Thick and Creamy Split Pea Soup

There is nothing like home-made Split Pea Soup. Will you be gone all day? Do the prep work the night before, and let your crock pot do the cooking (see the alternate cooking method below).

We prefer a faster method, using a ceramic coated cast iron dutch oven.

Split peas, though high in carbs, is low calorie. A one cup cooked serving contains about 230 calories. One serving also contains over 700mg of Potassium, provides 16g of dietary fiber (more than half the daily recommendation) and packs 16g of protein (about 1/3 of the daily recommendation).

Split peas, though high in carbs, is low calorie. A one cup cooked serving contains about 230 calories. One serving also contains over 700mg of Potassium, provides 16g of dietary fiber (more than half the daily recommendation) and packs 16g of protein (about 1/3 of the daily recommendation).

Vitamins and minerals include Vitamins B6,  C, E, K, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Zinc, Copper Manganese, Selenium, Thiamine, Riboflavin, Niacin, Folate, Choline.

Eighteen Amino Acids are also present in cooked split peas.

Ingredients:

1 pound dry split green peas, soaked, sorted and rinsed

2 cups of finely diced, cooked ham (or none for vegetarian preference)

3 carrots, finely chopped or shredded per your preference

1/2 cup diced onions

2 ribs celery, including leaves, chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

12-15 sprigs of parsley, chopped, about 1/4 cup

1 tbsp salt or seasoning salt or your favorite blend of seasonings

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1.5 quarts of water (we used home-made chicken broth)

Method:

Using Dutch Oven on stove, low-boil Peas, bay leaf and seasoning in liquid for about one hour.

Remove bay leaf. With immersion blender, potato masher, or blender, purée the peas. Pour back into Dutch Oven, add other ingredients and simmer an hour or two until other vegetables are softened to your preference. 

SLOW COOKER - ALTERNATE METHOD: 

Layer carrots, celery and the other ingredients in crock pot. Pour water gently over layers. Cover and cook on High for 4-5 hours OR Low for 8-10 hours, until peas are soft. Remove bay leaf, mash the peas to thicken, or stir to blend soup.