh and the best part, it cooks up in about 20 minutes. This wheat grain works well in grain bowls, with eggs, or like this recipe- in soups and stews. A few of my other favorite freekeh recipes:
Black Bean Bowl with Freekeh
Freekeh Omelette with Olives
Freekeh Salad with Sweet Corn
I would love to try freekeh, but before I end up getting it, would quinoa also work with this recipe?
It would, you will just want to adjust the cooking time (less, by about 8 minutes) and maybe a bit less vegetable broth.
always looking for more interesting things to do with freeka! one question - does the pesto addition do anything weird to the leftovers? it's added right before serving, so wondering if the oil would separate or anything. thanks!
It separates slightly but the flavor doesn't change! If you have a high-speed blender, you can puree the pesto a bit better and that would help!
This looks so delicious! I love freekeh and can't wait to give this a try soon. 🙂
This looks so warm and comforting!
Kari