Best Split Pea Soup

There’s nothing like a classic split pea soup to satisfy your comfort food craving. This soup is chock-full of veggies that are blended along with the cooked split peas (great for picky eaters!) to give you the ultimate flavor and texture. It has a porridge-like consistency, which really fills you up and is good for you. You don’t need a rainy day to prepare a big pot of this goodness. I tested this recipe during a summer heat wave and was almost apologetic when I served it to my guests. But when one of them requested a cupful to take with him on the way to the airport, I knew we were good to go!

Serves 12

• 3 Tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 celery root, peeled and chopped (optional)
• 1 parsnip, peeled and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, halved
• 3½ cups split peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 large sweet potato, grated
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt, or to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 cubes frozen parsley
• 1 kohlrabi, peeled and diced, for croutons (optional)
• cut up chives, for garnish (optional)

Heat oil in a 7-quart pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, celery root if desired, and parsnip. Sauté for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add garlic for the last 4–5 minutes.

Add the split peas and water to cover by about 1 inch (2½ cm). Bring to a boil. Lower heat and cook for 1 hour, or until veggies and split peas are soft, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat. Blend with an immersion blender until a porridge-like consistency is achieved. Return to heat, add sweet potato, salt, and pepper and 2–3 cups boiling water. Stir, and cook for 15–30 minutes.

Remove from heat and add parsley. Let steep until dissolved. Stir and taste; adjust seasoning if necessary.

Ladle soup into bowls. If desired, add diced kohlrabi and sprinkle with chives. For softer kohlrabi croutons, add them to the pot and let them sit, immersed in the soup, for a few minutes before serving.

This soup freezes well.

Note: This soup thickens as it sits. Dilute with water to achieve desired thickness.

Tip: This soup is delicious made with a meat bone. Add it at the very beginning. Remove before blending and return to soup afterward. You can even shred the little pieces of meat off the bone and add it to your soup.