Split Pea Soup

Yesterday we made split pea soup in the pressure cooker. It turned out awesome. So I thought I would share the recipe with everybody. It’s very easy to make and very quick. I know some people are afraid of pressure cookers but they really aren’t that scary. If you have a smaller pressure cooker you might want to halve the recipe – it is my understanding that you shouldn’t fill the pressure cooker more than half when making soup. If you don’t have a pressure cooker try making this recipe in a crockpot. You will just have to cook it a lot longer. Enjoy!

SPLIT PEA SOUP

INGREDIENTS:

v  2 pounds dried split peas (approximately 5 cups)
v  16 cups water (1 gallon)
v  4 cups (1 quart) vegetable or chicken stock
v  1 package of bacon, or 1 hambone or 1 Pound of Ham chunks
v  2 large onions, diced
v  4 carrots, diced
v  4 celery ribs, diced
v  3-4 potatoes, peeled and diced
v  1 Tablespoon dried thyme
v  1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
v  2 bay leaves
v  Salt and pepper to taste [we used approximately 1 Tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon Pepper]

DIRECTIONS:

1.    In a large pressure cooker, heat bacon over medium high heat.

2.    After bacon has released some of its fat, stir in onions. Cook until onions are transparent.

3.    Add vegetables including dried split peas and water/stock. Stir to mix. [we didn’t have celery so we omitted it – still turned out awesome]

4.    Add thyme, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Stir to mix.

5.    Close lid and bring pressure to 10-15 pounds (most recipes call for 15 pounds of pressure) over high heat. Adjust heat to stabilize pressure.

6.    Cook for 15 minutes.

7.    Remove from heat and let cool until the pressure comes down naturally.

8.    Remove lid and serve soup in bowls.