It only takes one hearty vegetarian soup to ignite a craving within your taste buds for more! Of course the best time to indulge in hot soups is when they thermometer drops, but that does not spot me from enjoying this recipe any other time of the year! Split pea soup is pure comfort food for many and it is surprisingly easy to make at home. My son and I love soups for lunch and they are perfect quick filling meals to change up the routine while getting all the veggie intake for the day. If you child is picky eater, then you can even hide those “not so favorite veggies” in the soup without any little ones knowing! My son loves to drink this soup with homemade french bread or store brought sourdough bread. I love this soup, especially when topped off with all the toppings along with baked cheesy garlic croutons. If you love soup as much as I do, then definitely you need to give this hearty soup a try! Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cups diced onions
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
6 cups of vegetable broth for stove top method (4 cups of water for instant pot method)
1 1/4 cups dried green split peas
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp salt (adjust to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
For Garnishing (optional)
1/2 cup finely chopped coriander
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
Croutons
Method
Instant pot
Turn on Instant pot to saute. Once hot, add oil, onion, garlic, carrots, and celery; saute until softened. Stir in broth, split peas, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir to combine the flavors. Place the lid on Instant pot with venting leaver closed. Turn to soup pressure cooking high for 15 minutes. The Instant pot will take 15 minutes or so to get to high pressure, then it will beep and begin counting down from the 15 minutes. Relieve pressure via quick release pressure valve once timer is up. Carefully open the lid and remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf from soup and discard. Add more broth or water to thin as desired; and more salt & pepper to taste. (If you prefer creamy soup, puree with an immersion blender or Vitamix) Serve hot topped with garnishing toppings as desired.
Stovetop
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery; cook until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook for another minute. Stir in broth and split peas, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low, simmer partially covered for 1 hours or until peas are falling apart. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf from soup and discard. Add more broth or water to thin as desired; and more salt & pepper to taste. (If you prefer creamy soup, puree with an immersion blender or Vitamix) Serve hot topped with garnishing toppings as desired.
Notes – Soup can be stored in airtight container up to 4 days or frozen up to 3 months.
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