Split pea soup always looked unappetizing and like sludge to me.
It has a distinct smell and taste. Plus it makes you fart.
If you don’t fart after eating split pea soup, you must be a machine. And, people probably envy you.
Since you are probably a human, please don’t let that deter you from this recipe.
Just say excuse me.
And if I still have your attention, let me tell you about this soup!
When I originally found this recipe, I was a bit skeptical about using liquid smoke in place of a ham hock.
But it actually worked! After tasting it, I was pleasantly surprised!
Liquid Smoke
I have 3 bottles of liquid smoke. I bought these when I was in my beef jerky production craze.
Yes, I thought I was going to make a lot but I didn’t.
It’s difficult for me to eat jerky for an extended period of time.
The same thing happened to me with heirloom beans, rice, and honey.
I’ve decided that decreasing my inventory needs to be a priority of mine.
For this soup, I used the hickory flavor. You would be hard pressed to tell me that it wasn’t made without meat.
The liquid smoke imparts all the smoke flavor you would obtain from a smoked meat but without the meat!
Vegans! are you with me?
Let’s do this-Â Put your hands up in the air! Put your hands up in the air!
Okay. Now I’ve calmed down a little bit.
I will say in summary, I was really happy with how this turned out. The soup was thick, healthy, and filling.
Even better, putting this together required minimal effort. Chopping the veggies was the most difficult part.
I also didn’t think a vegan split pea soup would taste so close to the real thing.
So if you are looking for a meat free split pea soup, I hope you get a chance to try this.
I now need to do a little more research to see what other kinds of foods I can use liquid smoke in, aside from this soup and jerky.
If you have any ideas, please send them my way!
Don’t like spit peas? Perhaps one of my other soup recipes can fill you up instead!
Tomato Soup with Butter, Red Onion, and Basil
Tomato Soup with Fennel and Thyme
Turkey, Kale, and White Bean Soup with Herbes de Provence
Simple Kabocha (Japanese pumpkin) Soup
Save
PrintVegan Split Pea Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 people 1x
- Category: side
- Cuisine: New American
Ingredients
- 6 cups vegetable broth (i used better than boullion)
- 2 cups dried green split peas (rinsed)
- 1 whole Onion (chopped)
- 1 cup carrots (chopped )
- 3 ribs celery (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon HIckory liquid smoke (or more to taste)
- 2 green onions (chopped for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large pot, combine all the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 70 minutes or until peas are tender, stir at least once or twice.
- Once the peas have cooked through, use an immersion blender to puree the soup to your desired consistency.
- Garnish with green onions and serve!
Notes
When I pureed the soup, I left about half of the peas intact because I like the different textures and bite the peas provide. I do the same thing when I make lentil soup.
Have you tried making tofu-jerky? I have a couple recipes… it’s very good!
i have not, and i’ve never heard of that before, sounds pretty interesting!
Fantastic! Looks very nice indeed. I pull this same trick myself when cooking for those sad, deluded vegetarians. And you’re right, everyone remarks how pig-like the final product is.
One thing you may want to try sometime also: smoke Spanish paprika (especially if you’re looking to impart a smoke flavor in something but don’t want to add liquid, like in a rub). It’s smokey, but add some other interesting flavor notes that monochromatic liquid smokes don’t have. (Sometimes that’s good or bad, so choose wisely Young Jedi.) It’s also pretty strong, so the first time you try it just give it a dusting, and go from there.
Bravo!
that is definitely something i need to try! thank you for the tip! i shall be making this soon as it’s been a while and i’m in the mood for soup 🙂
‘Atta boy! (Sorry about all the typos in my first comment. I was still pretty drunk.)
ha! 🙂
I’m a vegetarian. I eat lots of soups. Split pea is one of many. As it happens, I haven’t tried the liquid smoke. I did notice a few bottles in the cabinet from before liberating my digestive tract to a vegetarian lifestyle. Yes, I fart. There are times when I wish I was a machine. Tonight, it’s black beans. If you happen to know of a button I can push after eating a bowl of these, please let me know. Ugh!!!
Jen appreciate the honesty there! black beans sound good, I think i should make some of those too. you know there is a Mexican herb called epazote that I read is used in Mexican bean dishes that helps to reduce the side effects. I’m going to buy some and see how it tastes. I’m sure it works !
Oh yeah! Thanks for the heads up. I will look this herb up, and buy/try too. Quite frankly, I’m feeling a modicum of relief just knowing it exists. You’re a pal. Happy New Year…each and every day!!!
you’re welcome ! you too 😀
Patrick, I just did a one-click through Amazon. The reviews say there are some sticks to deal with, but I have a plan to grind them up…yippy!
woohoo!
How much liquid smoke?
Hi Elizabeth, I used about 1/2 teaspoon. After adding it, I’d recommend giving the soup a taste before you finish it. If you want a stronger flavor you may be able to add 1/4 tsp. more. I didn’t want to over power the other flavors so I was good with 1/2 tsp. if you try this, let me know how it goes !:)
Thanks.