Split Pea Soup with Bacon

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Split Pea Soup is the perfect comfort food! It is delicious, satisfying, and so easy to make. If you ever thought it was a complicated dish, this pea soup recipe will change your mind. It is a simple and foolproof recipe!

What is split pea soup?

Split pea soup is a pea soup recipe made with split peas. Split peas are dried green peas, hulled and split in two. That makes them cook more easily without the need to soak them ahead of time.

Peas are high in protein and low in fat, and contain a high quantity of fiber. Not surprisingly, they are used in many countries all around the world.

What are the ingredients for split pea soup?

You don’t need any special exotic products in order to make this pea soup recipe. Each and every ingredient can easily be found in your local store. You may even already have them on hand:

• Split Peas
• Olive oil
• Onions
• Garlic
• Carrots
• Celery
• Bacon
• Bay Leaves
• Chicken Stock
• Salt and Pepper

When you have a leftover ham bone on hand, you can use that for one of the best ham bone soup recipes you'll ever try. Otherwise, it's so convenient and easy to make this split green pea soup with bacon.

How to Make Split Pea Soup

With few common ingredients and simple steps you can make a fantastic pea and bacon soup your whole family will love!

1. Cook the bacon in the pot where you will boil the soup. Remove the bacon and leave it for later. 
2. Cook the vegetables with olive oil in the same large pot
3. Add the stock and the split peas
4. Simmer until the split peas are tender and the soup starts becoming creamy.

It is literally that easy! Serve and enjoy with crispy bread or even a simple sandwich.

How to Cook Split Peas - do split peas need to be soaked before cooking?

Split peas do not need to be soaked before cooking. They cook easily without soaking because they have been dried, hulled, and split in two ahead of time.

What to Serve with Split Green Pea Soup

Pea soup is a fantastic meal to eat on its own! You can add more ground pepper to it when you serve it and you can garnish with parsley. You can even swap out the bacon for ham or sausage.

A great addition to this soup is a nice Italian style bread, like focaccia or ciabatta, or homemade bread like in this easy sprouted bread recipe. You could also serve this pea soup recipe alongside a fresh vegetable salad or with gluten free rolls or biscuits.

Here is a selection of wonderful soup recipes we think you'll love:

• Hungarian Mushroom Soup
• Mushroom Grilled Cheese and French Onion Soup
• Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
• Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Egg Noodles

Let us know in the comments what you think about this recipe! If you made it, we would love to hear your feedback!

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Split Pea Soup

Recipe Author: Isabel Laessig

Split Pea Soup is the perfect comfort food! It is delicious, satisfying, and so easy to make. If you ever thought it was a complicated dish, this pea soup recipe will change your mind. It is a simple and foolproof recipe!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Servings 6 servings

Calories 440 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 pound split peas
• ▢ 2 tbs olive oil
• ▢ 5 slices smoked bacon - diced
• ▢ 2 medium carrots - diced
• ▢ 1 onion - diced
• ▢ 1 celery stalk - diced
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves - minced
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 6 cups chicken stock
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ fresh parsley to garnish - optional

Instructions

 

• In a large pot cook the bacon over medium heat until brown and slightly crispy. Remove the bacon and discard any excessive fat from the pot.
• Heat the olive oil in the same pot and cook the onion in it for 1-2 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic, carrots and celery and cook for 1-2 minutes.
• Add to the pot the chicken stock, the split peas and the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot with a lid and bring to boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 1.5 hours, or until the peas are soft and the soup starts becoming creamy.
• You will probably need to add more water during the cooking as it will quickly evaporate and the soup will become too thick.
• When the split pea soup is ready, remove the bay leaves.
• Garnish the soup with fresh parsley and the cooked bacon.

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5 from 6 votes

Notes

1. Add the leftover bacon to the soup. It will be very nice when reheated.

2. For a vegetarian version skip the bacon and use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Garnish the soup with toasted nuts (almonds or peanuts) and crushed dried red peppers.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 440kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 30gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 19mgSodium: 585mgPotassium: 1167mgFiber: 20gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 3510IUVitamin C: 4.7mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 4.1mg

This post was updated on June 24, 2019.