Yellow Split Pea Soup

It looks like summer has forgot about the Isle of Man this year - still waiting for those glorious days to come - in the meantime we have cold rainy and windy days - and that to me screams comfort food, regardless the month of the year.

I don't often cook with split peas, and that's quite a shame really, I really like the gorgeous texture and subtle nutty flavour they have. Not to mention that they are packed with all the nature's goodness.

Not only a healthy soup, but also really delicious - my kids loved it! So I highly recommend it as a healthy family dinner - serve it with some delicious homemade bread and you are in for a treat.

If you want a creamier texture, you can add the soup to a blender to blitz it to a smooth consistency, otherwise I quite enjoy this chunky texture. Or you can add some potatoes too for a denser touch.

Ingredients needed to make yellow split pea soup

• yellow split peas - they are pretty cheap and can be found in many supermarkets
• onion -either yellow, red or shallots
• carrots - they add more goodness to the soup
• celery stalks - I always use them in soups and stews
• pepper - any colour
• garlic - the more, the better
• olive oil - or vegetable oil
• water - or vegetable stock/broth
• tomato paste - for coulour and a touch of sweetness
• salt & ground black pepper - to taste
• fresh parsley - to garnish

Step-by-step photos and instructions

My soup is vegan and vegetarian friendly, totally gluten free, and all in all super healthy and nutritious. You could, of course, add some meat to it, ham, bacon or chorizo make some excellent choices here if you wish to add any.

• heat up the oil in a pot
• add the chopped onion and fry on a low to medium heat until golden, then add the garlic and leave it to fry for a further 1 minute
• add the chopped carrots, pepper and celery together with the rinsed yellow split peas, and give everything a good stir
• pour in the water or vegetable stock, and leave to cook on a medium heat with a lid on until the split peas are tender - that can take up to one hour, but do check after 50 minutes
• add the tomato paste, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with fresh parsley

Expert tips

I absolutely love this soup, it really is simplicity in itself. It might not cook as quickly as other soups I am used to make, but it's easy nonetheless. If you do want to add bacon or bacon lardons, I recommend cooking it first in the pan, then remove it, add the oil and follow the steps as above.

Cooking the bacon first ensures that the flavours stay in the pan, the onions will then deglaze the pan and make the most of those delicious fried bits that are left in the pan. You can then bring the bacon back to the pan at the end - no need to cook further.

Same applies for chorizo, if you use deli or leftover ham, you can just add it towards the end, no need to cook the ham in any way.

If you don't mind the soup not being vegetarian/vegan, but you don't want to use any meat, just some extra flavour, swap the vegetable stock/broth or water for chicken stock.

Other wholesome soups

Chunky Leek and Potato Soup (No Cream)

Red Lentil and Chorizo Soup

Easy Leftover Ham and Bean Soup

Cabbage Potato and Bacon Soup