Spinach and split pea soup

This lunch was a surprise success here. The Sneaky Veg kids aren’t hugely keen on pulses of any kind - although they’ll usually gobble up a dal. So I didn’t hold out much hope for this split pea soup.

The younger two mainly ate bread - with a bit of dipping it into the soup. But R, 10, who was once the picky toddler who inspired me to start this blog, absolutely adored it and had three bowls.

So I made it again. And again. I changed the recipe around a little bit, added some extra flavour with some caraway seeds (you can leave these out if you don’t have them to hand - cumin seeds work well too) and upped the veggie goodness with some spinach.

And it’s still just as successful.

My spinach split pea soup is naturally vegan and gluten free (check the ingredients on your vegetable stock). And it's utterly delicious.

Do you need to soak split peas?

Contrary to popular belief it’s not essential to soak split peas. You can soak them and this can speed up the cooking time but as long as you give them plenty of time to cook you don’t need to pre-soak them. 

Every time I’ve made this split pea soup recipe I’ve found that they cook in 30-40 minutes but it can vary.

Some sources say that uncooked split peas take up to two hours to cook but I have never found this to be the case.

Can you make this soup with yellow split peas instead?

Yes you can use yellow split peas to make this soup. You won’t get the same vibrant green colour but the soup will still taste great.

How difficult is this soup to make?

It’s a very easy recipe to make and there is very little hands-on prep involved - just a little bit of chopping.

What should you serve with split pea soup?

I like to serve my split pea soup with some crusty bread. Sourdough is good. 

What ingredients do you need to make this soup

For full recipe, ingredients and quantities go to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds (use cumin seeds if you don’t have caraway)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 250g green split peas
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock (gluten free if needed) or boiling water 
• 2 balls of frozen spinach, optional
• Salt and pepper, optional

Do you need any special equipment to make this recipe?

You will need a blender* to make this recipe.

More soup recipes you might like 

Some of these soup recipes are on my other blog, Cook Veggielicious.

• Curried parsnip soup
• Butternut squash and sweet potato soup
• Tomato and basil soup
• Creamy parsnip and apple soup
• Jerusalem artichoke and celeriac soup
• Vegetable, spinach and borlotti bean soup
• Curried Brussels sprout soup
• Warming root vegetable soup
• Squash and sweetcorn chowder
• Leek and parsnip soup
• Baked potato soup

How to make spinach and split pea soup

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Vegan spinach and split pea soup

This vibrant green spinach and split pea soup is healthy, filling and tasty. Flavoured with caraway seeds it’s perfect eaten for lunch with a slice of crusty bread. Vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.

5 from 3 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine British, Vegan

Servings 4

Calories 276 kcal

Equipment

• Blender
• Saucepan

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds use cumin seeds if you don’t have caraway
• 1 onion chopped
• 250 g green split peas
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock GF if needed or boiling water
• 2 balls of frozen spinach
• Salt and pepper optional

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan
• Add 1 teaspoon caraway seeds and heat for 30 seconds or until starting to smell fragrant.
• Add a chopped onion and fry over a low heat until soft and just starting to turn brown.
• Add 250g split peas and 1.5 litres of stock or water and bring to the boil
• Reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Stir every so often and cook for 30-40 minutes* until your split peas are cooked.
• Add the frozen spinach and heat through for five minutes or until defrosted. Allow to cool a bit and blend with a stick blender or transfer to a jug blender. I did mine in two batches. If you like you can leave a spoonful unblended for some texture.
• Return to the pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. If you prefer a thinner soup you can add extra water or stock now.
• Reheat and serve with bread.

Notes

1. *Cooking times can vary. If you soak your split peas overnight they will cook quicker but this isn't essential. I have always found that my unsoaked split peas cook in 30-40 minutes but you may need to cook for longer.
2. Nutritional information is approximate and is intended as a guide only.

Nutrition

Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 16gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1501mgPotassium: 662mgFiber: 17gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 948IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 45mgIron: 3mg

Keyword split pea soup

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