Split Pea Soup with Crispy Sausage

When Dan and I first got married, we ate a vegan version of this split pea soup on the regular. Since neither of us grew up eating split pea soup, we didn’t miss the ham bone that’s often present in split pea soup. At some point–probably when I had a surplus of homemade stock–I began switching out the vegetable stock for chicken or beef stock. The meat-based stocks lent a richness to this simple soup that we both enjoyed.

While working on this recipe for our farm kitchen, we decided to add crispy sausage as an optional topping. We like the savory crispness of the sausage, which, when combined with our homemade croutons, makes for a lovely contrast of textures.

Even though split pea soup is traditionally a winter soup, we eat this one all year long. In the winter and spring, we use storage carrots, storage potatoes, and celeriac (and dried herbs if we don’t have any fresh growing in a high tunnel). In the summer and fall we use freshly harvested carrots, potatoes and herbs. Either way, this soup is delicious, comforting, and nourishing.

Print Recipe

Split Pea Soup with Crispy Sausage

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Course: Soup

Keyword: soup, split pea soup

Servings: 6 people

Equipment

• pot
• cutting board
• chef's knife
• spoon

Ingredients

• 1/4 pound pork sausage
• 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, small chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 carrots chopped
• 1 1/2 celery stalks chopped (1/4 celeriac, peeled and chopped)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 2 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 cups dried split peas
• 2 potatoes, small chopped into 1" pieces
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped (or 2 Tbsp dried parsley)
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

• Cook sausage over medium heat in Dutch oven or soup pot. Break up into small pieces during cooking. Chop veggies as sausage cooks. Once sausage is brown and crispy (see note below), remove from pot and set aside.
• Heat olive oil over medium heat in same Dutch oven or soup pot. Once oil is shimmering, add onion, celeriac, carrots, garlic, and 1 tsp salt. Saute for 10-12 minutes, until onions are translucent and fragrant.
• Add peas, rice, and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
• Add bay leaf, 1.5 cups stock and 1.5 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Add potatoes, herbs, and pepper. If needed, add another 1/2 cup broth and 1/2 cup water to cover the vegetables. Return to a simmer. Cover for another hour, or until peas and veggies are tender.
• Serve soup hot. Top with a small sprinkling of crispy sausage. Enjoy!

Notes

To make this soup vegan, remove the sausage and use water or vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock.

*If you are having trouble crisping your sausage in this first stage, drain the fat, and fry the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp.