Easy Pea-sy Split Pea Soup

Easy Pea-sy Split Pea Soup

Excuse my pun. I couldn’t help myself. I love puns, they make me laugh, and we could probably all use a little bit more laughter in our lives.

This soup however, came about because of something a little less funny…the weather.

I know, I know, all my friends and family back home in Michigan don’t want to hear that it’s been “cold” in North Carolina, but it has been unseasonably chilly this last week. However, I will agree though that it’s not actually “cold” here and I know everyone up north with snow is ready to get on with spring.

This is my last ditch effort to have a nice, warm, cozy bowl of soup. Then we can officially move on to spring. We’re all ready for it. Minus the allergy part of spring, allergies are just the worst.

I love this recipe because it’s a perfect – spring is coming and I’m ready for new and fresh foods so let’s clean out the pantry – kind of recipe! It only requires 6 ingredients plus some salt and pepper. You can’t get much easier than that!

This soup is a perfect warm up when the temperature is frustratingly low but you refuse to turn the heat back on since it’s April. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups dried split peas
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 t dried thyme
• 6 cups water
• 1 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper (plus more to taste)
• 1/2 cup raw cashews

Directions

1. Soak raw cashews in water for 2+ hours or over night (soak in boiling water to speed this along)
2. In a large soup pot sauté the onion with a drizzle of olive oil until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, one minute.
3. Stir in the dried split peas and the thyme. Add the water, then the salt and pepper and mix.
4. Cook the soup on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until most of the water has absorbed and the split peas are mostly broken down, about one hour. This will create a very thick soup.
5. If you used fresh thyme, remove any thyme springs with a fork.
6. If desired, puree the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a traditional blender (after cooling slightly).
7. Drain the cashews then puree with 1/3 cup water in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy, this should still be relatively thick.
8. Stir  1/3 cup cashew cream into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
9. Swirl in some extra cashew cream and top with fresh thyme.

I recommend a nice hunk of bread to go along with your soup. Talk about comfort food!