Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup ticks all the boxes for me: healthy, creamy, and rich. When I can add veggies from my own garden ~ even better.
With one soup pot and an hour’s time, it’s easy to make a large pot of this split pea soup every few weeks for my family. It’s a family favorite, not just for the adults but the kids, too! I love that – little do they know they’re eating a high fiber, veggie-packed meal.
I must confess – we are freezer meal people. As a busy mom and educator, our family lives off of freezer meals during the busy winter months. By the time we’re all home from work and school, the sky is dark and the cold just feels a little bit colder.
Hot soup to the rescue!
And this Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup – well, this soup freezes and thaws like a dream! It tastes just as yummy out of the freezer as it does on the day it’s made. Therefore we keep a few quart-size bags on hand in the freezer and they certainly don’t last long.
This soup is packed with a garden variety of tasty veggies: crisp carrots, sweet celery, savory mushrooms, hearty broccoli and (of course) delicious onions. They’re cooked along with the split peas to produce a rich, healthy taste that is hearty, full of fiber and super delicious.
The Perfect Soup ~ Creamy & Chunky!
One of my most prized kitchen toys is my Ninja, and I put it to good use in this tasty recipe. Over the years, sure…I’ve had blenders. But (I know I sound like an info-mercial) none measured up to what I have in my Ninja.
I use it all the time and thankfully, it’s a cinch to clean up. I have had my share of crappy blenders; I’ll never go back now that I’ve known the Ninja.
Enter the Ninja
This Ninja was one of our first purchases when we joined Amazon – it was on our wedding registry and we used gift cards to buy it. At first I doubted it would be worth the investment, but I’m happy to say – I’ve been converted. Thousands of reviews can’t all be lies!
Smoothie Cups Saved the Day
When I was pregnant, I used the handy little smoothie cups and blade to make veggie-filled smoothies (checkout my Carrot Cubes and Veggie Cubes for smoothies). I’d pack as many vitamins and nutrients as I could into those glasses, fueling my body and giving Baby a healthy start. PLUS morning sickness made fruit smoothies the only thing I could stomach for a few LONG weeks.
When Baby arrived, I made all my own baby food using the same smoothie cups and super sharp blades to blend up steamed veggies and pureed fruits. I’d freeze them just like I do my Veggie Cubes for smoothies. Organic baby food – PRESTO!
Now that we’re all eating “grown up food,” I still use my Ninja weekly. It has an attachment for all my needs, and blades that are as sharp today as they were on Day 1.
In 2019 my kiddo had a major surgery – a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (read our story here). Though using a straw was out, it was vital that foods be soft and easy to digest.
Ninja saves the day again!
I’ll be honest, I couldn’t stand the idea of my kid eating nothing but ice cream for the 14 day-long recovery. So instead, soup and smoothies took center stage, with sweets like pudding and ice cream occasionally surfacing.
If you’re in the market for a legitimately great blender that you won’t have to replace in 2 years, here it is. Ours is 6 years old and still going strong. Yes – worth every gift card penny!
Making Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
You’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make this vitamin-packed, one pot Vegetable Garden Split Pea Soup.
Prep your vegetables and dice them. In a large soup pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil. Saute the carrots, onions, celery and garlic over medium heat, until the onions are transparent – about 6-8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and broccoli and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients – peas, broth, salt and pepper to taste. Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, cover and simmer on low to medium heat until the split peas are tender – mine take 45 minutes to an hour. Feel free to add more broth if the soup seems to thick for your taste.
Once the split peas are tender and cooked, add all the soup to your blender (in my case, my Ninja) and puree until smooth. Serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of pine nuts or sunflower or pumpkin seeds (if you eat grains/flour, this soup is great with herb croutons).
The Recipe
Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Food processor (we use a Ninja) or immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried green split peas, rinsed and sorted
- 8-10 cups vegetable stock or chicken broth
- 4 ribs celery, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 4 mushrooms (any variety), diced I recommend cremini
- 1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- serve with sour cream, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or pumpkin seeds (optional)
Instructions
Saute the Vegetables
- In a large soup pot, heat 2-3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Add carrots, onions, celery and garlic, and saute until onions are translucent - approximately 6-8 minutes.
- Add broccoli and mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes.
Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
- Add split peas, broth, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until split peas are fully cooked and tender, approximately 45 minutes to an hour. (If the soup is too thick for your preference, add more broth ¼ cup at a time.)
- Puree soup with an immersion blender or food processor (I use my Ninja).
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a garnish of pine nuts, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds to taste.
Storing Your Garden Vegetable Split Pea Soup
- Refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. This also freezes very well for up to 3 months.
