Sausage Split Pea Soup
If you don’t like Split Pea Soup, this recipe is probably not going to make you a believer. But if you love Split Pea Soup like I do, this recipe will rock your world.
Split Pea Soup has been around a long time.
Pea soup has been eaten since antiquity; it is mentioned in Aristophanes‘ The Birds, and according to one source “the Greeks and Romans were cultivating this legume about 500 to 400 BC. During that era, vendors in the streets of Athens were selling hot pea soup.”[1]
Wikipedia
Good news if you crave split peas: you’ll be able to find some form of split pea soup in almost any culture. The soup is often flavored with ham or sausage.
Great News: split peas themselves are very good for you.
Split peas are an agricultural or culinary preparation consisting of the dried, peeled and split seeds of Pisum sativum, the pea.
Split peas are high in protein and low in fat, with one gram of fat per 350 calories (1,500 kJ) serving. Most of the calories come from protein and complex carbohydrates. The split pea is known to be a natural food source that contains some of the highest amounts of dietary fibre, containing 26 grams of fibre per 100 gram portion (104% DV based on a 2,000 calories (8,400 kJ) diet).
Wikipedia
Did I mention that this fabulous soup is cheap eats too? You can make an entire pot of the stuff for around ten bucks. What are we waiting for?
Brown the sausage in a Dutch oven or Stock Pot (Affiliate links follow – see disclaimer for detail). When the sausage is browned and broken up, add the garlic, carrots and onion. I like to leave some bigger chunks because they look and taste great in the bowl. Skim off visible fat before adding the veggies. In case you were wondering: Yes, I did use a red onion. Because it was the only onion in the house. It tasted great – but regular yellow onions are what I use most often, and those taste almost exactly the same.
Cook for a few more minutes until the onion gets translucent. Then add the split peas.
This is the last time the peas will be that green~
Mix them in well before adding the water, the soup base and seasoning. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the peas soften and break up.
Keep an eye on the liquid level. I usually end up adding another couple cups of water before all is said and done. You want to make sure the split peas are covered throughout the cooking process. Eventually, your soup will look like it should.
All the peas should be completely incorporated into the soup. If you like your soup a little thinner, just add a bit more water. Taste for seasoning, and add more salt and (copious) black pepper to taste.
The end product is a very pretty grayish green. I’ve seen a lot of pictures that show the soup being a grinch-green, but I don’t know how that happens. Maybe those cooks are adding food color? Surely not.
Sausage Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 pounds Bulk Italian Sausage (hot or mild)
- 1 medium Onion, chopped fine
- 1 medium Carrot, peeled and sliced thinly
- 1 Garlic Clove, peeled and smashed
- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 pound Dried split peas
- 2 tbsp Chicken Soup Base
- 6 cups Water, plus more to cover wile cooking
- Kosher Salt and Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Crumble and saute sausage in Dutch oven or stock pot until cooked through and browned. Remove visible fat.
- Add onions, carrots and garlic to sausage. Mix well and allow to cook for a few minutes until onions are translucent. Add poultry seasoning and chicken soup base.
- Add split peas to pot. Add six cups of water and mix well.
- Bring soup to a boil then reduce heat to low, and simmer until peas are tender. They should appear almost mashed when done. Add more water as necessary to keep peas completely submerged during cooking.
- Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as desired. Serve piping hot!
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