A thick, creamy soup that’s dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free, fat-free, and, of course – meat free? YES!

This vegan green split pea soup is simple and inexpensive to make since it uses only common pantry ingredients. Potatoes, onions, carrots, and dried split peas.  Basil adds a touch of sweetness, potatoes add a little texture, and carrots – well, you know what they say about peas and carrots!

Basically, you just dump all the ingredients into a pot and let it bubble happily away for an hour.  How easy is that?

As a bonus, this soup smells wonderful as it simmers! Although this split pea soup is tasty anytime, it’s especially wonderful on a cold winter day!

Easy Peasy Split Pea Chowder

• 5 cups Water
• 1 tablespoon Salt
• 1 medium Onion, finely diced
• 1 medium Potato, diced
• 2 Carrots, sliced into coins, or a handful of Baby Carrots, sliced
• 1 cup dried Green Split Peas, sorted and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried Basil
• 1 teaspoon black Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground Red Chili Pepper (optional)

Directions:

Bring water to boil in large pot and add all ingredients except ground red chili pepper.  When water comes back to boil, turn heat to medium and simmer approximately 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

After 40 minutes, turn the heat to low and stir more frequently to prevent scorching on the bottom of the pan.  Add more water, salt, and pepper if necessary. Add the ground red chili pepper, if using.

Soup is done after approximately 1 hour.  The split peas should have fallen apart and “blended” together, and the potato chunks should be very soft.

Notes:

• The ground red chili pepper powder is optional, but adds the tiniest of kicks to the soup and can be beneficial if you have a winter cold.
• You can use fresh basil instead of ground – add it in the last 20 minutes of cooking time.
• If you want a little more texture variation, you can add the carrots during the last 20 minutes of cooking time.