For some reason, I’ve been craving potato soup ALL winter long. And the strange thing is, I don’t think I’ve ever had potato soup before. Is it normal to crave things you’ve never tried? Well, it happens to me quite often. Case in point: vegan sushi. I’ve never had it before, but every time I see it my craving grows and grows. This weekend I decided another day couldn’t go by without this potato soup. I had some Yukon gold potatoes sitting on the counter just waiting to be made into a hearty bowl of goodness.
While the thought of a basic potato soup seemed satisfying enough, I couldn’t resist putting my own twist on things. To amp up the protein, green split peas were thrown in and also provided a good lick of fibre and a satisfying crunch. This created a potato soup with over 14 grams of protein and 12 grams of fibre per serving – not too shabby for a soup that’s normally a bowl of carbs. My biggest fear was the soup turning out bland so I cranked out some of my favourite spices inspired by one of my most-loved Cajun spice blends – smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, chili powder, yellow mustard seeds, and a hint of cayenne pepper. The flavours blended so well with the potato and it was anything but bland (yet still approved by the cautious spice fan in the house).
I like a nice texture in my soup, so I only pureed about 3 cups in a blender and left the rest intact. This results in a thick, creamy broth while still leaving the vegetables and split peas for a satisfying crunchy texture. If you prefer a smooth soup, feel free to puree the entire lot. It’s a rather homely and unassuming soup, but we enjoyed it so much I made two batches this weekend and I already plan on making more this week. Why is it the homely looking foods always taste so good?
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Not Your Average Potato Soup
Yield
3 servings
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Ingredients
- 2 tsp coconut oil (or other oil)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds (optional, but recommended)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cups diced Yukon Gold potato (about 1.4 pounds)
- 1 cup uncooked green split peas, rinsed
- 5 cups vegetable broth
- 3/4 tsp smoked paprika, or to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/8-1/4 cayenne pepper, to taste
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- fine grain sea salt and black pepper, to to taste
- Fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Add oil to a large pot and sauté the garlic and mustard seeds for a few minutes over medium-high heat, until the mustard seeds begin to pop. Be careful not to burn them. Add in the onion and sauté for another 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the celery, potato, split peas, broth, and spices. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and simmer on low-medium heat uncovered for 20-30 minutes, or until the split peas are cooked through and the potatoes are tender.
- With a ladle, carefully transfer about 3 cups of the soup into a blender (leave some of the pouring hole ajar so stream can escape). Starting at a low speed, puree the soup until smooth and pour it back into the pot and stir. (Note: You can also use an immersion blender if desired.) Cook for 5 minutes and then serve immediately with fresh parsley and a pinch of smoked paprika, if desired.
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)
I’ve been playing around with blog fonts and gave the blog a bit of a makeover this weekend. You probably can’t see it yet because we have a long cache on the blog to reduce server load. If you’d like a sneak peek, hold down control and hit F5. That should do it!
How have you never had potato soup??? You’ve been missing out… time to make up for lost time ;p
This soup looks delicious!
[ Smiles ] I have noticed that you followed your craving for potato soup.
I am one happy vegan who is more than happy to try your recipe!
I love this nutritious twist on a classic! Nothin’ like adding lentils to give potato soup a healthy boost. Yukon gold potatoes always add the best creamy texture. Can’t wait to try!
Haha, that’s weird but I’ve been craving it too, and I can’t say I’ve ever had potato soup before! It started when I saw Nigel Slater’s potato soup recipe and now I can’t get the idea out of my mind… Lentils are wonderful, I add them to whatever I can think of.
This looks delicious. I bought potatoes over the weekend because I had potato soup on my mind too! I love the idea of adding split peas!
This looks amazing! Thanks!
Homely looking food = comfort food = deliciousness!
The addition of split peas is pure genius. I love adding protein to meals whenever possible. Thanks for another great recipe.
I really like the new font as well.
I make a similar soup, so easy and comforting, and Oh! so nutritious ;) Yummy!
For some reason, I’ve been craving potato soup ALL winter long. <– Funny because I've been craving hot, warm cookies all winter :) Could we swap cravings, please! :)
I LOVE thick soups – or stoups as I call them :) – they’re my favourite. The combo of flavours in this sound amazing too. Thanks Ange!
I love potatoes – will definitely try this.
These days for me it’s all about the carbs! Can’t wait to try it!!
Nice job on the font Ange! I don’t think I’ve ever had potato soup either but you’ve made me crave it now! I love split peas, especially in the winter, so this sounds super appealing!
Took me a minute to figure out because I think my keyboard is a wee bit different than yours :) But I LOVE the new font!
This looks divine! Can’t wait to try it!
This sounds SO good!! I have been wanting to cook with split peas for awhile, but haven’t quite known where to start. This sounds like the perfect recipe to try them with :).
This was lovely tonight! I added a tsp of my mom’s homegrown summer savory (dried) and a dash of cinnamon. It was divine! thanks very much for your wonderful creative sense.
Hi Marie, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Good call on adding the savory and cinnamon :) I’ll have to try that next time.
I think I do know what you mean by craving something even though you’ve never had it before (of course, I can’t think of an example right now). For me, I think it’s just been a result of my changing taste preferences (taste buds?) as I’ve gotten older. Also, as you expand your horizons with food and learn different textures and scents, I think your body is able to put 2 & 2 together and discern what kind of food may be very much to your liking even without your actual having tasted it…
Your potato soup looks like a very unique recipe (unlike any potato soup I’ve come across before) and absolutely delicious!
Yes, it is entirely possible to crave things to crave things that have never actually passed your lips. :) And, you must go satisfy your craving for vegan sushi. I mean, seriously. How have you never eaten that? What kind of vegan are you?! LOL Honestly, though, it’s delicious. These days, I find I do better staying away from rice, so I make my own all-veggie sushi, but, you’ll love it.
And, speaking of love, I LOVE stew-y, chowder-y types of soups, and split peas are so “stick-to-to-your-ribs” and so substantial. I always refer to them as being “meaty” not implying that they’re anything like animal protein, just that they’re so HEARTY and filling.
PS. When I clicked on the nutrition info link, though, there was nothing listed! Can you update it to reflect the stats you have on it?
This looks delicious. Can’t wait to give it a try!