This vegan split pea soup recipe Is made with creamy split green peas, golden potatoes and infused with a subtle layer of smokiness from a dash of liquid smoke. Healthy, no ham hock, no meat, no dairy, one pot stove top recipe cooked in my dutch oven.
Pick through the split peas and rinse well. Place in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soak for 2 hours. Drain before adding to the soup.
1.5 cups green split peas
Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat. Add a light drizzle of olive oil (or water for WFPB) and sautee the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt until softened and they start to get some color. A good 10 minutes stirring often.
1 large onion, 1 large carrot, 2 celery stalks
Stir in the smoked paprika, onion powder, bay, thyme and rosemary. Give everything a good toss and cook until the spices are fragrant, a minute or so. Add inn the soaked split peas.
Pour in the 5 cups of water and bring to a boil. Partially cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.
5 cups water
Add the diced potatoes to the soup and cook an additional 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes have softened and the split peas are fully cooked and creamy.
4 - 5 golden potatoes
Stir in the nutritional yeast and liquid smoke if using and adjust seasonings to taste with about 1 teaspoon smoked sea salt or your favorite salt. Remove the soup from heat and discard the woody herbs sprigs. Garnish with the fresh parsley, dill or chives and a pinch of chili flakes for heat. Serve with bruschetta croutons or crusty bread.
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 1 tsp liquid smoke, smoked sea salt to taste, Red pepper flakes to taste, 1/3 cup fresh parsley
WFPB + Plantricious
For WFPB compliance make sure to sautee in water instead of olive oil.
Notes
Thickening - As the soup sits and cools down it will thicken up, if needed you can thin it out with a splash of veggie broth when reheating.
Storage + Make Ahead - This is a great soup to make ahead and freeze in smaller portions for a rainy day. Thaw out in the refrigerator and heat up until bubbly on the stove top. Add a little splash of water to loosen it up if need be.
Do I have to soak the split peas? - I highly recommend a quick soak of 2 hours in hot water. There is no way to tell how fresh your peas are or how dry. For example, when purchasing bulk in a humid tropical climate such as South Florida our legumes have more moisture and cook faster than they do in a dry arid desert climate. So for best results and quickest cooking time you should always do a quick soak.