Frugal St. Patrick’s Day Recipe: Split Green Pea Soup

Update: This year I served the split pea soup in sourdough breadbowls – delicious!  My kids really love this soup.  See the Split Pea Shamrock Craft we made with the rest of the split peas!

If you're looking for something frugal and festive to serve for dinner on St. Patrick's Day, you can't go wrong with split green pea soup.  Not only is it delicious, it's super frugal.  I made mine from dried peas, but even using frozen peas, this pea soup is inexpensive to make.

Never tried split pea soup?  You may be pleasantly surprised at how tasty it is, even if you don't like peas.

Split Green Pea Soup Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients
1/2 pound dried green peas OR 1 10 oz package frozen peas
1 t. olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 can chicken broth OR 2 chicken boullion cubes and 2 cups water
1/2 t. salt
black pepper to taste
4 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)
4 t. plain yogurt, cream, or sour cream (optional)

To cooked dried peas, soak in plenty of water overnight. Put peas in a soup pot with plenty of water and a pinch of baking soda. Boil until the peas are soft, about 45 minutes. The dried peas I used were whole and became split and shelled as they cooked. I skimmed the shells off the surface of the pot. Drain excess water and set peas aside.

1. Cook onion, carrot, garlic in olive oil until onion is soft.
2. Add peas, seasonings, and chicken broth (or bouillon cubes and water).
3. Boil until carrot is soft.
4. Allow soup to cool, then blend with an immersion blender. If you don't have a hand blender, put the soup into the blender in batches to puree. If the pea soup is still warm, hold the blender lid on with a towel to prevent burns.
5. Reheat soup, if necessary.
6. Garnish with yogurt and/or bacon crumbles.