Green Pea Soup with Panko-Almond Topping

3–5 Prep 10 min Cook 15 min Serves 4

As frozen vegetables go, peas are elite. They always taste just as good asfresh, no questions. One tip: Stir in the lemon juice just before serving the soup; otherwise, the juice will start to discolor that bright green hue.

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1½ tbsp olive oil, divided 1 cup chopped onion 1½ cups fat-free low-sodium vegetable stock ¾ tsp salt, divided ¼ tsp black pepper 1 lb frozen green peas 1 medium garlic clove, finely chopped ¼ cup whole-wheat panko breadcrumbs ¼ cup unsalted roasted almonds, chopped 1 tsp lemon zest, plus 1 tbsp juice 1. In a large saucepan, heat 1½ tsp oil over medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the stock, ½ plus ⅛ tsp salt, black pepper, and peas. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil over medium-low. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the panko and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in the nuts, lemon zest, and remaining ⅛ tsp salt. Set the topping aside.

3. Transfer the soup to a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid (to allow steam to escape). Place a kitchen towel or paper towels over the opening of the lid. Blend the soup on high speed until completely smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice. Divide the soup among 4 bowls. Top with the panko topping.

Per serving (1 scant cup soup and 2 tbsp topping) 212 Cal, 9 g Total Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 584 mg Sod, 27 g Total Carb, 9 g Sugar, 7 g Fib, 8 g Prot.

See photograph on page 46.