Recipe: Split Pea and Vegetable Soup

Split peas are high in fiber, which can help decrease cholesterol, normalize blood sugar and help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. What could be better? Mix with vegetables and you’ve got yourself a heart-healthy dish!

Ingredients

5 cups split peas
15 ounces low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
Several cups of water
1/2 large yellow or white onion, diced
1 large bell pepper, any color, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
15 ounces no-salt-added diced tomatoes, partially drained
3 ounces canned chicken, drained (optional)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/8 teaspoon each of white pepper, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, ground clove, onion powder and garlic powder
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Put split peas and 4-5 cups water in a medium sized pot over high heat. Let it come to a boil. Maintain boil for 15-20 minutes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a big soup pot over medium heat. Add diced onions; let them cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add minced garlic and diced bell pepper; let them simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the diced tomatoes, drained chicken and spices, and let it simmer for a few minutes.
3. Once your legumes are done soaking, drain them using a colander. Using a blender or immersion blender, puree about half of the legumes with the broth.
4. Add all your legumes (both pureed and whole) to your soup pot; stir well. If you want the soup to be a little thinner, feel free to add some more water. Let everything simmer for about 10 minutes, then serve.

Nutrition information (per serving)

Makes 8 servings

Calories: 270
Total fat: 3 g
Saturated fat: 0 g
Trans fat: 0 g
Cholesterol: 10 mg
Sodium: 85 mg
Carbohydrate: 42 g
Dietary fiber: 17 g
Sugar: 8 g
Protein: 19 g
Vitamin A: 10%
Vitamin C: 30%
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 15%