Rustic Split Pea Soup

🧂 Ingredients

• 1/4 cup reserved bacon drippings

  (can sub ghee or avocado oil)
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion

  (1/2 large onion)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 pound dried split peas
• 1 (15 oz) can Northern Beans (don't drain)
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth (Bonafide bone broth is my favorite store bought brand)

  (or up to 8 for a thinner soup)
• 1-2 Tbsp additional stock/broth or white wine

  (optional - for deglazing if needed)
• .5 pound thin sliced bacon

  (ideally, from a local farmer with no nitrites added)
• 6 tbsp sour cream
• 1 bunch fresh parsley

Instructions

• 1 Melt reserved bacon drippings in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, carrots, salt,
  pepper, and oregano, and saute over medium high heat until al dente, about 10
  minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook 1-2 more minutes, until garlic is
  fragrant. Can deglaze with 1-2 Tbsp white wine or additional broth if needed.
• 2 Meanwhile empty the can of Northern beans (with juice) into a small food
  processor or blender and puree until smooth. 
• 3 Add the pureed beans, split peas, and bay leaves to the Dutch oven, then
  gradually add the stock, stirring constantly as you pour to remove clumps.
• 4 Turn heat down to low, cover, and cook 30-45 minutes, or until everything is
  tender. Remove the lid, skim any foam or pea skins, and stir a couple of times
  during the cooking, making sure it's still at a low boil and adding additional
  chicken stock/broth if it's getting too thick for your liking. 
• 5 While the soup is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover 2 rimmed
  baking sheets with foil and place a cooling rack inside each foil lined baking
  sheet. Spread the bacon slices out evenly across the cooling racks and bake for
  15-20 minutes or until crispy. Once bacon has cooled, break into pieces for
  garnishing the soup.
• 6 When the soup is done cooking, turn off the heat, remove the bay leaves. Topped
  with crumbled bacon, sour cream, and fresh parsley, and serve with crusty bread.

Nutrition Info