* Dairy-free and Vegetarian alterations are below in the recipe.
I grew up in the 1970’s when Campbell’s canned soup was a staple in our house. I get that it may still be a staple in some homes but it never crosses the threshold in ours. It has too many unwanted additives these days. But, back then, one of my favorites was the green pea soup. It came out of the can in a thick, molded cylinder and had to be mixed with water and heated on the stovetop. It was something I, as a kid, could make myself. And, I did. Often.
Funny, that I never made it as an adult – the canned version OR the homemade version. I guess I simply forgot about it for about 30 years. Funny how different foods are like that.
A couple weeks ago when I was leisurely strolling the grocery store aisle and came across a bag of split peas. My mind started racing with ideas for a recipe and I gathered all ingredients right then and there. It’s always nice when the recipe on your plate turns out like the one in your mind as this one did!
Warning: this is nothing like the canned variety. Nothing! It’s rich and creamy with so much flavor and texture. I elected to not blend all the texture out of it because, well, I’m an adult now and texture doesn’t scare me. I love the pieces of carrot and onion – the crunch of the bacon and the rich saltiness of the butter.
Mmmmm, butter…
A couple notes on this recipe:
• I used my own homemade bone broth. If you’d like to know how I make it, go here.
• I use bacon from our own pig. If I were buying bacon at the store, I would look for natural bacon that is nitrate/nitrite free. It’s also called, uncured. It doesn’t last as long in the fridge but who really has bacon last long anyway?
• The recipe calls for blending with a stick blender or carefully in a countertop blender. Honestly, if you don’t have an immersion blender, you need one. It makes life so much easier. I love this Cuisinart immersion blender. I’ve had it for years and I use it several times a week. The small food processor is great for chopping nuts and small amounts. The whisk makes short work of whipped cream too. I highly recommend it!
- ½ cup onions, diced
- 1 cup carrots, diced small
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 cups split peas, washed and sorted
- 6 cups bone broth, separated (use vegetable broth for vegetarian/vegan)
- 1 tsp. salt
- Pepper to taste
- -
- Butter (omit for vegan)
- Bacon, diced and fried (omit for vegetarian/vegan)
- In a stock pot, combine peas and 5 cups bone broth.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 50-60 minutes or until tender.
- In the meantime, saute' the onions, celery and carrots until tender and set aside.
- Once the peas are tender, add half the vegetables and remaining broth.
- Blend with a stick blender or carefully in batches in a countertop blender.
- Once blended, add remaining vegetables and serve with a pat of butter in the center of the bowl.
- Top with bacon, if desired.