Halloween Slime Soup (Split Pea Soup)

This year my six-year-old daughter decided she wanted to host a Halloween party for my parents.  The menu?  Pumpkin pizza and split pea slime soup.  (That’s pizza that looks like a Jack-o-lantern; not that contains pumpkin.)

I must admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of split pea soup until recent years.  After all, it looks like slime.  But it has become one of my favorite soups to make in the winter.  It is cheap, variable, freezable, and delicious, not to mention nutritious.

The following recipe is a meatless version that can be made vegan by substituting vegetable bouillon for the chicken bouillon.  Perhaps in the somewhat near future I will post about how to make this soup with a ham bone.

Halloween Slime Soup (Split Pea Soup)

1 lb. green split peas

1 carrot, sliced

1 rib celery, sliced

½ medium onion, chopped

8 c. water, plus more to adjust consistency

2 bay leaves

½ tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. garlic powder

¼ c. chicken or vegetable bouillon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Sour cream (optional)

From the bulk bins at WinCo of course.

Because the soup will be pureed,
the vegetables do not have to
be uniformly cut.

Place peas, carrot, celery, onion, water, bay leaves, thyme, garlic powder, and bouillon in large pot.  Bring to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until peas turn to mush and carrots are soft, about 45 minutes, adding water as necessary if there is a lot of evaporation.  Remove from heat.  Remove and discard bay leaves.  Pureé with immersion blender.  Adjust consistency by adding water or simmering water out; add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve with sour cream, if desired.  Yield:  about 2 qts.  Total cost:  about $2!!

The peas will turn to mush even
before being pureed.