Combining the nutritional benefits of split peas with best olive oil – Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil in this classic for wellness health.
Updated 5th September 2022
About Split Peas
Best known for making split-pea soup what it is today, split peas bring on the bean power with B vitamins, especially folate and thiamin, manganese, and a body cleansing 16 grams of fibre per cup. When you’re talking comfort food in the cold weather months, it’s hard to find a healthier soup ingredient.
Split pea soup is made by simmering peas, pureed carrots and onions with diced ham. The soup contributes to your consumption of the vegetables and protein food groups under the United States Department of Agriculture’s ChooseMyPlate nutritional guidelines to help you maintain a well-balanced diet. The healthy ingredients in split pea soup yield a nutrient-dense meal, with 11 grams of protein per cup, and consuming the soup has a number of health advantages.
A Mediterranean Diet Favourite
This vegetarian split pea soup recipe is a favourite healthy dinner recipe since it’s not only hearty and delicious, but it’s also incredibly easy to make from a short list of ingredients, simply green split peas and onions cooked until tender, partially pureed, seasoned and flared out with toppings. It is a great companion to Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil.
Each bowl can be finished with a generous drizzle of Morocco Gold extra virgin olive oil, a few flecks of lemon zest, and a dusting of smoked paprika to give the soup some smoky depth. If you have scallions or toasted nuts on hand these can be added as well.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 231
- Protein: 16 g
- Fat: 1 g
- Saturated: 0 g
- Monounsaturated: 0 g
- Polyunsaturated: 0 g
- Carbohydrate: 41 g
- Sugar: 6 g
- Fiber: 16 g
Key Vitamins And Minerals
- Vitamin K Amount: 9.8 mcg Daily Value: 12%
- Thiamin Amount: .4 mg Daily Value: 25%
- Folate Amount: 127 mcg Daily Value: 32%
- Panthothenic Acid Amount: 1.2 mg Daily Value: 12%
- Iron Amount: 2.5 mg Daily Value: 14%
- Magnesium Amount: 70.6 mg Daily Value: 18%
- Phosphorus Amount: 184 mg Daily Value: 19%
- Potassium Amount: 710 mg Daily Value: 20%
- Zinc Amount: 2 mg Daily Value: 13%
- Copper Amount: .4 mg Daily Value: 18%
- Manganese Amount: .8 mg Daily Value: 39%
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large onions, chopped
- 1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
- 2 cups dried split green peas, picked over and rinsed
- 5 cups water, plus more to finish
- Juice of 1 lemon (reserve the zest)
- To finish: a few pinches of smoked paprika, olive oil, toasted almonds, and/or, scallions
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a big pot over med-high heat. Stir in onions and salt and cook until the onions soften, just a minute or two. Add the split peas and water. Bring to a boil, dial down the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the peas are cooked through (but still a touch al dente).
- Using a large cup or mug ladle half of the soup into a bowl and set aside. Using a hand blender (or regular blender) puree the soup that is still remaining in the pot. Stir the reserved (still chunky) soup back into the puree - you should have a soup that is nicely textured. If you need to thin the soup out with more water (or stock) do so a bit at a time - there are times I need to add up to 3 1/2 cups extra.
- Stir in the lemon juice and taste. If the soup needs more salt (likely), add more a bit at a time until the flavour of the soup really pops.
Dietary Fibre
Dietary fibre adds bulk to your food without contributing to the calorie content of your meal, helping to keep you full throughout the day. Some types of fibre also benefit your cardiovascular health — they help eliminate cholesterol from your body and lower the levels of cholesterol in your blood.
Potassium
Split pea soup helps you reach your daily recommended intake of potassium, an essential mineral. Your body requires 4,700 milligrams of potassium each day, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. Potassium helps activate enzymes required to support your metabolism, while potassium dissolved in your body fluids helps regulate your blood pressure. Potassium also represents one of several minerals involved in nerve conduction and is essential for the function of your nervous system. Consuming a cup of split pea soup increases your potassium intake by 305 milligrams, or 7 percent of your recommended daily intake.
Vitamin K
Consuming split pea soup benefits your health due to its vitamin K content. Vitamin K maintains your health by helping your body respond to injury. Following tissue damage, your body quickly forms blood clots designed to stem the flow of blood out of a wound. Without the ability to form clots, individuals face the risk of severe blood loss even from minor wounds. Vitamin K helps to activate enzymes responsible for triggering blood clot formation to protect you from blood loss. A 1-cup serving of canned split pea soup contains 18 micrograms of vitamin K — 20 or 15 percent of the recommended daily intake for women or men, respectively
