Easy Split Pea Soup

Whether fall is officially here or not I think anytime is a good time for some hearty, tasty soup! And this soup is so darn easy that my 6-year-old practically made it by herself (with close supervision of course). All I had to do was chop an onion and garlic…oh and buy the ingredients and help her read the recipe, but she pretty much did the rest. So the point is if a child can make this soup then so can you. :) And the best way to get your own child to possibly eat this pea green soup is to get them involved in making it with you. I suppose topping the soup off with chopped hot dogs or bacon might help lure them in as well. My other daughter, who is the pickier one, didn’t dig right into this soup like I had hoped. But as soon as she saw the bacon (which is her fav!) floating in there she ate a decent sized portion of the soup, which made me happy. So without further ado here it is!

Easy Split Pea Soup

4.75 from 4 votes

Course: Dinner, Soups

Dietary Restriction: Egg Free, Peanut/Tree-Nut Free

Servings (Adjust to suit): 8

Adapted from Emeril Lagasse. This recipe serves 8, but there will also be enough to freeze some leftovers!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon salt, if you are using store bought chicken broth that is already salted only use 1/8 teaspoon
• pepper, to taste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 pound green split peas, dried, picked over and rinsed
• 8 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• hot sauce, to taste

Recommended Toppings and Accompaniments

• bacon, chopped
• ham, diced
• sausage

Instructions

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot.
2. Add the onions and season with salt and pepper.
3. Once the onions have softened add the garlic, bay leaf, split peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Add the broth/stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer and stir occasionally for 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.
5. Remove soup pot from heat, discard the bay leaf, and puree using a hand-held immersion blender. The soup may be pureed in batches in a freestanding blender as well.
6. Stir in the milk and hot sauce (if desired) and ladle warm soup into bowls. Add your favorite topping and enjoy!