Blue Ribbon Split Pea Soup Recipe (Vegetarian or With A Ham Bone)
This hardy split pea soup is flavorful and delicious. The vegetarian version is wonderful, but if you eat meat, making it with a ham bone is even better.
food processor (optional) - for chopping and shredding vegetables
frying pan
6 quart slow cooker or large soup pot
hand blender or regular blender (optional) - this is only necessary if you want to puree the soup
Ingredients
10cupswater
2cupsgreen split peas
2Tablespoonsbutter
1Tablespoonsafflower oil
1clovegarlicminced
1½cupsonionschopped
2cupscabbagefinely shredded
1cupcarrotschopped
1cupcelerychopped
1teaspoon or cubevegetable bouillon
1teaspoondried basil
1teaspoondried thyme
1teaspoondried marjoram
½teaspoondried oregano
½teaspoondried summer savory
½teaspoonsea salt
¼teaspooncelery seed
¼teaspoonground coriander
⅛teaspoondried sage
⅛teaspoondried tarragon
⅛teaspoonPepper
4Tablespoonsfresh parsleyminced or 4 teaspoons dried parsley
To Make The Soup With A Ham Bone (Optional)
1ham bone
Instructions
Add 10 cups water and 2 cups split peas to the crock pot or stock pot.
Heat 2 Tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon safflower oil in a frying pan.
Add the chopped onions and minced garlic to the pan. Saute for 30 seconds.
Add the shredded cabbage, chopped carrots, and chopped celery. Cook for several minutes until soft, stirring frequently.
Add the vegetables into the slow cooker or stock pot.
Mix in 1 teaspoon (or cube) vegetable bouillon, 1 teaspoon basil, 1 teaspoon thyme, 1 teaspoon marjoram, ½ teaspoon oregano, ½ teaspoon summer savory, ½ teaspoon sea salt, ¼ teaspoon celery seed, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, ⅛ teaspoon sage, ⅛ teaspoon tarragon and ⅛ teaspoon pepper.
In a crock pot, cook on High for 4 to 5 hours. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to allow the soup to thicken.In a stock pot, bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 1½ hours, stirring frequently.
Stir in 4 Tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley (or 4 teaspoons of dried parsley).
Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
For a smooth soup, use a hand blender to puree all the ingredients together or work in batches to puree the soup in a standard blender. Omit this step for a chunky soup.
To Make Split Pea Soup With A Ham Bone
Replace the first step above with the following steps:- Put the ham bone, 10 cups water, and 2 cups split peas in a large soup kettle or crock pot. - If using a stock pot, bring to a boil and simmer covered for 2 hours. - In a crock pot, cook on High for 2 hours.
Continue with the rest of the steps as listed above.
Remove the ham bone before adding the chopped parsley.
At the end, (after the soup has been pureed if desired), cut any meat off of the bone, chop it, and add to the soup.
Notes
Pea soup tastes better if refrigerated overnight and eaten the next day.
The soup can be frozen in an air tight container and stored for up to 3 months.