Split Pea and Parsnip Soup - Crock-Pot

FLKeysJen's Note:

The parsnips add a creamy sweetness that complements the flavor of the split peas. If parsnips are unavailable, use carrots instead. Because the peas have a tendency to settle on the bottom of the pot, a quick stir midway through the cooking process is helpful. The Liquid Smoke adds a "bacony" flavor to the soup and is available in most supermarkets. While this is intended to be vegetarian, from Fresh From the Vegetarian Slow Cooker, I also made this with a ham bone instead of the liquid smoke and was delicious.

• Total Time: 8 hrs 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 8 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion , chopped
• 2 large parsnips , peeled and halved lengthwise and cut into thin half moons
• 1 lb dried split peas , picked over and rinsed
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste depending on your stock)
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the onion and parsnips, cover and cook until softened, about five minutes.
2. Transfer the vegetables to a 4-6 quart slow cooker and add the peas, thyme, bay leaf and stock. Cover and cook on low for eight hours, stirring once if possible. When it's done, the peas will disappear! (The time may vary, depending on your crock pot - I did three hours on high and one on low.).
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the Liquid Smoke, if using, remove and discard the bay leaf, and taste to adjust the seasonings.

Reviews

[Serah B.]

This is pretty good. The liquid smoke is definitely a nice touch. The only thing I did differently was to add white wine to the parsnips as I was sauteing them, and I doubled the recipe to feed a crowd. Thank you for posting this!

[Bergy]

Lovely snowy weather soup. I made it yesterday and let it cook for 8 hours on low, I had a canned ham that I cubed after the 8 hour cooking time and added to it, then put it in the fridge overnight. Put it into 2 serving size containers to freeze. the recipe made 9 generous lunch size serving. I didn't pre cook the parsnips or onions just put everything into the crock pot and turned it to low. So easy and so good. - We love it!

[Maito]

Quick, easy and tasty! The natural smokiness of the split peas pairs well with the sweetness of the parsnips. The parsnips really give it a great flavor. I didn't add any extra stock, but probably would next time, as it was very thick (I am sure this also depends on how long you cook it in the crock pot too - I did 7 hours on low). For leftovers, I topped this with Crispy Crumbled Prosciutto - which went wonderfully with it. We especially liked that this soup tastes rich, but is low in fat.