Is my warm bowl of Homestyle Vegan Pea Soup, served with a side of crusty wheat bread and vegan butter the best lunch ever?? OK, "best ever" is a strong statement - but right now as I dive in with my eager soup spoon, I have to say, this dish is a very worthy contender.
Pea Soup Kick. Although I just a few weeks ago posted my hearty recipe for Harissa Split Pea Soup. But since the from scratch pea soup process was so gosh darn easy, I decided to do it again. And this time I keep the ingredients a bit more homestyle with rustic diced carrots and onion, cheezy nutritional yeast and some diced mushrooms too. Get my recipe!...
Cheap (yummy, healthy) Lunch! I get so excited when I craft a recipe that is not only easy and restaurant-quality delicious, but also cheap! And yes, Split Pea Soup fits those qualities. I buy about 2 cups of dried organic split peas from Whole Foods (from the reasonably priced bulk-bin section), and I'm just about ready to make fantastic soup!
Flavors. The liquid smoke adds a smoky layer that meshes perfectly with the warm 'cheezy' flavor of the nutritional yeast. Mushrooms, carrots and potato accents are perfect pea companions. ..if you don't have nutritional yeast, that's OK - but I highly recommend you try adding healthy nutritional yeast to your pantry!
Healthy Peas. Peas are pretty much superheros when it comes to vegan nutrition. They are a great source of 100% vegan protein, fiber, and other assorted nutrients. They also fill you up and keep you going on a cold fall or winter day.
...and NYC has been pretty chilly and snow-covered lately! Crave this soup, then make it!
Homestyle Vegan Pea Soup
vegan, makes 1 big pot - servings: about 5-6 bowls
2 cups split peas, dried
8 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 small onion, diced (or ½ cup diced fennel)
1 large carrot, sliced into rounds or half-round
¼ teaspoon black pepper (or to taste)
¾ - 1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon garlic powder or 2 fresh cloves, minced
2 tablespoon vegan liquid smoke (optional, but advised for smoky flavor)
2-3 pinches cayenne (or to taste)
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
½ cup mashed white potato or ½ cup dehydrated potato flakes
1-2 tablespoon vegan buttery spread (optional, but adds a rich homestyle flavor I love. If you adds this, you do not need as much salt)
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
salt to taste (at least ½ tsp)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
handful of chopped spinach or arugula (optional for added greens)
garnish: fresh herbs like chopped dill, parsley, fennel fronds or cilantro.
Directions:
1. Soak your dried peas in salted water overnight.
2. Add all your ingredients to a large soup pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover pot with lid and allow to simmer for several hours. Be sure not to burn the bottom of the soup. Pea soup burns quite easily - so monitor it closely if this is your first time making it. Low temperatures for a long period of time work best. You could also use a slow cooker if you'd like.
3. I actually enjoy my peas a bit al dente, but keep simmering until the peas are tender to your likeness. Serve same day, or for even better flavor results, allow the soup to sit in the fridge for 1-2 days and reduce and marinate the peas. Soup like this tends to be better the next day!
4. Simply reheat and serve. *remove bay leaf before serving* Crusty bread and vegan butter are the perfect side to this cozy bowl. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Happy pea soup eating!
Cynthia says
Hi & thank you! I felt fine pureeing, since I'm excited to try it again on the stovetop, go step by step, and get it right. 🙂 The texture was definitely part of why I had to try this one, but THANK YOU for saving my soup! I happened to have some baked sweet potatoes to throw in & I added some broth, and It helped immensely! & if you are curious... yes, they were dried split peas, and yes, it was just like a bad apple. Weird, eh? It's a learning process! haha Thank you again! You are awesome.
