Nothing warms my heart than a cozy and comfort dish. My homemade rich split pea soup is one of the most amazing dishes and at the same time hearty and nutritious.

Pea soup has a very nice and long history. Split pea soup has its origin in Athens since ancient times. This fragrant dish was incredibly popular even then. It is said that even in the middle of the first century BC, hot pea soup was sold on the streets of Athens.

Today, it is very difficult to say exactly to what country this recipe belongs to. As today we find so many versatile recipes of this delicious and nutritious soup. Each country has acquired its own national characteristics. In Germany, this flavorful and healthy soup is served with smoked meat and sausage, Italians add parmesan and dry white wine, as well as the Mongolians, cook this dish with tomato juice, while the Indians cook ‘dal’ – pea soup with coconut milk and spices fried in oil. It can be served both hot and cold, creamy or porridge-like mixture maintaining the same satisfying taste.

Usually, this thick aromatic pea soup is made from dried peas. Split pea soup can be more special and aromatic if you cook it with meat broth, as well as adding meat like beef, pork, lamb, poultry or smoked meat for more consistency. Smoked soup is considered the classic and the most popular in most cuisines of the world; as the smoked meat gives this dish a special piquancy and spicy aroma.

Today, a sudden temptation overcame me when I have remembered my mom’s best split soup. I have to admit that this is the most soulful soups for me, even if I have prepared it not so often. And one more thing I have to say is that I like it the vegan way. So let’s talk about how to cook a vegetarian split pea soup recipe so that you will “lick your fingers”.

Is split pea soup healthy?

Split peas are a type of pea which grows specifically for drying.

Peas contain vegetable protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements that are essential in our diet. Being high in protein and dietary fiber, this dish is very popular among people following vegan and vegetarian diets.

You can use both yellow and green dried chopped peas as they are both healthy and nutritional.

Do split peas need to be soaked before cooking?

Often, when it comes to cooking peas, many people have a question: should it be soaked or not? There is an opinion that peas should be soaked for better assimilation by our body or that they tend to cook faster. But the digestibility of peas is influenced not only by soaking it but also by variety and duration of storage. The longer the peas have been stored, the longer they will cook. I usually use halves of peas for soup as they boil faster. So, I definitely soak the peas. And if you like peas al dente, then you do not need to soak and cook only to the consistency you need.

Rinse the peas under cold running water, place in a deep bowl and pour cold water to the top. Leave them for 3-4 hours. If possible, changed periodically water. To enrich the taste add some bay leaf to the peas.

How to make split pea soup?

Put peas in a boiling pan and bring them to boil. For a five-liter pot, you will need1.5-2 cups of dry split peas (but the proportions may vary depending on how thick you want it). Then lower the heat and simmer peas for about 30 minutes. Do not add salt at this point (it says that it harder the peas).

So, when this time elapsed add to the peas one bay leaf, some whole black peppercorns, ¼ of celery root, 1 carrot, 1 parsley root, and 1 big onion. There is no need to chop this vegetable as we need them just to obtain flavorful vegetable broth. Add 1- 1 ½ tsp of salt and leave everything boil for 30-40 more minutes. Do not forget to stir occasionally, as split pea can stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.

Meanwhile, chop one onion and grate one carrot. In a skillet heat 4 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions. Salt to taste and stew until the onion is translucent. Add carrots and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots soften. Remove from heat.

When the time of boiling elapsed, check your split pea. They should be already soft. If not, leave them to boil until softened. If so, remove from broth half of the celery root, carrot, onion, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Then add stewed vegetables and leave the soup simmer for 10 more minutes. You should note that until peas have mostly broken down.

When the time elapses, remove the pan from fire. Now it is up to you, how you will serve it. If you what your split pea soup creamy than puree it with a hand blender to obtain a thicker consistency.

Season the soup with freshly ground black pepper and parsley. Leave for 5 minutes to infuse.

How do you serve vegetarian split pea soup?

Serve vegetarian split pea soup with bread croutons, seeds, fresh herbs, mustard, vegetable milk. You can prepare homemade croutons from any bread (white or rye). Just cut it into small cubes and bake with herbs and some drops of olive oil until they become crispy and golden.

You can turn on your imagination and add to split pea soup some mushrooms, homemade noodles, apple, or any other vegetables you like.

Can I make split pea soup in advance?

You can easily prepare split pea soup in advance and before serving just preheat at low heat constantly stirring not to burn soup at the bottom.

Also, feel free to make extras so you can freeze the leftovers. Be sure it will be a quick and healthy meal when you have no time to cook.

Tips:

If you like piquant soups feel free to add spices like curry, cumin, fennel, turmeric, coriander, pepper, garlic. If you don’t like the aroma of garlic, you can add it when frying onions and then it will have a subtle aroma.
Note that split pea soup always thickens as it cools. You can thin it with more water or broth.

Cooking pea soup is not very difficult, and the result will delight the whole family and cheer you up because delicious food is a good antidepressant.