Description
Craving comfort food without the guilt? This easy vegetarian split pea soup recipe is packed with flavor and nutrition, making it a great choice for satisfying health-conscious appetites!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 oz bag of dry split peas
- 4-5 large carrots, peeled and cut into rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3-4 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced, diced or minced — your preference!
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped + more for garnish
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 – 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 6-8 cups vegetable broth (or a combination of broth and water)
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Rinse peas thoroughly with cold water and do a quick sort to look for any bad peas or random stones.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
- Add carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add onions, celery, and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes or until fragrant. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients except for the lemon juice. Stir together and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to medium-low and season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until peas break down and are completely tender. As the soup begins to thicken, stir more often.
- Once the peas have broken down, add more broth (or water) if the soup is too thick.
- When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and stir in lemon juice.
- Season again with salt and pepper to taste and ladle into bowls.
- Top with a sprinkling of fresh parsley and enjoy!
Notes
- Five cloves of garlic may sound like a lot, but you’d be surprised how much the flavor of it melds together with the other ingredients. That said, if you’re sensitive to it then by all means use less!
- Personally, I like my split pea soup on the thicker side, which is what using 6 cups of broth will yield. If you prefer a soupier consistency, add another cup or two of veggie broth. You can also use a mixture of water and broth if you prefer — that won’t affect the flavor! (Just a note: If you have any soup left over, you will likely need to add a bit of liquid when you reheat it.)
- If you find that the peas are taking a long time to break down, turn up the heat. Just keep an eye on it and stir more often to ensure the soup doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pot.
- When it comes to the lemon juice, this recipe has been tested using various amounts and the slightest bit too much will overwhelm the soup. I recommend starting with 1/2 tablespoon and adding from there. That said, if you like the taste of the soup before adding the lemon, you can certainly leave it out!
- I keep my garnish simple because I love the flavor of fresh parsley with this soup, but a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkling of dried herbs, some sliced green onions, or homemade croutons make great garnishes as well.
- If you can’t find split peas, lentils make an excellent substitute! While the texture is a bit different because lentils don’t break down the same way that split peas do, the overall soup is delicious.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 120
- Category: Eat
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Soups & Stews
