Hearty Split Pea Soup With Bacon
- Total Time
- 2 hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1pound slab bacon in ¼-inch-thick slices
- 1large onion, chopped
- 1carrot, chopped
- 1stalk celery, chopped
- 1head garlic, cloves peeled and sliced thin
- Salt and black pepper
- 1pound dried green split peas, rinsed and picked over
- 4bay leaves
- 2 to 3quarts chicken stock
- ½bunch fresh thyme leaves, stripped from stems
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
372 calories; 18 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 698 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Dice bacon into ¼-inch cubes. Place in a heavy 6-quart pot over medium-low heat. Cook until fat is rendered and translucent. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Cook until onion and garlic are soft and translucent. Season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Add split peas, stir to coat with fat, and add bay leaves and 2 quarts stock. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat so soup simmers. Skim foam that rises to the surface for about 10 minutes, until no more appears. Add thyme leaves. Simmer uncovered about 1 hour or longer, until peas are soft and starting to fall apart. Add more stock, as needed.
- Step 3
Remove soup from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste. Purée soup in a food processor in several batches, short of perfect smoothness; you should be able to spoon up some texture. Reheat soup, skimming off any foam. Stir from the bottom to mix well, then ladle into bowls and serve.
Private Notes
Comments
This is a lovely recipe except for one bit of the instructions: use a blender or food processor... Using an immersion blender is the way to purée right in the pot with no mess or fuss, no transferring of hot soup, and no clean up of other containers (or hot soup exploding all over the kitchen, which happened to me once). Immersion blenders are not expensive, and I've had mine for years & years. Anyone who cooks very much will use it often. They work great for smoothies too!
Stripping leaves of thyme can be a pain , I place the amount needed in a plastic bag then freeze Then when needed rub the still frozen stems (while still in the bag) leaves fall off easily..
I really wish NYTimes recipes could quit listing indeterminate amounts like "1/2 bunch fresh thyme leaves." Or, at least follow it up with something measurable like "approx 1 1/2 tablespoons." What, after all, is a bunch? I buy my herbs loose so that I can get the amount I need, not some arbitrary bunch or whatever the grocer puts together.
When you grow your own thyme, a "bunch" is meaningless. Same with recipes that say "one bunch chard." We grow a lot of our own vegetables. Ultimately, you just have to go with your own cooking experience and taste preferences.
It would be great if Step 3 reminded forgetful cooks (like me!) to remove the bay leaves before starting to purée the soup! There was a moment of panic and some frantic online searches about whether bay leaves are toxic (they are not) after my husband ate a large bowl of the soup I just made. And, of course, it impacts the flavor, not for the better.
I made this the first time exactly as is. It was wonderful but very rich with a bacon dominate taste. Just made it a second time with the following changes: more celery, more carrots, half pound of bacon, half pound of chopped ham, dry sherry, one rosemary sprig and a couple of parsley sprigs. Wonderful with a more balanced flavor profile allowing other flavors to come through.