Split Pea Soup with Bacon & Parmesan Croutons

Celebrating National Split Pea Soup Week with the most amazing Split Pea Soup with bacon and homemade parmesan croutons! This recipe post was created for The USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council.

Happy National Split Pea Soup Week!

Be honest, did you know it was National Split Pea Soup Week? Hmm? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s okay, I didn’t know either, until I was contacted by The USA Dry Pea & Lentil Council. 😉

The Council reached out to me in hopes that I would be able to create a yummy split pea soup recipe while spreading awareness that it’s National Split Pea Soup Week. So here I am, awesome recipe in hand and ready to promote National Split Pea Soup Week!

First, let me give you a little background on split peas.  They’re also known as pulses. Pulses – dry peas, lentils and chickpeas – are versatile products. Not only in their whole form but also as ingredients. Pulses are packed with nutrition including protein, fiber, iron and antioxidants. They are inexpensive and they count towards your recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables. Basically, they’re cheap and healthy. Two thumbs up!

Do you like split pea soup? I love it. It’s one of those things that I like to order at restaurants, but… I have to admit that I had never made split pea soup before! So I bought like, ten bags of dried split peas and began creating.

There are tons of ways to make split pea soup. It can be more like a stew, with chunky pieces of potatoes and carrots, smooth and pureed, or even with barley added in. It can be cooked in a crock pot, stove top or dutch oven. It’s such a versatile soup that’s easy to change up, based on what you like or what you have on hand.

I decided to make mine in a dutch oven and puree it to finish it up. Can I just say – this turned out awesome! Such a crazy good soup. It’s full of bacon flavors, onion, carrot, garlic, seasonings and obviously split peas. 🙂 I pureed it in my blender and served with a topping of bacon (yay!) and homemade parmesan croutons. Love that crunch on top. Seriously so delicious. Tons of great flavors going on in this soup. My family loved it!

Happy National Split Pea Soup Week!

Split Pea Soup

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Course: Main

Author: Jenn

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 lb. bacon
• ▢ 1 cup sliced carrots
• ▢ 1 cup diced celery
• ▢ 1 onion chopped
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 8 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• ▢ 2 cups green split peas
• ▢ 1 tsp. salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp. pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp. italian seasoning
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ Croutons:
• ▢ white french bread cut into cubes
• ▢ olive oil
• ▢ parmesan cheese
• ▢ salt and pepper

Instructions

• Brown bacon in the bottom of a heavy dutch oven pot. When bacon is brown, pull out and let rest on paper towels.
• Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic to bacon drippings (if too many drippings, drain some out until about 1-2 Tbsp. is left). Cook on medium heat until vegetables are softened and onion is translucent.
• Add broth, split green peas, salt, pepper, italian seasoning and bay leaves to vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes or until peas are very soft.
• Meanwhile, heat oven to 350º F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place bread on parchment and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat bread completely and then add parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss until coated and place in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.
• When soup is finished cooking, taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Pull out bay leaves. In batches, puree soup in a blender or food processor. Pour into bowls and top with crumbled bacon and croutons. Serve and enjoy!

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @JenNikolaus or tag #YummyHealthyEasy!

 Looking for more soup recipes? Try these too:

Southwestern Corn Chowder

Slow Cooker Chicken Chili Stew

Thai Butternut Squash Soup