This pea soup recipe gets its flavor from smoked andouille sausage and good nutrition from carrots, celery, kale, and split peas.
Cozy soup season is upon us
And I am all about it!
I turn to soups for my winter vegetable quota. I love that they keep so well in the fridge and freezer, so I always make a large pot. Cook your soup in the morning and simply reheat for dinner. Serve with crusty bread and lots of delicious garnishes.
Sausage + Pea Soup Recipe
This sausage and pea soup is as hearty as it is nutrition. Packed with sausage and split peas, plus carrots, celery, and kale, you’ve got one delicious soup.
Ingredients
Split Peas
Split peas are my favorite pulse!
What are pulses you ask? Pulses are the group of foods known as dry peas, chickpeas, lentils, and beans. They are super cheap (you can stretch lentils and dried beans so far!), sustainable (they have low water and carbon footprints), versatile (soups! burgers! salads!) and of course very good for you (they are packed with protein, fiber and antioxidants). I just love their earthy taste, and they sure fill me up!
Smoked Andouille Sausage
You could also sub in bacon or chopped ham here, but I love the richness the ground sausage adds. Vegetarians can sub in mushrooms for a meatiness without the meat.
Carrots, Celery, and Garlic
+onions if you like! These aromatics make the backbone veggies of the dish.
Kale
I love a soup with wilted greens. It’s my substitute for cold salads all winter long. Less chewing; more splurping.
Vegetable or Chicken Stock
Choose whichever you want based on what you have or whether or not you’re making a vegetarian version.
Liquid Smoke
A little Liquid Smoke at the end gives it an extra punch of flavor, but feel free to leave that out if you don’t have any or can’t find it.
How To Make This Pea Soup Recipe
Cook the sausage
Begin by cooking your sausage until it’s nice and brown. (Vegetarians could also leave the sausage out completely and simply sauté the veggies in some cooking oil.)
Add garlic
Add the garlic and saute for one minute.
Frozen garlic is one of my favorite secret ingredients. I use fresh garlic when making something that is either lightly cooked or a sauce, but I use frozen crushed garlic for most of my soups – any recipe where the garlic gets cooked. It’s so easy to pop it out of the cube and sauté away. (You could even DIY this if you wanted!)
Add the chopped vegetables
Add chopped carrots and celery. And onions too if you like them! Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add the peas and stock and bring to a boil
When veggies are tender, add split peas and stock and bring to a boil.
Simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally
Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for a hour, stirring occasionally.
Stir in kale and Liquid Smoke
When an hour is nearly up, wash and tear the kale into small pieces and then add to the pot and allow to wilt through.
If you’re using it, add the Liquid Smoke along with salt and pepper to taste. I love this stuff – it’s like a delicious grill or campfirey smell in a bottle!
Portion into bowls and garnish
My garnish recommendations:
- Fresh herbs
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Sour cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Hot sauce
- Cracked pepper
- Serve with crusty bread!
Sausage and Split Pea Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound smoked andouille
- 1 pound split peas
- 1 cup chopped carrots about 2 large
- 1 cup chopped celery about 3 small
- 3 cloves garlic
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cups kale chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke optional
- Fresh parsley hot sauce and Greek yogurt for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven to medium high heat.
- Remove sausage from casing, crumble, and cook in pot until brown.
- Add carrots, celery, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add split peas and stock and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for a hour, stirring occasionally.
- Add kale and allow to wilt.
- Stir in Liquid Smoke, if using.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Portion into bowls and top with fresh herbs, hot sauce, and Greek yogurt.
Elyse @ Justmurrayed says
This looks great! Gonna try it this weekend!
Kelli @ Hungry Hobby says
I love to add sausage to soup, I think it gives it just the punch of flavor it needs!
Megan says
Do most grocery stores carry frozen garlic? I love the idea of using it in soups.
KathEats says
I haven’t looked specifically, but I think this brand is widely used: http://www.mydorot.com/
Jeanie says
Yum! I don’t make this soup nearly enough.
Sam @ Hygge Wellness says
Beautiful photos, Kath!
www.hyggewellness.com/blog
Kelli H says
This was super easy to make and had great flavor!
Amy says
Do you think this could be frozen and reheated?
KathEats says
Yes for sure!
Amanda says
I just made this last night (actually yesterday afternoon for last night’s supper) and it was delicious! My husband and I both loved it! I used mild Italian pork sausage instead of andouille since that’s what I had in the freezer, but no changes otherwise. Will definitely be marking this as a fave!
K says
Oh my goodness, I am eating pea soup I made yesterday for breakfast as I write this comment…..I put in celry onion, garlic and carrots. At the end I add chopped potatoes and carrots for color, flavor and nutrients. Also started adding 1 vegetable bouillon cube to bump it up. You can really put so many veggies in this but I stick to c & p. Thanks Kath. We are 37 this morning in FL…yikes !
Amy says
So curious about the liquid smoke. That seems like such a non-Kath ingredient! Is it made from something natural? (Don’t mean that in a troll-y kind of way, just genuinely wondering.)
Kath Younger says
It’s made by infusing smoke into water, and this brand only has two ingredients: smoke and water. It’s not some super chemical : )
Sp says
Thanks for this recipe! If I wanted to replace the sausage with bacon, how / when would I add it?
Kath Younger says
I would cook it first and remove it so it stays crispy. Then saute the veggies in the bacon grease. Then add the bacon back in the final step or use it as a garnish.
Sp says
Thanks