Spring soup & ricotta toast

• servings: 4 servings
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

2 leeks (320g)

1 x 285g jar of artichoke hearts in oil

320g frozen peas

320g frozen broad beans

1 big bunch of mint (60g)

250g ricotta cheese

20g Parmesan cheese

1 lemon

4 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread

dried red chilli flakes

Directions

Trim the leeks, then halve lengthways, wash, slice and place in a large deep non-stick pan on a medium heat. Halve and add the artichokes, along with 2 tablespoons of oil from their jar. Cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the leeks are soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. Boil the kettle.

Add the peas, broad beans and 1 litre of boiling kettle water, then turn the heat up and bring to the boil while you pick and finely chop the mint leaves. Stir them into the pan, then blend half of the soup, either removing to a blender or in the pan with a stick blender, and stir it back through the rest for a creamier texture. Season to perfection and leave to simmer.

In a bowl, beat the ricotta with the finely grated Parmesan and lemon zest, season to perfection and loosen with a little lemon juice, to taste. Toast the bread, then spread 1 heaped tablespoon of the ricotta mixture across each toast, stashing the rest in the fridge for another meal (it will keep for up to 3 days). Add a pinch of chilli flakes to each toast, then portion up the soup and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing over, if you like.

Nutrition

• Calories: 396
• Total Fat: 20.1 g
• Saturated Fat: 5.3 g
• Sodium: 0.9 g
• Total Carbohydrate: 33.3 g
• Dietary Fiber: 12.5 g
• Total Sugars: 6.3 g
• Protein: 19.9 g