Hearty Split Pea Soup

Plant-based pantries are usually stocked with a selection of legumes and pulses, and split peas are one of those trusty additions. When I see a pack of split peas, I immediately think of soup. We’ve been enjoying amazing weather in what appears to be a very mild winter, but needless to say, as soon as the skies are grey, or the evening chill arrives, few things are as warmly welcomed as a bowl of steaming soup.

This soup combines basic vegetables with split peas, making it an simple and inexpensive meal, that saves a trip to the grocery store. This soup is gluten-free, dairy-free, satisfying, filling and naturally creamy – thank you, potatoes.

We hope it’ll be a winter favourite of yours, as it is for us!

Print Recipe

Hearty Split Pea Soup

Hearty, filling, dairy and gluten-free. This soup is a crowd pleaser. For those of us in families of 2, this soup can be eaten again the next day, or stored in the freezer for a rainy day.

Cook Time

90 minutes

Servings

people

Ingredients

Base

• 500 g split peas
• 1.7 l boiling water

Vegetables

• 4 large potatoes chopped
• 2 large carrots chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 1/2 stalks celery

Seasoning

• 5 cups vegetable broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves
• 4 all spice
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Cook Time 90 minutes Servings people Ingredients Base 500 g split peas 1.7 l boiling water Vegetables 4 large potatoes chopped 2 large carrots chopped 1 onion chopped 1 1/2 stalks celery Seasoning 5 cups vegetable broth 2 bay leaves 4 cloves 4 all spice 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Place split peas and water in a large pot on high heat, and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and cook for 40 minutes. This will give the peas a chance to cook and soften. As the peas expand and absorb water, the pot will become drier.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Peel carrots, potatoes, and onion. Dice the onion, cut the potatoes in sixths, and the carrots into disks, while cutting the celery into thick slices.
3. After 40 minutes, check on the split peas. By now, it should've cooked right down. Add vegetables and seasoning, and cook on medium heat for about 50 minutes; stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
4. Once the vegetables are soft, remove bay leaves, cloves and all spice. Ideally you want the veg to be cooked until soft to achieve the smooth, creamy texture desired for soup. Blend the soup with a jug or immersion blender, until smooth. Ensure that no chunky veg are left behind. Don't worry too much about fishing for cloves and all spice, they usually show up quite easily, but if you miss one, it'll be ground through blending 🙂
5. Best served immediately. If kept for a later time, reheat in pot over a low heat, stirring occasionally.

Recipe Notes

This soup thickens quite a bit when left to cool, and that's perfectly normal. The desired texture is achieved after reheating.