Split Pea Soup

This hearty, healthy soup is perfect for a cold winter night, and the recipe makes enough food that you’ll have some leftover for lunches, too.

Split pea soup qualifies as comfort food. This recipe is versatile.

You can substitute yellow split peas or lentils for green split peas. You can leave out the carrots and potatoes, if you choose. If you want a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable stock, add more veggies, and leave out the meat. Ham shanks or hocks can also be a substitute for the sausage. 

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 3 stalks celery, halved lengthwise and chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
• 1 1-lb bag green split peas, rinsed
• 1 smoked kielbasa, sliced into bite sized pieces
• 1 2-lb box chicken stock (low sodium, low fat) 
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, celery, salt, and pepper. Allow the onions and celery to “sweat” for about 10 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic. Cook for another 2 minutes. Do not allow to brown.

After the onions and garlic have softened, add your split peas. Stir them in and let them mix with the onion mixture for a few minutes. Add chicken stock and 6 cups of water. You can use more chicken stock and less water or some white wine instead, if you like. You may need to add more liquid during cooking, depending on desired thickness. Add bay leaves.

Raise the heat and bring the contents to a vigorous simmer. Lower heat and cover. Simmer on low for about 30 minutes until the peas start to soften and plump up.

While the lentils are cooking, peel and cut your carrots and potatoes. Cut everything to about the same size so it all gets done at the same time. Put your potatoes in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to add them, to pull out some of the starch and keep them from turning brown and. You can use the liquid later if you need to thin the soup.

Slice your sausage into bite sized pieces. Smoked turkey kielbasa is flavorful and keeps this soup low-fat, but any pre-cooked sausage will work. If you decide on ham hocks, use at least two.

Add your vegetables and sausage to the pot. Cover and simmer for about another 30 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are tender. Taste and adjust seasoning and thickness.

Serve with corn bread and a green salad. Enjoy!

Nutrition information

Makes about 8 1 ½ cup servings. Each serving contains approximately:

• 411 calories
• 9 g fat
• 26 mg cholesterol
• 1,361 mg sodium
• 60 g carbohydrate
• 26 g protein

This soup is also high in vitamin A (106 percent PDV*) and iron (20 percent PDV).

*The Percent Daily Values (PDV) are based on a 2,000-calorie per day diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs.

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