Veggie Split Pea Soup

Since we had a few extra days off over the holidays, we decided to plan a last minute wine tasting trip to Paso Robles, CA.  I love a great road trip, and Paso Robles is only about 5 hours north of San Diego…so it was a perfect quick trip! We were barreling down the freeway on our way to wine country, and were about half way there when we start to see all of these signs for split pea soup. These were not just any old signs, these signs were ginormous and they were screaming about a world-famous split pea soup! Well of course we had to stop, and I was going to eat the heck out that world-famous soup. I mean, when was the last time you came across a world-famous split pea soup.  We pulled off in Buellton, Ca and rolled up to this epic looking split pea soup restaurant called Split Pea Andersens. I was so excited, I pretty much sprinted across the parking lot, leaving Derika in my dust…Ooops.  After we walked though a split pea soup store (Yes, there was a split pea soup store), we made it to the restaurant and quickly saddled up to the bar so that I could be closer to the action.  As we scoped the menu, Derika pointed out that this world-famous split pea soup was VEGETARIAN!!!  Shitty Bitch, I had no idea that vegetarian split pea soup even existed!

I ordered a huge bowl, and I was so thrilled with what arrived.

Split Pea Andersen’s World Famous Split Pea Soup

This soup was a giant bowl of happiness that made me smile ear to ear… I hadn’t event gotten to Paso Robles yet, and I couldn’t wait to get home to see if I could make something similar in my new crock pot.

In regards to our wine tasting trip, I was so impressed with this part of California that I cannot wait to go back.  Paso’s atmosphere was great, and it was loaded with amazing wineries.  My favorite by far, was Chronic Cellars, their wines were sofa king bueno and their wine tasting room had a fun atmosphere with a pool table.  Go check it out, you will be happy that you did.

Sofa King Bueno Wine – Chronic Cellars

Ingredients

• 1 16 oz. Package of Dried Green Split Peas, rinsed
• 3 Carrots, peeled and diced
• 1/2 Cup Onion, chopped
• 4 Ribs of Celery, chopped
• 6 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Parsley, or 2 Tsp. Dried Parsley
• 1 Tsp. Granulated Garlic
• 1 TBS Seasoned Salt (I used truffle salt)
• 1/2 Tsp. Fresh Pepper
• 2 Qts Hot Vegetable Broth

Directions

1. Warm your vegetable broth on the stovetop.
2. While your broth is warming, layer the ingredients in the crock-pot or soup pot in the order given above.
3. Once your broth is close to a boil, pour it over the magic that is layered in your crock / soup pot.
4. Do not stir the ingredients.
5. If you are using a crock-pot, cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours until the peas are very soft. If you are using a soup pot cover, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour. Stirring occasionally.
6. After your pea soup is cooked, remove the bay leaves and stir it to test the consistency. If your soup is too thick, add some more broth or water until it is your desired consistency. Season with more salt and pepper if needed.
7. Ladle a bunch into your bowl. To add a little flair, serve it garnished with green onion, fresh grated parmesan, and croutons…and then eat the living crap out of it.

Stay Warm!

Posted by Danielle Heckman & filed under Split Peas. This post has 4 comments.