Description
This Vegetarian Split Pea Soup is packed with tons of flavor and gets its smokiness from the smoked paprika. This plant based soup is hearty, filling and perfect for a cold winter day. Aside from split peas, it is also filled with carrots, celery, onion and potatoes. Enjoy for lunch or dinner and serve with bread and salad, if desired.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or oil of choice
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 1/5 cups diced carrot
- 1 1/5 cups diced celery
- 1 1/2 cups diced russet potato, peeled if you prefer
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs, such as Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 1/2 cups dried split peas, I like to use green ones
- 7 cup vegetable broth, I prefer a thicker soup but you can add in 1-2 more cups of broth if you want a thinner consistency
- Salt and black pepper, toaste
- Fresh parsley and lemon juice, if desired
Instructions
- I like to prepare all of my ingredients before starting the soup, so the cooking process can go easily and smoothly. Heat a large pot over medium heat and add olive oil, diced onion, celery and carrot. Add a pinch of salt and stir veggies together. Cook until vegetables are starting to soften, 3-4 minutes.
- Next, add in the potatoes, garlic, dried herbs, cumin and smoked paprika. Cook together for another 1-2 minutes, until garlic is fragrant. Add in the split peas and veggie broth and mix together well.
- Bring the soup up to a simmer and then place the lid on, I usually leave a little space for air to get out so the soup doesn’t boil over. Turn the heat to low/medium and cook soup until vegetables are softened and split peas are cooked to your liking. The time will vary depending on whether you pre-soaked your split peas and how soft you want them. I usually like mine to have a little bit of texture, but more on the mushy side. After soaking my split peas in hot water for about 20 minutes before cooking, my soup cooked for about 75 minutes.
- Once soup is finished cooking, add about 3/4 cup of the soup to a blender (or just half if you prefer a chunkier soup), or food processor, and blend until mostly smooth. It doesn’t have to be silky smooth unless that is what you prefer. Pour the blended soup back into the soup pot and mix together until completely combined.
- Give the soup a taste and season with salt and black pepper, as necessary. I like to garnish each individual serving with some fresh herbs, a squeeze of lemon juice and a big sprinkle of extra smoked paprika. Enjoy!
Notes
Cook time will vary depending on if you have pre-soaked your split peas and what texture you prefer your split peas.
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 90 mins
- Category: Soup, Lunch
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