Cynthia says
I'm wondering...This is in NO WAY a reflection on this amazing recipe--The flavor profile of this soup is DELICIOUS, even without waiting a day & even skipping mushrooms for my partner (Bah! I bet they are SO good in there! 🙂 ).And, I mean seriously delicious! But, has anyone else ever had a problem with lentils & split peas coming out kind of mealy or does anyone have a solution? I always seem to have this problem, and I'm not sure if I'm overcooking or undercooking but the texture of my lentils or peas are never as good as canned. They stayed together mostly and weren't mushy, just mealy& not what I'm aiming for. I used Whole Foods Organic Split Peas (prepackaged) & did soak them overnight. And, I used a slow cooker on low for 8 1/2 hours. Thank you for any help! & thank you, Kathy, as always for your incredible recipes& all the heart you put into this site. Ijs- I am eating every drop of this soup, even if I haven't mastered my legume technique. 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
Hey Cynthia! So you are using dried split peas, yes? I always use me stovetop pot and simmer on a pretty warm temp without ever burning.. I have never described pea soup as mealy so I’m not sure what your mealy texture is to you 😹 pea soup is definitely a bit textured but not like mealy like a bad apple. You could try blending it in a blender and transferring it back to pot to simmer... sorry I can’t help more! The photos are pretty much the texture I get every time. Blending would smooth things out but I kinda like the texture... oh! I find that adding carrots or sweet potatoes especially actually smoothies the texture out a bit. Something about the starch and how it softens I tot the soup.
Sorry I can’t help more! If anyone else had any thoughts, plz chime in 🙂
Joan Ramler says
My husband and I really loved this soup. Didn't find it spicy at all. Just right. It really was quite a bit better the next day. We only added 1 or 2 drops of the liquid smoke. Just didn't think it needed any more than that. I didn't add the oil or the margarine either (trying to get our fats from whole foods such as seeds and nuts) and we certainly didn't miss it, but I'm sure you're right that it would add a richness. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I will be making this one over and over.
Sliverus Snape says
I don't know if I've ever commented on your site before, but I am an avid reader (at least twice daily), and I cook to whatever suits my fancy, usually going down to the store once a day for fresh veggies! there are my normal vegan pantry items that are a godsend to regularity, but there is also one other thing that's a regular item in my life, which is this soup on a sunday evening! and if not the sunday, then another day during the week, without fail, (like tonight) I also add zucchini, and celery,and pumpkin instead of potato, I can't get liquid smoke here in Australia, (at least I've tried), and I opt for no-oil and no-butter, I also use more apple cider, and fresh garlic instead of powdered. My partner and I LOVE this dish. He is a meat eater, but every day when I ask what he would like for dinner, he will say, MISO SOUP, or SPLIT PEA! thankyou for your recipes, the fennel fronds in this soup (my local fresh food grocers don't often stock it, so it's a real treat) are SO perfect for this dish. 🙂 yum, yum and yum!
Katie @ Produce on Parade says
I think this is perfect for our crisp, Fall day up here in Alaska! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tadaaaaaaaaa says
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Kathy Patalsky says
Nice! Love that!
Jennifer Monday says
I love this soup so much I had it for breakfast this morning! I am at home recovering from surgery, and your pea soup is comfort food at its best! Thanks for a delicious homestyle recipe!!
Deb says
Just made this two days ago, and it was wonderful. It was a big hit with my family, who are mostly meat eaters. They didn't even miss the ham, because it already had such a nice, smokey flavor to it. Thanks for another great recipe. You never disappoint!
Valentina says
It's. absolutely. heavenly!!!!
Kathy Patalsky says
crate and barrel about a year ago.. they were actually on sale/clearance when I bought them!
Kathy Patalsky says
Ha! Yea, I've made this soup like 4 times in the past 2 wks. Official pea soup addict here. 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
Thanks Jill! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. So easy right? And, yes, I'm considering cutting back on the pepper in this recipe since I've had a few comments on it. Thanks for your comment! 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
oh good. I am making ore tonight! Homemade pea soup is addicting.
Kathy Patalsky says
yes, I like food spicy. But also - the brand of harissa will make a difference too. I like le Pain's harissa because it it smoky and has a lot of flavor in just a tiny tsp-ful. thank u for your comments - So sweet. And I'm so glad you finally commented. I LOVE LOVE LOVE hearing from my readers. Hearing comments makes me a better blogger. best, Kathy
Kathy Patalsky says
oh yay, I LOVE it too! so glad you like it Sarah! 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
try it! I love crock pots - but don't have one right now.
Kathy Patalsky says
1) Kal brand nutri yeast is my fave. I also love One Lucky Duck's nutritional yeast. 2) I think this would work great in a crock pot. 3) crate and barrel last year. 🙂
Kathy Patalsky says
Canon 7d w/ macro lens. lighting is everything! Find some and your photos will
thank u.
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