Spanish Pea Soup [Creamy Recipe]

In this easy recipe guide, you will get to know better the famous creamy Spanish pea soup, or as it is called in Spanish, Sopa cremosa de arvejas or sopa de guisantes in Andalusia.

Easy to follow and always delicious, our Spanish soup recipes are perfect for any occasion.

Not only will you know the recipe and different tips and variants of the ingredients, but you will also know a little about its history.

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Background of the dish

This famous soup has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. It was originally created in ancient Greece around 400 BC, and this was proven thanks to the fact that there are ancient manuscripts in which it is mentioned how vendors traded pea soup.

However, over the years it reached different parts of the world, and the typical recipe that we know today was formed in Andalusia.

The classic touches of southern Spanish cuisine can be easily distinguished in the recipe, especially with the use of Serrano ham as a topping.

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Things You’ll Need for Spanish Pea Soup

For this simple pea soup you won’t need any fancy ingredients, but there are some kitchen tools that are necessary if you want to reach the characteristic creamy texture.

The ingredients are pretty basic, and there are tons of substitutions that you can make according to your personal preference or diet.

When it comes to the equipment, a blender or an immersion blender are key to get the right creamy texture for this soup. But don’t worry!

If you don’t have one you can use a food processor, or just leave the peas as they are, even though you won’t get the creamy consistency. 

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 6 slices of Spanish serrano ham
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 cups (950ml) vegetable broth
• 1 chopped shallots
• 5 cups (650g) frozen peas
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ½ cup (120g) heavy cream

How to make Spanish Pea Soup – Step by Step Guide

1. To start making pea soup all you have to do is to melt butter In a large saucepan. Make sure to do it over medium heat so your butter doesn’t brown In the meantime chop shallots and mince the garlic.
2. When you finish chopping add those vegetables to the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently so they don’t burn. Keep an eye on them since the garlic gets browned very easily.
3. Then add vegetable broth, peas and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil at medium heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the peas get a soft texture. Salt and pepper are the best seasonings for pea soup, since they let the flavor of the peas shine, yet still enhance the rest of the flavors in the soup. 
4. After that, blend the soup until it gets a creamy texture, you can use an immersion blender or a regular one but be careful and add the soup little by little.
5. If you are using a blender put the soup back into the saucepan when it’s ready. Of course, you can skip this step but in that case, you won’t get a creamy Spanish pea soup, and you will be able to feel the peas while eating it.
6. For the final step pour the heavy cream and mix it with the rest of the soup, then stir until it thickens.
7. As an optional step, you can put some slices of Spanish serrano ham in the oven for 5 minutes and use them as a topping for your soup, I recommend you doing that since that is the original Spanish creamy pea soup recipe.

Substitution of ingredients

Thankfully, you can make multiple changes on this easy pea soup recipe, so here I’ll show you the most common ingredient substitution. You can easily adapt this recipe according to your personal preferences or diet.

The easiest substitution is to use fresh green peas instead of frozen peas, this way you’ll get a fresh green pea soup.

The flavor will be stronger and it is a really good substitution, but you have to do the cleaning and cooking of the fresh green peas before, so it’ll take a little bit longer.

Besides that, you can also turn this creamy pea soup into a healthy pea soup! All you have to do is to use cream cheese instead of heavy cream and remove the butter.

You can even use a low-calorie or “light” cream cheese, or sour cream, and it’ll make it way healthier.

If you liked this recipe I encourage you to try other famous Spanish soups such as Spanish rice soup, Spanish oxtail soup, Spanish Garbanzo Soup, I assure you that they will become some of your favorite soup recipes to make on cold winter days.

Tips on Serving Spanish Pea Soup

This Andalusian food can be served in different ways, either as a starter or as a main dish at any meal of the day. Just make sure to serve the right amount for each occasion, since the creaminess in the soup makes it really filling.

The common way to serve it is hot, but if you are looking for what to eat in Cordoba, you’ll be surprised by the fact that it is also served cold! You just have to let it cool on the fridge and you’ll have a refreshing summer soup waiting for you.

I personally recommend you serving it with some crispy serrano ham since it blends really well with the different flavors in the soup. The best is to Ibérico crispy ham.

Besides that you can also garnish with some chopped parsley on top.

You might also want to try another creamy soup recipe and that is the comforting Spanish pumpkin soup.

How to store Spanish Pea Soup

The Spanish creamy pea soup can be stored in different ways, and you can choose it completely based on your personal preference.

You can either save it in the fridge for a couple of days or freeze it for months, and it’ll still taste the same.

If you want to store it in the fridge, just let it cool at room temperature and pour it in a container with a lid. If you don’t have one of those just cover it with plastic wrap or a clean plastic bag. It can last in the fridge for up to 4 days.

This is one of the best soups to make if you want to freeze it, since unlike other recipes such as Spanish lentil soup or the Spanish chicken soup recipe that is frozen for a short time, meanwhile, the creamy Spanish pea soup can last for months without losing its freshness.

If you want to freeze it all you have to do is to let it cool at room temperature, and then store it in a container with a lid or covered with plastic wrap.

It can last in the freezer for up to 6 months, just be careful and put a tag with the date that you made it, this way you won’t forget about it!

Related Recipes:

• Spanish Lentil Soup Recipe
• Easy Spanish White Bean Soup
• Spanish Bread Soup Recipe
• Warming Garlic Soup

Recipe Card: Creamy Spanish Pea Soup

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