Name: Green Pea Soup
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 Tablespoon olive oil; 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots; 2 cloves garlic, chopped fine; 4 cups water; 24 ounce bag frozen peas; 5 fresh basil leaves; 1/2 Tablespoon kosher salt; A few turns of cracked black pepper; 1/2 cup half and half or cream; 4 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives; 1 lb. thick cut bacon; 1/3 cup maple syrup; 2/3 cup brown sugar

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This Green Pea Soup with fresh basil and smoky sweet candied bacon is the ultimate spring appetizer. Bright and creamy, it’s a great reason to give peas a chance. (Dad joke, I know…)

Table of Contents

Hate Pea Soup? Think Again.

I don’t know about yours, but my parents made me eat my vegetables when I was little. And there were few that I hated more than peas. Especially pea soup.

But everything changed several years ago when I had a delicious bowl of pea soup at a local restaurant (RIP G. Michael’s) that blew my mind. Since that night, I’ve had pea soup on the brain.

I wanted to recreate the recipe with minimal ingredients, allowing the bright sweetness of the peas to be the star. I found a recipe at The New York Times entitled Possibly the Best Pea Soup and decided that would be a good place to start.

I’ve added my own embellishments, but what I’ve found really puts this soup recipe over the top is a crumble of candied bacon, which melts into the soup, giving it a hint of maple and just the right amount of savory crunch.

Green Pea Soup with Candied Bacon is a gorgeous, easy, and refreshing soup that's perfect for Easter or any spring occasion.

Why I Love Frozen Pea Soup

It’s simple. With nothing but shallots, garlic, water, peas, and a bit of basil, this soup is light, silky, and the essence of spring. A little cream stirred in at the end gives it just a touch of richness. I used frozen peas because fresh peas aren’t readily available year round, and opening up a bag of frozen peas is about as easy as it gets.
It’s versatile. You can serve Frozen Pea Soup for lunch, dinner, or an appetizer. It’s a lovely spring dish and great for special occasions!
It’s unique. Sometimes, I just need a break from Chicken Noodle, Tomato, and Broccoli Cheddar. Don’t get me wrong; I love all types of soup. But it’s nice to have a change every once in a while. My Pea Soup with Bacon is the perfect solution.

Key Ingredients for Pea Soup with Bacon

Shallots – If you can’t get your hands on shallots, you can use sweet or yellow onions instead.
Frozen peas – You’ll need a 24 ounce bag of frozen peas. This recipe is a great way to use up that bag of peas that’s been sitting in your freezer!
Garlic, basil, and chives – These ingredients add nice pops of flavor to the soup.
Half and half or cream – You can use either half and half or cream for this recipe—whatever you have on hand.
BACON – Let’s be honest, bacon is really the star of the show here. It adds so much good flavor and texture to this soup! I’ve included the recipe for a whole pound of candied bacon. You likely won’t need all of that, but I trust you’ll have no issues polishing off the leftovers (stacking it on this Strawberry Bacon Goat Cheese Grilled Cheese seems like a very viable option).

Green Pea Soup with Candied Bacon is a light, creamy soup that absolutely screams spring. It's perfect for Easter or spring brunches!

How to Make Green Pea Soup

For the bacon:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with foil then top with wire racks. Place the bacon slices on the racks. Brush half the maple syrup and brown sugar on the top. Place in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Pull the bacon out of the oven and flip. Brush with remaining syrup and brown sugar. Bake for another 10-15 minutes or until bacon is crispy. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

For the soup:

In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and stir until starting to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Stir in the frozen peas, basil, salt, and pepper and return to a boil. Boil for about five minutes, then remove from heat. Transfer the soup into the blender in batches and puree until very smooth. Strain the soup through a fine mesh sieve to remove any shells or lumps if necessary.
Stir in the cream and reheat to serve warm or serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with candied bacon and chives.

FAQs

How to make Green Pea Soup creamy?

Adding half and half or cream to your soup will give it a nice, creamy consistency.

How do you thicken Green Pea Soup?

This recipe should be plenty thick as is, but if you prefer you could always mix together 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 Tablespoon of water and stir that into the soup to make it a touch thicker.

Otherwise, if its more texture you want, just don’t strain the puree. You can also blend it for a bit shorter time so there are a few more chunks of peas rather than the silky smooth puree that we’ve prescribed.

Green Pea Soup with smoky sweet candied bacon is a party for your tastebuds! Light, but creamy, sweet and salty, it's perfect for any spring meal!

What if my Green Pea Soup is too thick?

Blend the ingredients for a bit longer, and make sure to strain out any lumps. If your upright blender isn’t doing the trick, try an immersion blender. Round jar blenders can leave behind more chunks as they spin upward. Our KitchenAid, as well as Ninja and VitaMix square jar blenders should all do just fine.

What to Serve with Frozen Pea Soup

Just like the soup that started it all, this one can be served hot or cold, though I prefer it hot. I ate it for lunch three days in a row. It pairs beautifully with an Air Fryer Grilled Cheese or a slice of buttered Homemade Amish White Bread.

While pea soup can certainly make for a week’s worth of delightful lunches, it’s also a lovely appetizer to serve as part of your Easter dinner menu. If you’re serving this up for a special occasion, swirling the cream on top and giving it a sprinkle of chives makes it look absolutely beautiful. So beautiful that you might even be able to convince the pea-haters in your life to give it a try.

More Soup Recipes You Might Enjoy

Soup is one of my favorite ways to get my veggies. Here are a few more veggie-forward soups to try!

Green Pea Soup

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Frozen green peas, garlic, shallots, and basil come together to make a fresh and creamy spring soup. The candied bacon adds just the right amount of indulgent sweetness.