For the month of November 2020, every Shabbat I made this Veggie Boosted Vegan Split Pea Soup Recipe. With just 7 ingredients, it is a velvety, pureed, oil-free vegan soup. It is delicious the day it is made and good for leftovers too.
Normal Split Pea Soup
Well-known traditional split pea soup features split peas (of course!), ham bone, chicken broth, milk and butter. This non-kosher soup is rich and heavy, with a characteristic green hue.
This Veggie Boosted Vegan Split Pea Soup Recipe
Like the original, this Veggie Boosted Vegan Split Pea Soup Recipe is green! But this version is lighter, fresh tasting and filled with vegetables. This soup is oil and dairy free, so you don’t get that heavy bleurgh feeling after eating it. There are many added vegetables too, which bring minerals and lighten the texture and flavor profile. Instead of eating a bowlful of pure beans, you are eating a bowlful of split peas and veggies. Personally, I like adding zucchini because it is a neutral-tasting vegetable, easy to digest and filled with minerals.
About Split Peas
These are an under-loved vegetable protein source. They are quite simply dried, peeled and split peas!
They come in yellow and green varieties, and the yellow has a more earthy flavor. Green split peas are the traditional choice for split pea soup – giving that characteristic, almost swamp-like green color.
Split peas contain an extremely high amount of fiber, and are a wonderful source of plant-based protein and complex carbohydrate. This means that a dish using split peas is substantial, filling and satisfies hunger. This is the reason they are such a traditional favorite for rib-sticking winter soups.
Sneaking vegetables and modern parenting
This soup is a perfect recipe to sneak vegetables into, especially when you serve it blended. It can be difficult to get our children (and ourselves) to eat enough unprocessed vegetables everyday. Recipes like this allow parents to add more vegetables to our children’s eating pattern. And if you blend it smooth, they won’t notice!
To blend or not to blend
Our family prefers this soup blended. It also makes it easier to sneak vegetables into. For a middle-ground texture, simply remove and blend one or two cups, then stir back into the pot. This makes a thicker texture, while maintaining some of the bite of texture.
Pressure cooker or stove top
This soup takes 20 minutes to make in a pressure cooker or 2.5 to 3 hours on the stove top. Who has 3 hours to make soup? I am convinced that the cooking time is a determining factor in whether or not people make this soup. In addition, pressure cooking preserves more of the nutritional content of food. Alternatively, you can make this soup in a slow cooker – simply add the ingredients in the morning, and you will have a delicious soup ready for dinner.
Recipe variations
Split pea soup is an ideal base to add other flavors to. Here are some suggestions for how to vary this recipe:
- Use anywhere between 4 – 7 cups of water, depending on how thick you like your split pea soup
- Use other veggies: fresh baby spinach leaves are delicious stirred through the hot soup and left to wilt before serving.
- Herbs: Herbs de provence and thyme compliment the peas beautifully
- Add 1-2 tbsp coconut milk or coconut cream for a richer flavor
Veggie Boosted Vegan Split Pea Soup Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes – 3 hours
- Total Time: 30 minute
- Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, diced
2 zucchini, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 ⅕ cups (250 grams) split peas
5 cups (1.2 liters) water
½ tsp white vinegar
½ tsp salt
Pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
Instructions for pressure cooker:
In the pressure cooker pan, saute diced onion, shallot and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add diced zucchini and carrot and mix evenly.
Add the dried split peas, water, white vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper.
Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
Allow to cook for another 20 minutes (or more). Blend, if desired.
Stove-top instructions:
In a large soup pot, saute diced onion, shallot and garlic for 5 minutes.
Add diced zucchini and carrot and mix evenly.
Add dried split peas, water, white vinegar, salt and cayenne pepper.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 ½ to 3 hours, or until peas are tender.
Blend, if desired.
Keywords: split pea, vegan soup, winter soup, vegetable soup
More soup recipes
Whenever it is cold outside, I find myself drinking lots of tea and dreaming up new soup recipes. I love preparing soup for family meals. It is so easy to feed a large number of people with a one-pot meal, and you can vary the flavor to suit everyone by adding vegan yogurt, herbs and spices to individual bowls. Here are some more soup recipes to get your meal planning kick-started:
