Split Pea Soup

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from kristineskitchenblog.com

This Split Pea Soup is the perfect cozy meal for a cold day! Made with green split peas, vegetables and bacon, this easy soup recipe is full of flavor.

Prep Time20

Cook Time1 15

Total Time1 35

Servings: servings

Calories: 401kcal

Author: Kristine Rosenblatt

Ingredients

5 slices bacon chopped
1 medium yellow onion chopped
2 ribs celery chopped
2 medium carrots chopped into ¼-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup chopped Yukon gold potato ½-inch pieces, about 5 ounces of potato
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
16 ounces dried green split peas picked over to remove any debris, rinsed and drained
8 cups low sodium vegetable broth

Instructions

Heat a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook until browned, about 6-8 minutes.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate, leaving the bacon grease in the pot. Let the cooked bacon cool and then refrigerate it while the soup cooks.
Add the onion, celery and carrot to the bacon grease in the pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 6 minutes, until softened.
Add the garlic, potatoes, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the split peas and vegetable broth.
Bring soup to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer the soup, stirring occasionally, for 75-90 minutes, or until peas are tender and have broken down and soup has thickened. If the soup is not thickening as much as you'd like, you can uncover it during the last 20 minutes of the cook time.
Taste the soup and add additional salt and/or pepper if needed. (Remember that the bacon will add saltiness if you will be serving the soup with bacon on top.)
Serve soup garnished with the chopped cooked bacon.

Video

Notes

If not using a low or no sodium broth, omit the added salt or the soup may be too salty. You can always season with salt to taste after cooking.
To make split pea soup with a ham bone, omit the bacon from the recipe. Sauté the veggies in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. After adding the split peas and broth, nestle the ham bone into the soup. Once the soup is finished cooking, remove the ham bone. Slice off some meat from the ham bone to add to the soup, if desired.
To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the bacon and sauté the vegetables in 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead of the bacon grease. After the soup cooks, taste it and add more salt, if needed, since you’ll lose the saltiness of the bacon.
Soup may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Store cooked bacon separately from the soup. The soup will thicken as it cools. If the leftover soup is too thick, you can stir in some additional broth or water to thin it out as you warm it.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is only an estimate.