Split Pea Soup, the Vegetarian Way

Split pea soup is made from split peas, which are part of the lentil family. Lentils are an excellent source of vegetarian protein, and are arguably nutritionally superior to even beans or whole grains. Green split peas are actually the same garden peas that most people are familiar with, just dried and mechanically split into two halves. Yellow peas have a slightly different, more earthy flavor.

Don't let the idea of a 'pea' discourage you, I am totally not a pea person either. You will be surprised that in the dried form, and prepared in the following manner, the resulting split pea soup will be completely different than the pod-peas that we were grudgingly made to clean our plate of as children.

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, chopped
2 cups dried split green or yellow peas
5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice (or half a lemon, squeezed)


1. Depending on where you get your split peas, you might want to sift through them by hand to separate any debris that results from the harvesting process.
2.Use a large pot. First, heat the olive oil at a medium-high setting. Add the onions and cook until they are soft, and clear.
3.Add split peas and water. Wait until you have a good boil going, then bring the heat down to a low setting to simmer.(Similar to as if you were cooking rice)
4.Cook until the peas are cooked-through. The soup should not be pure liquid, but should have a soup-y consistency. The peas should still retain some texture.
5.Add salt and lemon juice to taste. You can expriement with other spices (pepper, paprika, curry powder, etc...) based on your tastes.
What spices do you like in your split pea soup? I'd love to hear from you.

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