This delicious Split Pea Soup is one of my favorite soup recipes with legumes along with Dutch Split Pea Soup.
Ingredients
Split Peas is a main ingredient. There are two varieties of split peas: yellow and green. They both have similar nutritional and health benefits. And they are both a great source of plant protein, B vitamins, iron, and folate. More about health benefits of legumes read in the article About My Top Super-Foods.
I use green split peas as they are less starchy and have sweeter flavor.
Frozen Green Peas. We add them for the extra flavor and texture. As well as to boost health benefits of the soup in terms of fiber content, plant protein and vitamins A & K.
Carrot & Onion go hand in hand in every soup recipe. Sometimes I also add garlic. This is up to you. Carrots make the soup sweeter, and onions add a richer flavor to the dish.
Cumin Seeds give the soup Middle Eastern touch. In this recipe we saute cumin in oil. It reveals unusual flavors and aromas of this spice.
Goat Cheese is a welcome guest in my kitchen, and I add it to many dishes including soups 🙂 Soft goat cheese adds delicate creamy flavor and calories to the soup. So you will feel full longer. Which is good 🙂
Vinegar is used for a slightly marinade the red onion. The acidity of the vinegar will balance the specific taste of the goat cheese and the bitterness of the onions.
Vegetable Broth or water. I always use my Homemade Vegetable Broth.
Serving Tips
1. Serve the Split Pea Soup with cream cheese instead of goat cheese. Omit completely to make it vegan.
2. This soup recipe goes well with Pickled Red Onions and Special Hot Sauce Adjika.
3. Complement the soup with fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill or cilantro.
Storing Suggestion
Store Split Pea Soup in a fridge for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.
How to Defrost Split Pea Soup
Remove the Split Pea Soup from the freezer the night before and place it in the refrigerator.
Quick defrost? Place the plastic freezer bag with soup in a bowl of cold water. Not hot! To help prevent bacterial growth. Replace the water with fresh cold water every 10 minutes until the soup has thawed. Heat thawed pea soup in a saucepan over low heat. Add a splash of water if the soup becomes too thick.
More Quick & Easy Soup Recipes from NutriQuorum:
Lima Bean Soup with Brown Rice
Pumpkin Soup with a Secret Ingredient
Quick & Easy Tomato Soup Recipe
Split Pea Soup with Goat Cheese
Equipment
- 1 soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried split peas 14 oz (400 g)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 liters vegetable broth or water use more if needed
- 2 cups chopped carrot 10 oz (300 g)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen green peas 7 oz (200 g)
- 2 small red onions
- 4 oz soft goat cheese or cream cheese 100 g
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil olive oil
- 1/2 Tbsp cumin seeds
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar apple cider vinegar
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley for serving
Instructions
- Wash the peas until the water is clean. Soak them in hot water for 1 hour. This is optional, as split peas can be cooked without prior soaking. But I do recommend it because it reduces the cooking time.
- Chop the onions, peel the carrots, and cut it into 1 cm cubes. Heat the oil in a large soup pot and fry half the onion and carrot with ½ Tbsp of the cumin for 2 minutes. Add the split peas, bay leaf, and water (or broth) and bring to a boil. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes, with the lid on, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garden peas and half the parsley for the last 6-8 minutes (read the instructions for cooking time of green peas). Season with pepper and salt. Remove the bay leaf.
- Meanwhile, mix the rest of the onion and the rest of the parsley with the vinegar. Serve the pea soup with a spoonful of goat cheese, and garnish with an onion-parsley mixture.