21 Jan Broccoli & Split Pea Soup

Posted at 00:00h in Recipes by

If ever there was a winter for soup, this is it! Wow! We sure have had a lot of cold weather – it’s been intense! For me, one of the best ways to warm up is with nourishing soup. It’s also a great way to use up all the bits and pieces you have in the fridge or pantry. If you find some of the measurements in this recipe a bit odd, it’s because I was using up what I had on hand – I’m guessing many recipes start out this way 🙂

Many of my soup recipes take advantage of the convenience of a slow cooker. A while back, I purchased an Instant Pot – one of these magical devices that can saute, make yogurt, cook rice, act like a slow cooker, and even function as a pressure cooker. (Although I’m too timid to use it for that function; I have strong memories growing up and seeing a pressure cooker dance on the stove top – I was always terrified it would explode….so, as such I’m sticking with the other functions for now.)

A handy feature of my instant pot is that it has a sautĂ© setting. I find recipes that call for onions always taste better when the onions are sautĂ©ed first. So, for this recipe, I simply sautĂ©ed the onions for a few minutes, then switched over to the “slow cooker” setting – so convenient! I also love that the liner is stainless steel. I have heard reports that ceramic liners of slow cookers may leach lead over time, so I’m delighted with the stainless steel option.

This soup was rather thick, so you may want to thin out with either broth or water to suit your preference.

Hope you enjoy!

1 tablespoon avocado oil, or other heat-tolerant oil
1 cup diced onion (1 medium size)
2 cloves garlic – minced
3/4 cup green split peas (because that’s all I had)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups vegetable broth (we love Harvest Sun, it’s organic, delicious and economical)
1 small sweet potato (because I only had 3 cups of broccoli)
3 cups broccoli – peel and trim the stalks, cut florets into smaller pieces
1 bay leaf

Sauté onion in avocado oil. When onion softens, add garlic. Sauté 1 – 2 minutes (don’t let garlic brown), then add remaining ingredients. Set slow cooker on low for 8 hours. Prior to serving, remove bay leaf, and blend using an immersion blender, or transfer soup to blender. That’s it!