Before last week I had never eaten Split Pea Soup. The only pea’s I had prepared had come from a can. I’m sure I ate some pea’s from my great-grand mother’s garden but I can’t really remember. My awesome friend Amanda make’s Split Pea Soup regularly so I thought I’d give it a try.
I actually followed someone else’s recipe, which is rare for me, it can be found here. I copy and pasted Susan’s recipe from FatFreeVegan below. I am a big fan of her site and blog. I’ve made a lot of recipes and they turn our great.
Thick and Hearty Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cups dried split peas, checked carefully for debris and rinsed
- 6-8 cups water
- 2 medium potatoes, coarsely chopped
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1-2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Lightly spray the bottom of a pressure cooker or Dutch oven with canola oil. Sauté the onions for about 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan often, until they begin to caramelize. Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and cook for 2 more minutes.
Add the peas to the pot. If you’re using a pressure cooker, add 6 cups of water; forregular cooking, add 8 cups water. Stir in the potatoes, bay leaf, celery seed, basil, and thyme.
For pressure cooking: Seal the cooker and bring to high pressure. Lower heat and cook at high pressure for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally. If beans are not completely cooked, cover loosely and cook (without pressure) until they reach the desired tenderness.
For regular cooking: Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over very low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until peas are soft and disintegrate when stirred.
Add the liquid smoke, salt, and pepper. Check the seasoning and add more herbs if necessary. Cook several minutes uncovered to thicken (or add water to thin). Serve with warm whole-grain bread.
Makes about 8 servings, and tastes even better the next day!
Preparation time: 15 minute(s) | Cooking time: 30 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 8
Per serving: 216 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (2% calories from fat); 13g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 565mg Sodium; 15g Fiber.
I do not have a pressure cooker so I used the regular cooking method. I also did not have basil or thyme so I omitted those. There was definitely something missing so it may have been one of those. This isn’t my favorite soup by I did inhale it very fast. Susan was right about it being better the next day. I made it on a Friday and tried it again on Monday and it was really good. I ended up finishing it for breakfast on Tuesday. Since I had never had Split Pea Soup I have nothing to compare it to. Next time I make it I’ll use veggie broth instead of water but that is probably the only change I’ll make.
Do you have a favorite Split Pea Soup recipe? Share it in the comments and maybe I’ll make your recipe next time. Happy Eating!
Tagged: Dairy Free, Frugal, Planning, Plant Based Diet, Recipes, Soup, Vegan
