Vegetarian Split Pea Soup: A Slow Cooker Recipe

Soup’s on! It’s the season to enjoy this Vegetarian Split Pea Soup. Grab your favorite book and come enjoy a big bowl of comfort.

Do you like recipes that let you literally throw the ingredients into a pot and walk away?

Do you also like recipes that taste like you have spent hours cooking up a storm in the kitchen?

If you said yes, this recipe is for you! Nothing is better than coming home from a long day at work and enjoying the benefits of a simple, home-cooked meal.

This slow cooker soup is a hot, comforting and satisfying soup that is perfect for the cozy sweater weather we have been having.

Come and take a look at how you, too, with a net investment of fifteen minutes, can be enjoying a weeknight meal that is healthy and hearty.

An initial investment of just fifteen minutes is required to chop the vegetables.

The usual culprits, referred to as “the holy trinity” or mirepoix, are required to make this soup. Naturally, we are referring to onions, carrots and celery. Include celery leaves when making this soup, as this is a great flavor enhancer.

Did you know that parsley stalks are another flavor booster?

If you throw those parsley stalks in the compost bin, store them in your freezer. The next time you are making a hearty soup like this Split Pea Soup or this Easy White Bean Soup, just throw in those precious stalks… your taste buds will thank you 🙂

The star of this soup is the green split pea. Here are just some of the reasons why it is so easy to love this wonderful legume, which can also be referred to as pulses:

• they are inexpensive;
• they are easily accessible;
• they provide an excellent source of fiber and plant protein;
• they will provide you with a creamy texture without the addition of milk;
• there are convenient to use as there is no need to presoak.

Peas that will not soften:  Occasionally, it does happen that no matter how long you simmer your peas, they never seem to cook. Here are some of the contributing factors:

• the age of the peas;
• storage at high temperature and high humidity;
• cooking the peas with a source of acidity, such as tomato sauce, wine, lemon juice or vinegar. If using, it is best to add these towards the end of the cooking time.

Although these split peas can generally be cooked within 1-2 hours (when using the stovetop method), a longer simmer will ensure the complete breakdown of the split peas. You can imagine you will be rewarded with a wonderfully creamy texture since we are using a slow cooker. In fact, this Split Pea Soup gets even creamier and thicker when consumed the next day.

So, once you have properly rinsed and sorted the peas, add them to your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. Put the lid on your slow cooker and forget about it for the next 6 hours or so.

But where is the ham? Traditionally, a split pea soup includes a ham bone. I assure you that this pea soup is fantastic with or without the addition of the ham. If you prefer, feel free to just add it to your slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. A leftover ham bone also works really well in this slow cooker soup recipe if you have one.

Leftovers: You will find that this Simple Slow Cooker Vegetarian Green Split Pea Soup recipe will make a lot of soup -and who doesn’t like the convenience of leftovers? Just reheat and enjoy. Leftovers can also be frozen.

Hearty soup recipes we love

• Easy White Bean Soup
• Kidney Bean and Spinach Soup
• Italian Lentil Soup
• Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe

Recipe origins

A few decades ago, I purchased a cookbook called “The Laura Secord Canadian Cookbook” at a second-hand bookstore. The original pea soup recipe can be found on page 158 in this classic cookbook. Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued by so many traditional Canadian recipes. If you recall, I have already shared this Traditional Quebec Maple Syrup Poached Eggs Recipe with all of you. Who can resist a poached egg in maple syrup, especially in Quebec?

I always felt like this was the best traditional pea soup recipe. My belief was recently confirmed by none other than the Canadian food icon, Elizabeth Baird. I had the privilege of hearing Ms. Baird share her knowledge and passion for Canadian food history at the 2017 Food Bloggers of Canada conference, where Ms. Baird was the keynote speaker.

At this conference, I learned that the two most important recipes developed in Canada are butter tarts and carrot pudding. During this conference that Ms.Baird mentioned that the best pea soup recipe was in this cookbook.

I have adapted the recipe by reducing the amount of liquid and eliminating the ham bone to make this version.

This large healthy bowl of comfort food is waiting for you.

THANKS SO MUCH for following and being part of the She Loves Biscotti community where you will find Simple & Tasty Family-Friendly Recipes with an Italian Twist.

Ciao for now,

Maria 

★★★★★ If you have made this Split Pea Soup, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!

Recipe

Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

Soup's on! It's the season to enjoy this Simple Slow Cooker Vegetarian Split Green Pea Soup. Grab your favorite book and come enjoy a big bowl of comfort.

4.86 from 7 votes

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Canadian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Maria Vannelli RD

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Ingredients

• 1 pound green split peas (about 2 ½ cups) dried, picked over, rinsed and drained
• 8-10 cups vegetable broth low sodium, room temperature or cold
• 3 onions medium, diced, small
• 2 carrots cubed
• 2 celery stalks including leaves
• 3 bay leaves
• ¼ cup parsley finely chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp savory

Instructions

• Add all of the ingredients (except the savory) in a slow cooker.
• Cover and cook on high for about 6 hours or until the split peas are thoroughly cooked.
• Discard the bay leaves.
• Add the savory. Season to taste and serve.

Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

Notes

Start with 8 cups of vegetable stock; toward the end of cooking, you may need to adjust the thickness of the soup.

There may be some slight variations of total cooking time based on the type of slow cooker you have.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

*adapted from The Laura Secord Canadian Cook Book

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 2g | Sodium: 646mg | Potassium: 472mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2245IU | Vitamin C: 5.4mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 2mg

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