Vegetarian Split Pea Soup

This super simple Vegetarian Split Pea Soup is easy to whip up and is one of the best soups for filling you up thanks to the help of the split peas (or lentils)!

Course Soup, Budget friendly, Kid Friendly

Cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword easy, recipe, best, green, lentil

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 35

Total Time 45

Servings -5

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium-sized white onion finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves pressed
3 medium-sized celery stocked chopped
2 medium-sized carrots sliced
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh thyme
1-2 tbsp vegetable stock paste
2 cups par-cooked split peas - SEE NOTES
1/4 cup vegan ham chopped
1/4 cup smoked tofu cubed
2 bay leaves
8 cups boiling water or add as desired - SEE NOTES
Garnish with fresh thyme red chili flakes and lemon

Instructions

To a large pot, heat the olive oil for 30 seconds before adding the onion. Cook down for 5 minutes on low heat. You do not want your onions to brown too much, so keep a close eye on them and stir often.
To the pot, add the minced garlic, celery, and carrots. Cook them for 5 minutes with the lid on stirring often to avoid burning.
Increase heat to medium-high and add the sea salt, pepper, thyme, stock paste, splits peas, "ham", tofu and bay leaves to the pot. Stir till every ingredient is well coated with vegetable stock paste and seasonings. Cook down for 3-4 minutes before checking carrots for tenderness. If fork-tender, increase heat to high and add water. If not, cook for another 3-4 minutes or until soft! Then, bring the soup to a boil then simmer for 20 minutes or until split peas are perfectly tender.
Serve with fresh lemon, thyme and red chili flakes.

Notes

I would recommend soaking the split peas in water for 4 hours before cooking. Strain and drain from soaking water then cook for 20 minutes before adding to the soup.

You can use lentils if you don't have access to split peas.

If you do not have a vegetable stock paste, simply use vegetable stock and substitute it for the boiling water. Add as much as you desire. More for a more brothy soup, less for a thicker, heartier, stew-like soup!