Split Pea Soup 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups chopped yellow onions Salt Freshly ground black pepper Crushed red pepper flakes 1 tablespoon chopped garlic 1 bay leaf 1 pound dried green split peas, picked over and rinsed 2 carrots, peeled and diced (optional) 8 cups chicken broth 1 cup milk In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onions. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and split peas and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the broth and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes, until the peas are tender. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the milk and, using a hand-held immersion blender, process until smooth. Note: Some folks make Split Pea Soup when they have a ham bone left over.. it does add a lot of flavor to the soup when you just toss it in for the 45 minutes while the peas are cooking - and you end up with little bits of ham in the soup - but personally I like it with just the simple ingredients as a 'vegetable' soup. Back to Soups