10 March 2010

Split Pea Soup

1 - 16 oz bag (1 lb.) of green split peas
5 carrots, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
7 cups water
salt to flavor (about 1 tsp + 1/8 tsp)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for about 4-5 hours (I like mine creamy). It does set up a little thicker after you turn the heat off. The left overs the day after are good too!

Servings: 8 - 1 cup servings
Points per serving: 1 POINT
(the serving size and points vary depending on how you make it. But the basic recipe above is what I calculated my servings and points from)

This recipe is very versatile. I mix it up all the time. My base is the bag of split peas and 7 cups water but then I mix and match veggies. I've added celery before which I really liked that. If you're not into onions don't add them. I love garlic so if I have fresh garlic I'll mince a clove into the soup. Oh, and another way I've done it before was to use veggie or chicken broth in place of the water. That adds flavor but also a bit more sodium than I'd like to have. Some recipes for split pea soup call for ham and I've done that before but it didn't add much to the flavor so I decided not to add the points. I stick to just the veggies! I've never cared much for peas or cooked carrots but I LOVE split pea soup. I love crock pot recipes especially on night I'm busy and won't we around to cook dinner. I always eat my soup with fat-free saltine crackers (1 point for 5 crackers) and a glass of milk. Yum!