Cook This: Split Pea Soup

Ugh, I love me some peas. Mushy peas at Thanksgiving, smashed peas on crostini, frozen peas in a stir fry, and especially peas in soup. Without further ado, here is an easy-peasy (see what I did there?) split pea soup recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil (the more the merrier)

1 sweet onion, thinly sliced

4 carrots, thinly sliced

3 celery stalks, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 bag of spilt peas, rinsed

1 cup chicken broth

5 cups water

PREPARATION:

In a Dutch oven or pot with a lid, heat oil over medium. Add onion, carrots and celery (AKA mirepoix); season with salt and pepper. Cook until vegetables begin to soften, 5 to 8 minutes. Add broth, chopped garlic, rinsed split peas and 5 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and partially cover; simmer until peas are soft, 30 to 45 minutes. You can totally skip this step but for a smoother consistency, working in batches, puree only 1/2 the soup in a blender (don’t overfill); return to pot. Add ham cubes or a ham hock (if you want), and simmer until heated through. If necessary, thin with water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!