Recently, I've been really into bringing leftovers to work for lunch. Specifically, I like leftovers that come from a big pot of something and I preferably can eat it with a spoon. It's also best if I can dip toast in it. This potato split pea soup falls into that category.
Our office has the World's Slowest Microwave and it takes a particularly long time to reheat these leftovers, so it's a good thing I like being that person- the one who hogs the microwave for at least 5 minutes, making other people move around me while I stand in front of it and watch the clock slowly count down.
During the five minutes I'm standing in the kitchen, my coworkers and I discuss what we're having for lunch. For, like, three weeks straight I had potato soup for lunch because potatoes are legit my favorite vegetable and I'm always down for some vegan potato soup. I never get tired of it. Once it got to the point, though, where my coworkers didn't even have to ask me what I was eating- when they just say "Potato soup?," I knew I had to switch it up.
On the weekends, I like to make a double or triple batch of something for dinner that will yield enough leftovers for me to have my lunch covered for the following week. So I made lentil chili, minestrone (from my newest cookbook), an empty-out-the-fridge-cauliflower-and-other-stuff soup, and most recently, this split pea soup. I didn't really have a recipe I was working from and because I wanted to have a lot of soup (enough for dinner for four and then four to five lunches in the upcoming week), so I decided to throw some potatoes in there purely to add help make a larger batch. It was my practicality at its best. And it turned out to be one of the best life choices I've made since editing my "Workout Tunes" playlist to be largely comprised of Beyoncé and Missy Elliott songs.
By combining potato soup with split pea soup, you get the best of both worlds: the creamy lusciousness of the potato soup and the smoky earthiness of split pea. It just works. Plus the recipe is crazy easy and super duper tasty. It's kind of a no-brainer. Even more of a no-brainer: Topping the soup with some chickpea bacon.
My first day of bring leftovers of this soup to work, while I was heating it up in the microwave, my coworker said "Is that split pea soup?" I told him it was. Then he said with "It looks delicious. I love split pea soup." I said "Me too. I'd say it's in my top 5 favorite soups." His response: "Right after potato soup, right?" I agreed with him and decided not to tell him that this split pea soup was, in fact, half potato soup.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 large leek, split in half lengthwise and sliced (white and light green parts)
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 3 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
- 1 lb split peas
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender and slightly translucent, four to five minutes.
- Add the carrot, celery, and potato and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Add the split peas, vegetable broth, water, thyme, parsley, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot, leaving it open a crack, and let cook for about 20 to 25 minutes or until the split peas are tender. Turn the heat off.
- Add the nutritional yeast and liquid smoke. Use an immersion blender to blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Once smooth, add salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
What's your favorite meal to have as leftovers?
Photography by Chris Miller
Leslee
Is there any substitute you can recommend for the vegan butter? I follow a whole-foods plant based diet and vegan butter doesn't work with that.
keepinitkind
You can use olive oil or just water if you'd prefer, though with water, you'll have to monitor it a little more closely to prevent sticking/burning.
Johanne
Oooh those crunchy chickpeas and silky soup. I too like to graze from the same batch of food for a week of lunches. I will try this one for sure. If you ever want to share your work out play list I'm interested. Talk about stuck in a rut!
Charly´s Vegan Tacos
Absolutely delicious chickpeas, we actually served a variation of this dish as a starter on our 2016 menu, I recently updated the menu and after reading your recipe I am tempted to bring them back. I run a vegan restaurant next to the beach in the Mexican Riviera Maya and I find recipes like yours great sourceof inspiration
Carla
Wow, this soup is good! Not sure why I'm surprised. : D I really like split pea and potato soup but together might just be my new favorite. They seemed to have morphed into something even more magical. Maybe I should stop now. And so much leftovers!!
Hannah
I'm usually not much of a split pea kind of person, but this soup is something else. The chickpea bacon really sold me!
Risha
this is the first recipe if yours that i've tried and i was not disappointed! the flavor combination was a big hit at dinner tonight and your recipe was well written and easy to follow.
thank you for sharing!
Dianne
I made this in a slow cooker and left out the butter, and it was still absolutely delicious and creamy. I didn't have chickpeas but look forward to trying the chickpea bacon. Thanks, this is my new favorite pea soup recipe!
Samantha of You Look Attractive
As a devoted vegan, I also love to have some potatoes as part of my meal. It's literally one of the best vegetables I had wherein I feel no guilt of eating it right after. Adding the pea makes it perfect to have during winter.
Thanks for sharing this lovely dish by the way.
PS. I wanna know what happened to your colleagues at work when you suggested potato soup. Hahahaha
Trish
Looks Delicious! Making this for dinner tonight. Will report back 😉 Glad you responded the way you did to Chelsea's comment. Humans make errors. Can't tell you how many novels I've purchased from bookstores that have had typo or grammatical errors, and those have been through serious edits before hitting the shelves! Some people just have nothing nice to say because they're jealous or unhappy with their lives. Thank you for providing wonderful recipes for FREE! I count on bloggers like you for my constant, varied meals for my family and I.
Chelsea
I'd appreciate it if you'd remove my comment from above. I drunkenly posted it (I know you can relate https://keepinitkind.com/not-food-5-things-2016-taught/) and I see now that it is useless. Thanks!
P.S. I made the soup this weekend and it tasted great, too!
keepinitkind
I totally understand. 🙂 Done!
And yay! Glad you liked the soup!
Evelyn
I never used liquid smoke before. What does it do to the recipe and were can I find it? Thank you
keepinitkind
It adds a smoky flavor to foods. It can be found at Whole Foods, natural food stores, or online.
ANTON
Great recipe and pictures are very appetizing - don't have time to read, and already hungry!Tonight always try to cook:)
Sharon Hopkins
Thank you for the lovely recipe but I’ve found that you have to put split peas (yellow or green) into cold water overnight to soak. They still take a long time to cook properly but your recipe doesn’t mention soaking the split peas and it would take much longer than 25 mins to cook properly. In fact the last time I used split peas I ended up putting them in the microwave to soften even they had soaked overnight and cooked for ages on the hob. Any suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you. Sharon
keepinitkind
If soaking them works best for you, then I would suggest soaking them first. I often don't have the foresight or forget so I end up just cooking them dry but I don't have a problem.