I recently saw split peas at the grocery store and they looked so beautifully green, kind of like the hills around here, what with all the rain we’ve had! I just had to get them.
They were dried, of course, and in the bulk section, so that meant I’d have to soak them to make them more easily digestible, which wouldn’t be difficult considering they’d be made into soup anyhow! So I grabbed 2 cups of them. As with all legumes, split peas are not exactly low-carb, coming in at about 27g per cup. So if you’re on a LC diet you may want to avoid them, or save them for when you want/crave/need a few extra carbs. Not the worst thing you can eat, but plan accordingly!
The recipe I made is not vegetarian, but certainly could be with a few substitutions. I find this short list of ingredients really all you need to make great split pea soup. It’s even easier because this version is made in a slow cooker. Easy-peasy!
Ingredients:
2 cups dried split peas
1 ham hock or ham shank, preferably smoked
1 yellow onion, chopped
6 cups chicken stock (or water and/or veggie stock if you prefer)
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic
Sea salt
Extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling on top, optional
Place the split peas in a bowl of water and allow anything foreign to float to the surface. Pick through, rinse, drain.
Place everything in the slow cooker with the exception of the salt. You never want to add salt to beans or legumes when they are cooking, as it makes them hard. Add the salt at the end just before eating.Turn the slow cooker setting on low and let cook for 8-10 hours. Remove and discard the ham bone and break up the chunks of meat with a fork.
Add the salt, drizzle with a little olive oil, and enjoy!
