Meatless Monday: Spinach & Fennel Split Pea Soup
By Jamin Mendelsohn
This weekend, we found Nemo! The blizzard hit NY so what else is there to do but cook up a warm hearty soup? I love this recipe not only because it is delicious, but the addition of the spinach takes drab split pea soup and turns it into a bowl of gorgeous green. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped fennel (1 bulb or 5 fennel stalks, fronds removed)
- 1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp.)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 15 oz dried green split peas
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, divided
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 oz baby spinach leaves
- coconut oil or olive oil (to coat the pan)
Directions
- Heat saucepan coated with olive oil or coconut oil over medium heat. Add fennel and onion, and sauté 8 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, and cook 30 seconds. Add 1/2 cup broth and simmer 2 minutes. Add split peas, 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, thyme, bay leaf, and remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 50 minutes, stirring occasionally until split peas are tender.
- Stir in spinach, and cook 2 minutes, or until spinach is wilted.
- Remove bay leaf, and purée soup with immersion blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
- Toast remaining 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds in small skillet 2 minutes, or until fragrant. Serve soup garnished with toasted fennel seeds.
This recipe was adapted from Vegetarian Times.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 100
Fat: 0g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 115mg
Carbohydrates: 19g
Fiber: 7g
Sugars: 3g
Protein: 6g