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!
This looks so delicious! I’d top mine with chives and truffle oil… now I have to try this for this weekend! Haha thanks for sharing :)
This looks absolutely delicious! I know what I’ll be making this weekend. Also wanted to tell you that I made your Cozy Millet Bowl with Mushroom Gravy and Kale for my parents this weekend and omg it was delicious and everyone loved it – including my father who is very much a “I need meat” type of person.
I’m so happy to hear that Lara! Thanks for trying it out.
This looks great! I am going to try and make it this weekend but I have a few questions for you. If I have dry mustard instead of seed – would that work? If so how much do you think would be a good substitute? Also – is smoked paprika different than regular?
You are RIGHT! This is not your average potato Soup. Looks so nourishing, healthy, and of all delicious!
The site LOOKS GREAT by the way too! ;)
This is a combo of two of my favourite soups! I’ve been meaning to make a pea soup, and this is just the motivation I needed.
I think winter foods often look homely. Root vegetables just don’t have the visual appeal of summer and early fall crops I guess. It’s all about the taste though, and I’ve tried enough recipes from this site to know that the taste won’t disappoint!
Here’s a jumping off point for the vegan sushi, should you decide to try it.
http://herbivoremeals.wordpress.com/2010/03/27/sushi-the-next-pb-j/
Photos curtesy of my then 6 year old, I though he did a pretty good job. ;-)
I love potato soup (and all soups in general, really), so this is right up my alley. I was just talking to my dad yesterday about only having split peas once, in a soup when I was 8. I vaguely remember likeing them, so it’s definitely time to try them again– bonus points for all the protein and fiber!
I loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing! :))
This looks so comforting and satisfying :) Great idea with the mustard seeds!
Hi Angela, long time lurker, and finally I decided to make my presence known :) But I seriously love you and your family, but honestly, I love love love your recipes. And I can’t wait for your cookbook to come out. You have the most innovative and delicious recipes ever.
Thank you Padma, that means so much to me! Thanks for reading.
This looks so good! I’m always looking for meals I can make in my terrible dorm room kitchen and this would be perfect. Keep the oven free recipes coming!
Thanks for the recipe. I love peas soup ^)
This looks delish! If I don’t want mine so chunky, can I just add a little extra broth?
Angela, somehow you have a knack for knowing exactly what ingredients I have in my house, and am looking to use up! Your recipes are always inspiring and interesting, but it’s even more exciting when I realize I can recreate your newest posts on the same day. (P.S. I am eating leftovers for lunch right now, and it is even more flavorful than the night I made it!) Fantastic recipe, thank you!
Aw I’m so happy to hear that Kate! Thanks for trying it out and letting me know how it went. :) Enjoy!
Said this on some other post already but will say again that I think the new font looks terrific!:)
Anyone know if this potato soup can be made low-carb by substituting cauliflower for potato?
That way I could try it [I am unfortunately on a low-carb diet these days:p]
This is just my take, but I would think you could substitute with cauliflower but it wouldn’t need to cook as long else it will get mushy. If you are not using peas you can just reduce the overall cooking time, if you are I would try and add in the cauliflower after about 15 minutes.
I just made this soup as is and it was DELISH — the only think I didn’t have was 5 cups of veg. broth so I used 4 cups broth and 1 cup water and then amped up the spices (loooove me some spice!)
^ I’mma try that, thanks!! :)
^ In general I’ve found cauliflower substitutes really well for rice and potatoes (riced cauliflower for the former and normal chopped florets for the latter.) I make these very delicious stuffed grape leaves with riced cauliflower and mint lemon stuffs and whatever else…so good haha
^ Oh woops this comment went in the wrong place, now I’m gonna have four comments in a row here damn haha
Hey Angela.. another winner! It’s cold and yucky here and I was wanting something warm and thick and yummy.. this DID the trick.. I did an “oopsie” though.. LOL! I thought I had split peas but only had lentils.. let me tell you, they worked beautifully Also, didn’t have the yellow mustard seeds, only black.. but they also added a delicious depth that I love! Scarfed a bowl and a half and going to take the rest for lunch tomorrow. :-D
This was delicious, Angela! I don’t think I’ve ever had potato soup before either. It was so creamy with great flavor. Will definitely be making this again! :)
Just made it and it is great! One question though, the soup simmered much longer than stated in the recipe (something about me forgetting to turn on the oven to bake some bread to go with) and still the split peas were a little hard. I’m only used to split pea soup that has to be on the stove for hours and hours, so maybe they’re supposed to stay a little harder than I’m used to in this particular soup. Or maybe I simply did something wrong and need to be enlightened about the miracle of truly tender peas… Any thoughts?
I had the same experience tonight. Simmered and simmered, and I assumed the peas would be done, but they were still pretty firm! Maybe I should have soaked them first?